Bruck lies in Upper Styria, at the confluence of the rivers Mürz and Mur. In days gone by it was important because of its position on the main route used for the transport of salt and iron. Today Bruck an der Mur is an industrial town (steel, copper, paper, bricks) as well as a regional traffic intersection. Once a Roman settlement, first mentioned in records in the year 860, Bruck was remodelled in 1263 by Ottokar Praemysl and received its charter in 1277. In the Middle Ages it was the center for trade with Venice and in the 16th C. the seat of regional parliaments. After the catastrophic fire of 1792 it was rebuilt as it is today. Parts of the old town-wall, castle gate and tower still remain. The town was named after its bridges (variously designated "Prukka", "Prukke" and "Prukkha").
A stepped footpath from the Former Minorite church of Maria im Walde leads up in five minutes to the scanty remains of Burg Landskron (partly restored in 1953) with its clock-tower. The climb is well worth while for the sake of the beautiful view of the town and the surrounding mountains.
Just outside Bruck an der Mur stands the Ruprechtskirche (church of St Rupert), on the site of the original settlement of Bruck. The Romanesque church (later extended in Neo-Gothic style) possesses an impressive fresco depicting the Last Judgment (c. 1420).
From the Bruck an der Mur square Rosegger-Strasse leads to the former Minorite church of Maria im Walde (13th C.), part of a priory dissolved in 1782. The convent buildings now house a local museum. The 14th C. wall paintings and an early Gothic cloister in the church are of interest.
Frohnleiten (438m/1,438ft; pop. 5,000), also known as the "Styrian Rothenburg", is a typical example of a medieval market which has grown into a roadside village.
The Roccoco interior of the parish church of the Assumption (1701) in Frohnleiten is attractive, including the figures by Veit Königer (1760) on the high altar and the ceiling frescos by J. A. Mölk (1764).
To the south of Bruck 2.5 hours' walk away, rises the Hochanger (1,312m/4,306ft; inn) with a look out tower. From here it is possible to walk along the ridge to the Hochalpe (1,643m/5,391ft; 2.5 hours) from where there are beautiful views.
In the Bruck an der Mur Hauptplatz will be found the handsome Gothic Kornmesserhaus, built by the metal merchant P. Kornmess in 1499-1505, with arcades and a beautiful loggia. The general style of the building indicates Venetian influence. Also worth seeing are the arcaded courtyards in the Apothekerhaus (1520-30) and in the Rathaus (1530).
In Bruck an der Mur, houses lie on both sides of the rivers Mur and Mürz, the old town center being north of the Mur. In the Hauptplatz (main square) stands a charming wrought-iron fountain of the Renaissance period (1626).
Mixnitz is the starting-point for a walk (4.5 hours) through the wild Bärnschützklamm (gorge) to the summit of Hochlantsch (1,720m/5,643ft), from which there are sweeping views.
Above the Bruck an der Mur Hauptplatz towers the Gothic parish church (15th C.), with its beautiful wrought iron sacristy door made in 1500 in the Austrian Gothic style. The interior was remodelled in the Baroque style in the 17th C. The altarpiece (19th C.) is by the painter M. Schiffer.
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Frohnleiten, Austria
