Schwaz Old Town

Welcome to Schwaz – History, culture and shopping await in one of the oldest towns in Europe! If you would like to discover Schwaz off your own bat, there are lots of places to park in the town centre and also in the outskirts of the town, a short stroll away and a perfect start. You can get to the vibrant Innsbrucker Strasse on the right via the town square, which has shopping opportunities, while on your left is the wonderful Old Town Mile where Franz-Josef-Straße is flanked by Schwaz town hall which dates back to the early 16th century, and the Maria Himmelfahrt parish church dating from the 15^th century. From here you are immersed in the history of the Silberstadt and on a leisurely tour you get to see sights such as Rabalderhaus, Fuggerhaus and the Franciscan monastery with its impressive cloister.

A particular highlight of rarity value is the guided tour up across the roof tops of Schwaz, namely to the church tower of Maria Himmelfahrt parish church. There are architectural views to the church roof, which is covered with 15,000 copper plates, the unusual four-aisled construction of the church, the only of its kind in Europe and also views into the town. Registration and additional information is available from Stadtmarketing Schwaz.

A tour through Schwaz

1. Town centre – Franz-Josef-Straße

The historic Old Town in Schwaz is definitely worth a visit. Franz-Josef-Straße goes past venerable buildings to the Maria Himmelfahrt parish church. The ‘heart of the town’, as its inhabitants lovingly call it, invites you to stroll, go shopping and to relax. In the summer months you can observe the goings-on in the street over a cup of coffee in the cosy guest garden

2. Maria Himmelfahrt parish church

The biggest gothic hall church in Tirol and the only four-aisled church in Europe. The way it looks today is thanks to the eminent Munich sculptor Erasmus Grasser. Thanks to the growth in the population around 1490 this previously small church had to be extended. This is when the special feature – a four-aisled church with two equal-ranking naves (left for citizens; right for miners) came into being. The roof of the church alone is covered with more than 14,000 copper plates. Today it is evidence of the former affluence of Schwaz’s mine. In the town’s park, the former cemetery, there are arcades which are particularly worth seeing.

3. Totenkapelle [Chapel of the dead] Michael-Veitkapelle

Set on the northern side of the town park comprising two stories. Michaelkapelle is on the ground floor, while Veitskapelle is on the top floor. With the altar set up in 1511 by Christoph Scheller, it houses the most splendid piece of Late Gothic work (can only be seen on a guided tour). The chapel was restored in 2005/2006.

4. Palais Enzenberg

was built in 1515 by Veit Jakob Tänzel. The column doorway is in the main building, connecting the palace and the parish church; the archway and the wall paintings are worthy of note. The contemporary art from Schwaz town gallery is housed in Palais Enzenberg today.

5.The Lahnbach walls tamed the Lahnbach after the last big flood (1855). Before the large stone walls were built people had to be alert on an almost regular basis to damage from flooding and the accumulation of flood debris. Originally the town centre could be reached on a flat road via Lahnbach into the ‘village’ (the part of the town on the right hand side of the stream bank). In the interim the little chapel on the banks of the Lahnbach has been placed one on top of the other on the same spot, three times.

6.In 1911 the new bell tower was built so as to accommodate the bell since the old church tower hangs over and people feared that the ringing of the heavy bell would make it tilt over more. Above the huge bell (4480 kg) is the saying: ‘I am called Maximiliana, I know all about the weather and I feel good whatever the weather, if I can just ring out.’ It is still sounded today when weather threatens.

7. The Orglerhaus was for a while the residence for the great doctor Paracelsus. He wanted to learn about the art of silver smelting and alchemy here from Sigmund Fieger. Above the gothic portal an ore ledge indicates the house’s connection with mining. Fragments of ore like this, also known as ‘hand stones’ are found in many houses in Schwaz.

8.Fuggerhaus was built around 1525. It was from here that Ulrich Fugger managed his global company from time to time. Beneath the bay a copper bust serves as a reminder of the Fugger. World history was written with Schwaz silver and copper and it made the Fuggers among the most powerful and richest trading families toward the end of the Middle Ages. These days the Fuggerhaus is the headquarters of the tertiary School Sisters.

9. The Franciscan monastery was built in 1507 by Emperor Maximilian 1st. The church in the monastery to St Francis is probably the most beautiful mendicant monastic order church in the Alpine area. It was built according to plans by Christof Reichartinger (1508 – 1515). Two of the many precious objects should be pointed out in particular: the stone cross by Loy Hering and the glass window by the well-known Schwaz artist Prof. Fred Hochschwarzer. The monastery is a unique gem (1521). It was decorated by Pater Wilhelm von Schwaben with scenes from Passion Christi. From the cloister you get to Bonaventurakapelle, which served as a temporary monastery church during the construction period. The reliefs with scenes from the life of Christ which surround the altar cross.

10 The town hall, which was formerly the trading house in Schwaz, was built by Hans and Jörg Stöckl between 1500 – 1509 and is the most immense non ecclesiastical construction from the mining era. When it was sold to the local rulers the sovereign administrative mining authorities were set up here too. Under the bay on the town square is the bronze statue of Jörg von Frundsberg by Ludwig Penz, one of the most well-know sculptors in Tirol. The courtyard has three stories with arcade corridors.

Site plan