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Schwaz
Schwaz seen from the northeast
Flag Coat of arms
Location in Tyrol
Schwaz Location within Austria Show map of Tyrol, Austria Schwaz Schwaz (Austria) Show map of Austria
Coordinates: 47°21′00″N 11°42′00″E / 47.35000°N 11.70000°E / 47.35000; 11.70000
Country	Austria
State	Tyrol
District	Schwaz
Government
• Mayor	Victoria Weber (Team Zukunft)
Area ^[1]
• Total	20.21 km² (7.80 sq mi)
Elevation	545 m (1,788 ft)
Population (2018-01-01)^[2]
• Total	13,728
• Density	680/km² (1,800/sq mi)
Time zone	UTC+1 (CET)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+2 (CEST)
Postal code	6130
Area code	05242
Vehicle registration	SZ
Website	www.schwaz.at

Schwaz (German pronunciation: [ˈʃvaːts] ^ⓘ) is a city in the Austrian state of Tyrol. It is the administrative center of the Schwaz district. Schwaz is located in the lower Inn valley.

Location

Schwaz lies in the middle of the Lower Inn Valley at the foot of the Kellerjoch and Eiblschrofen mountains. It is located approximately 30 km (19 mi) east of Innsbruck.

The city covers an area of 20.17 km² (7.79 sq mi).

Neighbouring communities include: Buch bei Jenbach, Fügenberg, Gallzein, Pill, Stans, and Vomp.

History

The Counts of Tyrol guarded Schwaz from nearby Burg Freundsberg. At the town's height during the 15th and 16th centuries, it was an important silver mining center, providing mineral wealth for both the Fugger banking family and, through them, for the Austrian emperors. During this period, its population of about 20,000 inhabitants made it the second largest city in the Austrian Empire, after Vienna.^[3]

Schwaz received its city rights in 1898 by Emperor Franz Joseph I of Austria.

Population

Historical population
Year	Pop.	±%
1869	4,813	—
1880	5,124	+6.5%
1890	5,888	+14.9%
1900	6,545	+11.2%
1910	7,385	+12.8%
1923	7,033	−4.8%
1934	7,738	+10.0%
1939	7,523	−2.8%
1951	8,898	+18.3%
1961	9,455	+6.3%
1971	10,298	+8.9%
1981	10,929	+6.1%
1991	11,839	+8.3%
2001	12,212	+3.2%
2011	11,994	−1.8%

Personalities

Schwaz is the birthplace of 16th-century pulpit orator Georg Scherer and 20th-century philosopher Hans Köchler. It is also the birthplace of the 20th c. Austrian economist and a Roman Catholic priest, Johannes Messner.