# 1922 Encyclopædia Britannica/Styria

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​STYRIA (see 25.1058), an Austrian territory bordered on the E. by the Southern Slav State and that part of Burgenland which belongs to Austria; on the N. by Lower and Upper Austria; on the W. by Salzburg and Carinthia; and on the S. by the Southern Slav State. The part of Styria included in the Southern Slav State has an area of some 2,366 sq. m. and had, in 1910, a pop. of 433,000. The Austrian territory extends over some 6,304 sq. m., of which the greater part is mountainous and almost the whole lies in the Eastern Alps. Styria had formerly three large divisions:—Northern or Upper Styria; Middle Styria; and Southern or Lower Styria. Lower Styria and the southern part of Middle Styria, up to the Posruck range and to the Mur have, however, been taken over by the Southern Slav State. Middle Styria is surrounded on the W. and N. by a semi-circular mountain range which joins the Cetic and a part of the Noric Alps and has re- cently become known as the “Steierische Randgebirge.” The pass through which flows the river Mur between Bruck and Graz unites it to Upper Styria. The northern part of Upper Styria is occupied by the heights of the Nödrdlichen Kalkalpen. The eastern part of the Noric Alps, the Bachern together with the Posruck, now belongs to the Southern Slav State.
Population.—The pop. of the Styria of to-day was, in 1910, 952.59; in I9 2 it had decreased to about 946,720 (151 per sq.m.). It is almost purely German. The proportion of males to females in 1910 was as 1,000 to 983; in 1920 as 1,000 to 1,053. While Styria lost some 75,000 Germans, among whom were 9,000 belonging to the exclusively German-speaking districts, she has now only about 5,000 Slovene inhabitants. In 1910 the pop. of the present-day Styria was as to 97.4% Roman Catholic and 2.1 % Evangelical.
For administrative purposes, Styria is divided into 16 districts and the autonomous city of Graz, the capital (pop. 157,032 in 1920). Other important places are:—(pop. figures are taken from the census of 1920) in the Traun and Enns district of Upper Styria—Bad Aussee (pop. 1,370); Eisenerz (pop. 6,337); Manazell, the famous resort of pilgrims (pop. 1,881); in the Upper Mur district—Judenburg (pop. 5,668); Fohnsdorf (pop. 7,199); Zeltweg (pop. 3,682); Knittelfeld (pop. 10,672); Leoben (pop. 11,231); Donawitz (pop. 15.087); Vordernberg (pop. 2,352); Bruck an der Mur (pop. 8,490);—in Mürz-Thal—Kappenberg (pop. 12,576); Mürzzuschlag (pop. 6,483);—in Middle Styria—Köflach (pop. 2,655) ; Voitsberg (pop. 3,283); Eggenberg bei Graz (pop. 15,554): Weiz (pop. 3,620); Fürstenfeld (pop. 5,649) and the Gleichenberg Spa, Kurort Gleichenberg (pop. 872).
Education.—Styria has three higher educational establishments, namely the university and the technical college of Graz and the Montanist College in Leoben.
Notwithstanding the great unevenness of the surface, only 8.0% of the present Styria could be reckoned as unproductive in 1900. Of the productive parts, 19.1% was arable; 0.9% gardens; 0.5% ​vineyards; 11.8% meadows; 13.3% grazing lands; 54.4% was, however, forest. This territory is justly called “green Styria.” Cattle-raising has greatly developed and farming is actively carried on on the high lands. Nevertheless, in 1918 there were only 358,108 head of cattle (of which 170,630 were milch-cows) and 344,188 swine. A good breed of horses exists in Ennsthal and considerable attention is devoted to poultry-farming in Middle Styria, where the shooting and fishing are good. The forests yield a great variety of timber.
Minerals.—Styria is so rich in iron ore that it has been called the “land of iron” (eiserne Mark). Lignite is also abundant. Of the total output of the mines of present-day Austria (51,000,000 kronen in 1915) 71% (36,000,000 kronen) is attributed to Styria; its output of iron (1.8 million tons in 1915) is over 94% of the Austrian total. Iron-mining is almost exclusively confined to the Erzberg between Eisenerz and Vordernberg. The manufacture of iron in Austria is now almost entirely confined to Styria (538,753 tons out of a total of 541,004 tons). The most important iron-smelting works are in or near the above-named region and at Hieflau, Trofaiach and especially Donawitz; in the lignite districts, in Zeltweg and Knittelfeld, near the lignite diggings of Fohnsdorf and in Eibiswald; also in Mürz-Thal (Kapfenberg, Miirzzuschlag). The Mürz-Thal is also the centre of the newly created scythe-making industry.
The lignite produced, 1-8 million tons or over 74 % of the Austrian total, is found in many places. The most important mines are at Fohnsdorf in Upper Styria; the product of those near Leoben is used by the great metal works of Donawitz and others—and there are smaller mines in Mürz-Thal; in Western Middle Styria in the districts of Hoflach and Voitsberg and those of Eibiswald and Wies.
Styria also produces salt; 28,000 tons, some 17% of the whole Austrian output, was obtained near Aussee in 1915. It yields also almost the entire Austrian output of graphite and some sulphur, lead and zinc ores, clay and building stone. The output of magnesite has become especially important; Styria alone almost supplies the world, chiefly from the neighbourhood of Veitsch, Trieben, Kraubath, in the Breitenau near Brack and elsewhere.
Water-power.—The plentiful and accessible supply of water-power has caused the installation of great electrical stations of which, however, full advantage has not been taken. The electrical works of Weiz are world-famed.
Manufactures.—Notable Styrian manufacturing industries are those of the iron works at the places already named, also at Pallen-Thal (Rottenmann, Trieben) and at and near Graz. These turn out a great variety of iron goods; small articles as well as scythes, machinery, locomotives (Graz), bicycles (Graz) and wagons. Graz makes carriages and automobiles and also holds an important place in the wide-spread wood industries (including furniture). The manufactures of lignite and cellulose, pasteboard, paper (Grat-Korn, near Graz, and other places), also of beer (Graz), tiles, flour, leather, explosives (Deutsch-Landsberg and other places) are considerable. Less important are flour-milling, and the textile, glass, tobacco and chemical industries.
Communications.—The new frontier cuts through the Marburg-Unterdrauburg line so that the connexion between Middle Styria and Carinthia goes a long way round, causing considerable inconvenience. Mariazell is now connected by rail with Vienna.