Leoben, on a loop of the River Mur, is the headquarters of the iron working and lignite mining region of Upper Styria, with a Mining College. The core of the town is very historic. Beautifully situated at the foot of the Massenberg, a fortified settlement here was first mentioned in the records in 982 under the name of Liubina and in 1173 as a market town. In 1263 King Ottokar PrÄemysl rebuilt the town by the bend in the river. In 1415 Leoben was granted trading rights in the iron trade. In 1939 Donawitz, Göss, Judendorf, Leitendorf and other places were all incorporated into the town.
To the south of Leoben's bridge over the Mur stands the church of Maria am Waasen (14th-15th C.), with net-ribbed vaulting over the four-bayed nave; note also the fine stained glass in the side-windows (1400), and the pulpit.
In the district of Göss (2km/1.25mi south of Leoben town center) housed in the buildings of a Benedictine nunnery founded before 1020 and dissolved in 1782. Well-known is the Late Romanesque "Gösser Ornat" (Göss Vestment; 13th century) handmade by nuns and now housed in the Austrian Museum of Applied Art in Vienna.
Address: Göss Vestment, Brauhausgasse 1, A-8700 Leoben, Austria
The Hauptplatz (main square) forms the town center. Here are the Hacklhaus (No. 9), with a fine Baroque facade of about 1680, and the Altes Rathaus (Old Town Hall) of 1568, adorned with coats of arms.
Southwest of Leoben the Liesingtal goes off to the northwest in the direction of the Schober pass (843m/2,766ft; skiing area), which leads into the Ennstal. From Mautern (713m/2,339ft), the chief place in the valley, a chairlift goes up to the Wildpark Steiermark-Mautern (wildlife park with enclosure for deer; 1,250m/4,100ft). Two climbs from Mautern (each about five hours) are up to the Wildfeld (2,046m/6,713ft) and the Reiting (2,215m/7,267ft).
Mautern is a must-visit attraction for skiers.
Address: Mautern Tourist Office, Alpsteig 1, A-8774 Mautern, Austria
The Leoben Mautturm (Toll Tower), popularly known as the Schwammerlturm ("Mushroom Tower"), was built by P. Carlone in 1615; the nearby Municipal Theater dates from 1790. A little way north of the bridge, on the right bank of the Mur, stands the Neues Rathaus (New Town Hall).
To the west of the Leoben Hauptplatz stands the parish church of St Xaver (1660-65); note the internal decoration in the chondroid style, the richly ornate pulpit and the high altar, as well as the Romanesque crucifix on the south wall (13th C.).
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