Leoben () is a

Styria Styria (german: Steiermark ; Serbo-Croatian and sl, ; hu, Stájerország) is a state (''Bundesland'') in the southeast of Austria. With an area of , Styria is the second largest state of Austria, after Lower Austria. Styria is bordered ...

n city in central

Austria Austria, , bar, Östareich officially the Republic of Austria, is a country in the southern part of Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine states, one of which is the capital, Vienna, the most populous ...

, located on the Mur river. With a population of about 25,000 it is a local industrial centre and hosts the University of Leoben, which specialises in mining. The Peace of Leoben, an

armistice An armistice is a formal agreement of warring parties to stop fighting. It is not necessarily the end of a war, as it may constitute only a cessation of hostilities while an attempt is made to negotiate a lasting peace. It is derived from the ...

between Austria and France preliminary to the

Treaty of Campo Formio The Treaty of Campo Formio (today Campoformido) was signed on 17 October 1797 (26 Vendémiaire VI) by Napoleon Bonaparte and Count Philipp von Cobenzl as representatives of the French Republic and the Austrian monarchy, respectively. The trea ...

, was signed in Leoben in 1797. The

Justice Centre Leoben The Justice Centre Leoben is a court and prison complex in Leoben in Styria, Austria, which was designed by architect Josef Hohensinn and was completed in November 2004. With 205 inmates, the prison is fully booked. There are two inscriptions on t ...

is a prison designed by architect Josef Hohensinn, which was completed in 2005.

Name

Leoben was attested in historical sources as ''Liupina'' in AD 904. The name is of Slavic origin, meaning 'beloved', and is derived from the root ''ljub-'' 'love'.

Past and present

Leoben is known as the “Gateway to the Styrian Iron Road”. The 13th-century Main Square features the Hackl House with its baroque façade in red and white. The City Parish Church, St. Francis Xavier, built in 1660, comprises a 17th-century interior and is considered one of the most significant Jesuit churches in Austria. Also of note is the Art Nouveau Lutheran church which is at the upper end of the Franz-Josef-Strasse. The oldest convent for women in Styria is

Göss Abbey Göss Abbey (german: Stift Göß) is a former Benedictine nunnery and former Cathedral in Göss, now a part of Leoben in Styria, Austria. After the abbey's dissolution in 1782 the church, now a parish church, was the seat of the short-lived Bisho ...

. Founded in 1020 A.D., it was run by the Benedictine nuns until it was dissolved in 1782 and made the see of short-lived Diocese of Leoben. The early Romanesque crypt is of note as is the 'Gösser Ornat,' which can be seen in Vienna (Museum for Applied Arts). Next to the convent is the Gösser brewery, which includes a brewery museum. Current cultural events include classical concerts in the Congress Leoben, productions of the Summer Philharmonic in July and performances of local and guest productions in the oldest operating theatre in Austria.City of Leoben: ''A City on the Move.'' In: ''City of Leoben''

Tradition & avantgarde

Leoben was shaped for centuries by the trade in iron and the research in raw materials carried out at the University of Leoben, which was founded in 1840. Mining traditions still play an important part in city life. Examples are the Miners' Parade, the St. Barbara Celebration or the ''Ledersprung'' ("Leather Jump"). The Gösser Kirtag, a street fair, takes place on the Thursday after the first Sunday in October and attracts tens of thousands of visitors to Leoben. Other components of the vigorous cultural life of the "Mining City" include classical concerts in the Congress Leoben, productions of the Summer Philharmonics in July and performances of locally created and guest productions in the oldest still-running theatre in Austria. File:Leoben.jpg, Leoben around 1900. File:Blick auf Leoben 2009.jpg, View of Leoben in 2009.

Notable people

* Lisa Eckhart (born 1992), Austrian comedian * Tracey Gilmore, Australian politician * , bishop *

Roland Linz Roland Gunther Linz (born 9 August 1981) is an Austrian former professional footballer who played as a forward. He spent most of his extensive professional career with Austria Wien, winning five major titles including three Austrian Bundeslig ...

, football player * Wilfried Morawetz, botanist *

Chris Raaber Chris Raaber (born September 6, 1981) is an Austrian professional wrestler, better known by his ring name Bambikiller (occasionally spelled Bambi Killer). He runs his own promotion European Wrestling Association. Raaber is a former one time (Ze ...

"Bambikiller",

professional wrestler Professional wrestling is a form of theater that revolves around staged wrestling matches. The mock combat is performed in a ring similar to the kind used in boxing, and the dramatic aspects of pro wrestling may be performed both in the ring o ...

* Walter Schachner (aka "Schoko"),

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kicking a ball to score a goal. Unqualified, the word ''football'' normally means the form of football that is the most popular where the word is used. Sports commonly ...

trainer * Christoph Strasser, ultra cyclist * Martin Weinek (born 1964), actor

References

External links

* *
University of Leoben

Pictures of Leoben and information in English language
{{Authority control Cities and towns in Leoben District