History Of Schwaz

Early history

Schwaz’s initial settlement dates back to the Bronze Age and Neolithic era. Originally mentioned as “Suates,” or “Svaz,” it first surfaced in historical records in the year 930/931. The lords of Frundsberg, also known as Freundsberg, built a keep above Schwaz in 1170. They were vassals of the Counts of Tyrol. Later expanded into a fortification, the castle—which still stands today—served as both a residence and a prison.

The true meaning of Schwaz became clear when silver deposits were discovered circa 1409; legend has it that a farm girl called “Kandlerin” came upon the silver ore while grazing cattle on an Alpine pasture. A bull is supposed to have exposed the silver ore by digging with its horns. Schwaz thus surged to the most significant silver mining hub of that era. Schwaz became the economic powerhouse of Europe and supplied mineral riches for the Austrian emperors and other dignitaries during the fifteenth and sixteen centuries. Rich traders, bankers, and intellectuals including Paracelsus and the Fugger family drawn to the silver mines Establishing their headquarters in Schwaz and financing the mining activities, the Fugger family—the richest and most powerful bankers in Europe—supported Renowned physician and alchemist Paracelsus wrote some of his most significant works in Schwaz and worked as a doctor and researcher there as well.

With a Renaissance town hall, a Franciscan monastery, and a great parish church, Schwaz was also a cultural and artistic center. Built between 1500 and 1509, the church boasts one of Tyrol’s biggest Gothic hall churches with an amazing organ spanning 5,898 pipes. Emperor Maximilian I, who passed away in 1519 and buried in Schwaz until his remains were moved to Innsbruck in 1553, also rests in the church. Built in 1511, the town hall boasts a richly decorated façade and a lovely inner courtyard and is a magnificent illustration of Renaissance architecture. Founded in 1461, the Franciscan monastery housed a renowned school and a great library in addition to serving as a center of spirituality and knowledge.

Inspired by the writings of Paracelsus and Martin Luther, Schwaz was among the first towns in Tyrol to adopt the Protestant Reformation. But many Protestants were banished or persecuted as the Counter-Reformation under Archduke Ferdinand II of Austria rebuilt Catholicism in Schwaz by 1599. Schwaz also suffered from several wars, plagues, and fires that destroyed the town and population. The silver mines closed last year in 1867 after progressively declining activity.

Mining

With almost 20,000 residents and second biggest city in the Holy Roman Empire after Vienna, Schwaz’s mining and heyday peaked about 1500. At that time, Schwaz produced 10% of the copper and roughly 85% of the silver worldwide. Coins including the first silver coin with a standard weight and value, the guldiner, were produced from Schwaz’s silver. Additionally helping to finance the Habsburg dynasty, the growth of the Spanish Empire, and the European economy and trade was the silver from Schwaz.

Among the difficulties and negative effects of Schwaz’s mining and heyday were the hard working conditions of the miners, the environmental impact of the mining operations, social conflicts between the several classes and groups, and political and religious upheaval of the day. The depletion of the silver ore, the rivalry from other mining areas, the wars and plague that tore the town, and the Counter-Reformation that quell the Protestant movement in Schwaz brought an end to the mining and heyday as well in the late 16th and early 17th centuries.

Reformation

A movement for religious reform, the Reformation swept over Europe in the 1500s. It led to the founding of a branch of Christianity known as Protestantism, a moniker used generally to describe the several religious groups that broke away from the Roman Catholic Church because of divergent doctrine. German monk and professor Martin Luther, who questioned the authority and policies of the Catholic Church, particularly the indulgence sales—certificates guaranteeing the forgiveness of sins and the lowering of time in purgatory—started the Reformation. Luther also translated the Bible into German so that the common people might have access to it and promoted the sola scriptura idea, according to which the Bible by itself is the source of Christian truth and authority.

Affected by Martin Luther’s ideas and Paracelsus’s writings, Schwaz was among the first towns in Tyrol to adopt the Protestant Reformation. Renowned physician and alchemist Paracelsus wrote some of his most significant works in Schwaz and worked as a researcher there as well. In addition, he backed the Reformation and attacked the Catholic Church. He denounced the corruption and superstition of the clergy and rejected the pope’s and the church councils’ authority. In addition, he put forward a fresh system of medicine based on the four elements, the three principles, and the seven planets, so challenging the conventional medical theories of Galen and Avicenna. He promoted the need of observation and experimentation as well as the use of chemical remedies including mercury and sulfur. Modern pharmacology and chemistry are regarded to have originated with him.

Local nobility, traders, and miners who saw the Reformation as a means of attaining more autonomy and freedom from the Habsburg dynasty and the Catholic Church helped Schwaz as well. Most of the town council of Schwaz, which adopted the Protestant confession in 1526, did likewise. The Franciscan monastery closed and turned into a school; the parish church of Schwaz became a Protestant church. The town also set up a printing press, which produced many Protestant books and pamphlets. Along with many Protestant refugees and exiles from other parts of Europe, the town welcomed the Anabaptists, who were persecuted for their extreme beliefs on baptism and the division of church and state.

But the Catholic authorities, particularly Archduke Ferdinand II of Austria, a fervent defender of the Catholic faith and Counter-Reformer leader, also fiercely opposed the Reformation in Schwaz. Aiming to change its ideas and practices and stop the spread of Protestantism, the Counter-Reformation was a movement inside the Catholic Church. New religious orders including the Jesuits, the revival of the Inquisition, book censorship, and the Council of Trent’s convening—which reaffirmed Catholic beliefs and denounced Protestant errors—were part of the Counter-Reformation.

