Schladming

Schladming, Styria, town in the district of Liezen, alt. 749 m, pop. 4,377 (1981: pop. 3,918), area 10.30 km², bi-seasonal tourism (392,430 overnight stays in 1992, mainly in the winter), situated in the upper part of the Ennstal valley, where the Talbach stream joins the valley. - District court, local health and social insurance branch office, Dachstein-Tauern-Halle conference centre, social advice centre, Tauernhof Christian leisure centre for young people, commercial school and 4-year commercial school for skiers (private), skiing-oriented secondary school, provincial sports centre for school-children, multi-purpose hall, city library, Planai-Hochwurzen mountain railways (monocable ropeway and pulsed movement aerial ropeway); access to the skiing regions of Planai (1,906 m), Hochwurzen (1,849 m) and Dachstein (Hoher Dachstein mountain, 2,995 m); building trade, brewery. - First documented mention 1180, silver mining in the Middle Ages, initially given town status in 1322; from 1525 centre of Protestantism, in the Peasant´s Revolt of 1525 it supported the rebellious peasants and coalworkers, lost all its rights and was burnt down. Reconstruction began in1526; in 1529 Schladming was granted the right to hold markets; town status not regained until in 1925. - Together with the neighbouring Ramsau region it has remained a centre of Protestantism in Styria; Protestant church (1852-1862) with winged altar (around 1570); Catholic parish church (1522-1532) with late-Romanesque tower and magnificent high altar (1702-1704, statues by B. Prandtstätter), chapel of St. Anne (charnel house, rebuilt 1630); remains of town wall and Salzburger Tor gateway; old town houses (16^th century core); town hall (1886, formerly Coburg Palace); city museum; in Rohrmoos-Untertal mining gallery, educational mining trail (silver and lead mining). Venue of the Alpine ski world championship 1982 and of the World Winter Games for the disabled (Special Olympics) in 1993.

Literature: W. Stipperger, Die Stadt Schladming, Festschrift zur 50. Wiederkehr der 2. Stadterhebung, 1975; R. Schäffer, Der obersteirische Bauern- und Knappenaufstand und der Überfall auf Schladming 1525, 1989.