Trofaiach

Trofaiach, Styria, town in the district of Leoben, alt. 658 m, pop. 8,519, area 5.01 km², situated on the Vordernberger Bach stream to the northwest of Leoben, on the old iron road. - Lebenshilfe day centre for the disabled, sports hall, city library, district heating plant, 2 transformer stations; large service sector (especially in trade, public and social service); woodworking, metal and plastics processing, carrier trade, building trade, some summer tourism. - Hammermills documented in the Middle Ages, flourishing iron industry up to the 19^th  century; chartered in 1979. - Gothic parish church with Romanesque core, choir (14^th  century), nave (1462), mighty fortified tower, Gothic frescoes (15^th  century), magnificent high altar (documented mention in 1722), painting of the Virgin Mary (around 1700); subsidiary church of the Holy Trinity (hall church, around 1520), Baroque frescoes, high altar (1752) from the Dominican church in Leoben. Palaces and castles: Stibichhofen (15^th and 17^th centuries, now museum) and Mell (altered in 1871/1872); Renaissance Oberdorf palace (called Stockschloß) (in the municipality Gai) with superb Renaissance windows.

Literature: A. Reiter, Trofaiach Altes Kulturzentrum im steirischen Erzgebiet, 1963; A. Seebacher-Mesaritsch, Trofaiach. Heimatbuch zur Stadterhebung, 1979.