Leibnitz

Leibnitz lies south of Graz between the Mur and Sulm rivers, near the site of Roman Flavia Solva. An imperial charter of 970 records the name Lipnizza, originally associated with a settlement on the Frauenberg hill. The area belonged to the archbishops of Salzburg, whose authority in the Sulm valley was confirmed in 1178. Seggau Castle above the town was a seat of ecclesiastical power.

Lacking town walls, Leibnitz was handed to invading Hungarian forces in 1479 and returned to Austrian rule after their occupation ended in 1490. Ottoman troops destroyed the market settlement in 1532. In 1595 Salzburg's administration of Leibnitz was sold to Martin Brenner, bishop of Seckau and a leader of the Counter-Reformation. Fires in 1709 and 1829 later brought further damage to the settlement.