Styria (state)

Styria (die Steiermark in German, Štajerska in Slovenian) is a state or Land, located in the south east of Austria. In area, it is the second largest of the nine Austrian states, covering 16,388 km². It borders Slovenia as well as the other Austrian states of Upper Austria, Lower Austria, Salzburg, Burgenland, and Carinthia. The population (as of 2001) was 1,183,303. The capital city is Graz.

The term Obersteiermark ("Upper Styria") used by an Austrian refers to the northern and northwestern parts of the federal state (districts Liezen, Murau, Judenburg, Knittelfeld, Leoben, Bruck an der Mur and Mürzzuschlag). The term Weststeiermark ("West Styria") is used for the districts to the west of Graz (Voitsberg, Deutschlandsberg, western part of the district Leibnitz), the districts east of Graz (Weiz, Hartberg, Feldbach, Fürstenfeld and Radkersburg) are referred to as Oststeiermark ("East Styria"). The western and eastern parts of the district Graz-Umgebung may or may not be considered parts of West and East Styria, respectively. The southern parts of the Duchy of Styria, which have formed part of Slovenia since 1918, were (and sometimes colloquially still are) referred to as Untersteiermark ("Lower Styria").

Hollywood film star and current California governor Arnold Schwarzenegger was born and grew up in Styria. 2004's Nobel Laureate in literature, Elfriede Jelinek, was born in Styria. Former tennis player and World No. 1, Thomas Muster, was also born and also grew up in Styria. Former Formula 1-Champion Jochen Rindt grew up in Graz, the capital of Styria.

Administrative divisions

The state is divided into 16 districts (Bezirke), and a Statutarstadt.

Statutarstädte

Graz

Districts

Bruck an der Mur
Deutschlandsberg
Feldbach
Fürstenfeld
Graz-Umgebung
Hartberg
Judenburg
Knittelfeld
Leibnitz
Leoben
Liezen with the subdistricts
Gröbming and Bad Aussee
Mürzzuschlag
Murau
Radkersburg
Voitsberg
Weiz

Politics

The state had been a stronghold of the Austrian People's Party (ÖVP) since 1945. The governor (Austrian political term: Landeshauptmann) was usually a member of this party.

2005 Elections

In the latest elections for state parliament the Social Democrats (SPÖ) under their regional chairman Franz Voves won the majority after the ÖVP had damaged its credibility through scandals and the secession of a high-ranking party member who took part in the 2005 election after setting up his own party. In this election, the Communist Party (KPÖ) also received many votes after it had gained much popularity through its role in local politics in Graz during the preceding few years. The two right wing populist parties, the FPÖ and the BZÖ both failed to win seats.

Economy

Like everywhere in the developed world there has been a shift away from the manufacturing sector towards the service sector in Styria. This has had negative consequences for the industrial regions of upper Styria which have suffered a steady decline in population in recent years. In 2004 Styria had the strongest economic growth rate in Austria at 3,8% - mainly due to the Graz area which saw strong economic growth that year and has continued to grow in economic and population terms since then.

History

see:

Duchy of Styria

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