Mürzzuschlag

Mürzzuschlag lies in the upper Mürz valley, below the route over the Semmering. First mentioned in 1227, it appeared in the poem Frauendienst by the Styrian knight and poet Ulrich von Liechtenstein, describing his journey from Venice towards Bohemia. In 1360 Duke Rudolf granted Mürzzuschlag an iron privilege, giving it the exclusive right to produce small iron goods between Leoben and the Semmering. Hammer mills became a lasting feature of work in the valley.