Against the Protestants in Schwaz and other areas of Tyrol, Austrian Archduke Ferdinand II set out a campaign of persecution and repression. He sent troops and officials to carry out his orders, taxed the town heavily, seized its rights and privileges, and levies fines. Along with ordering the closure of the printing press, the Protestant preachers and teachers removed, and the Catholic worship and education restored, In addition, he forbade reading the Bible and other Protestant books as well as possessed them; should the Protestants refuse their faith, he threatened them with death, torture, and incarceration. The Inquisition drove many Protestants to flee or emigrate abroad, or arrested, questioned, and executed them. Schwaz’s Reformation was virtually destroyed by 1599, and the town was returned to Catholicism.

Schwaz’s Reformation had a long-lasting effect on the town’s and the area’s history, culture, and identity. The beliefs and values of the people were shaped by this time of religious, intellectual, and social transformation and conflict. It also helped Schwaz’s printing sector grow, its educational system flourish, and its medical science advance. As the town lost its riches, power, and reputation, Schwaz also began to fall from a center of silver mining as a cultural and artistic center. Though it saw the rise and fall of the Reformation, Schwaz is a town that has survived and changed with the times.

19th century

Following the fall and collapse of Schwaz as a silver mining center and a cultural and artistic center in the past centuries, the 19th century in Schwaz was one of recovery and transformation. The Napoleonic Wars, the industrial revolution, the social movements, and the national awakening presented Schwaz both chances and difficulties.

From 1803 to 1815, the Napoleonic Wars—result of the French Revolution and the ascent of Napoleon Bonaparte—involved most of Europe and other areas of the world. These wars affected Schwaz particularly the War of the Fifth Coalition in 1809, when Tyrol rebelled against Napoleon’s imposed Bavarian rule. Lead by Andreas Hofer, the Tyrolean rebels valiantly battled the French and Bavarian forces, but they were finally routed and executed. The enemy troops occupied and looted Schwaz, and many of its residents perished or were imprisoned. Once Napoleon was defeated, Schwaz was freed and returned to Austria.

Beginning in the late 18th century and running until the early 20th century, the industrial revolution was a process of social and economic transformation brought about by the development of new technologies including steam engines, railroads, factories, and machines. Schwaz profited from this revolution since it created metal, textile, and paper industries among other ones. For Schwaz, the paper business was particularly significant since, in the 19th century, it provided the town’s primary employment and income source. Founded in 1792 by Johann Nepomuk Triendl, Schwaz’s paper factory was among the biggest and most contemporary in Europe and created premium paper for banknotes, books, and newspapers. The paper mill also supported the printing press, the library, and the music school, so augmenting Schwaz’s cultural and educational life.

Emerging in the 19th century as a result of nationalism and liberalism, the national awakening was a process of cultural and political identity development. As Schwaz grew Tyrolean and Austrian patriotic and opposed the German and Italian influences, it underwent this awakening. Schwaz honored its cultural and historical legacy including Tyrolean revolt, Reformation, and silver mining. Schwaz also backed Austria’s independence and unity as well as against Germany’s annexation and fascism in Italy and Austria.

20th century

Schwaz experienced two world wars, the rise and fall of fascism, division and reunification of Austria, and the evolution of democracy and the European Union in the 20th century—a time of challenge and change.

Following the murder of Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria in Sarajevo, the First World War (1914–1918) was a worldwide conflict involving most of the nations of Europe and other areas. Being part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, which battled the Allies consisting of France, Britain, Russia, and subsequently the United States, Schwaz was impacted by this war. Along with the loss of many of Schwaz’s young men who were enlisted into the army, it suffered from shortages of food, fuel, and materials. Schwaz also observed the fall of the Austro-Hungarian Empire in 1918 and the founding of the Republic of Austria in November 1918.

As a result of the aftermath of the First World War and the development of nationalism and communism, the Interwar Period (1918–1938) was a period of political and economic instability and social discontent in Europe and the world. < Schwaz went through this period since it belonged to the Republic of Austria, which battled to keep its sovereignty and independence, and was under danger of being acquired by Germany and Italy. Starting in 1929 and resulting in a severe economic crisis with great unemployment, poverty, and inflation, Schwaz also suffered from the Great Depression. Schwaz also saw the persecution of democracy and human rights as well as the emergence of fascism, a totalitarian and nationalist philosophy supporting the dominance of the government and the leader. Following the Anschluss, the union of Germany and Austria, Schwaz was occupied and acquired by Nazi Germany in 1938.

Thanks to the aggressiveness and expansion of Nazi Germany, Fascist Italy, and Imperial Japan, the Second World War (1939–1945) was a worldwide conflict involving most of the nations in the world. Being part of Nazi Germany, which battled the Allies consisting of Britain, France, the United States, the Soviet Union, and subsequently many other nations, Schwaz was impacted by this war. Particularly Jews, Roma, Slavs, and political opponent, Schwaz suffered under the persecution and discrimination of the Nazi government. Many people were killed. Schwaz suffered also from the bombing and destruction of the Allied forces, which aimed at the town’s military and industrial sectors. Following Nazi Germany’s fall, Schwaz was freed in 1945 and taken over by the French troops engaged in Allied occupation of Austria.

The end of the Second World War and the start of the Cold War marked the Postwar Period (1945–1995), a period of rehabilitation and reconstruction in Europe and the world. Schwaz went through this period since it was part of the Republic of Austria, which reclaimed its autonomy and sovereignty in 1955 following the signing of the Austrian State Treaty, so terminating the Allied occupation and so restoring Austria’s independence and neutrality. The social and economic growth of Austria—which attained a high level of living, a stable democracy, and a welfare state—also helped Schwaz. Schwaz also saw Austria’s political and economic integration into the European community, a process of unification among the European nations under political and cooperative efforts. Following a referendum whereby most of the Austrian people voted in support of the membership, Schwaz joined the European Union in 1995.