Leoben () is a Styrian 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 The Mur () or Mura (; ; ; Prekmurje Slovene: ''Müra''Novak, Vilko. 2006. ''Slovar stare knjižne prekmurščine''. Ljubljana: ZRC SAZU, pp. 262, 269. or ''Möra'') is a river in Central Europe rising in the Hohe Tauern national park of th ...

. With a population of about 25,000 it is a local industrial centre and hosts the

University of Leoben The University of Leoben (German: ''Montanuniversität Leoben'') in Austria is the country's university for mining, metallurgy and materials. It was founded on 4 November 1840 as the ''Steiermärkisch-Ständische Montanlehranstalt'' in Vordernbe ...

, which specialises in mining. The

Peace of Leoben The Peace of Leoben was a general armistice and preliminary peace agreement between the Holy Roman Empire and the First French Republic that ended the War of the First Coalition. It was signed at Eggenwaldsches Gartenhaus, near Leoben, on 18 Apr ...

, 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 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. 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 Gösser () beer is the main brand of Göss Brewery in Leoben, one of the largest and most-well known in Austria. The brewery is part of Brau Union, the largest Austrian brewer, whose majority shareholder is the Dutch brewing company Heineken. His ...

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

, 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 Lisa Eckhart (born 6 September 1992) is an Austrian poetry slammer and cabaret artist. Life Born in Leoben, Styria Lisa Eckhart grew up near Leoben with her grandparents. After graduating from the HIB Liebenau in Graz in 2009, she studied Ge ...

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

Roland Linz Roland Gunther Linz (born 9 August 1981) is an Austrian former professional association football, footballer who played as a forward (association football), forward. He spent most of his extensive professional career with FK Austria Wien, Austr ...

, 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 Walter "Schoko" Schachner (born 1 February 1957) is a football manager and former player, who played as a forward. He made 64 appearances scoring 23 goals for the Austria national team. As he always brought chocolate to the games when he was ...

(aka "Schoko"), football trainer * Christoph Strasser, ultra cyclist *

Martin Weinek Martin Weinek (born 30 June 1964 in Leoben, Styria) is an Austrian actor, perhaps best known for his role in the television series ''Inspector Rex'' (as Inspector Fritz Kunz). He also produces wine in Austria. Biography Weinek studied drama from ...

(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