Styria was the heart of the Austrian War machine, supplying its armies with iron and worked metal. The region however, it marked by its high alpine vistas along the valley of the Enns, connecting the Mediterranean World with that of the Danube. In a sense it was the heart of Austria, a land of mountains, castles, monasteries and centers of commerce.
Upper Styria, the northern heart of the old duchy, forms one of Austria’s most storied and rugged landscapes. Dominated by the Enns Valley, the Eisenerz Alps, and the Erzberg—Europe’s famed “mountain of iron”—it was long the industrial core of Inner Austria. From medieval times, its mines, foundries, and blacksmiths forged the weapons and tools that sustained Habsburg power, while monasteries like Admont and towns like Leoben and Judenburg became centers of learning and trade. Yet amid its roaring forges, Upper Styria nurtured a deep alpine culture—rooted in resilience, faith, and craftsmanship—where the drama of mountains and industry shaped a proud and enduring identity.
