Schladming, an old town with a young spirit.

The history of Schladming

The romantic mountain town of Schladming is the centre of the Dachstein-Tauern region and has a rich history as well as many stories to go with it.

In medieval times, the town was a hot spot for silver, zinc and other ore mines. Thousands of workers were harvesting the treasures of the Tauern mountains.
In 1322, Schladming received its town charter by the Emperor. The city entrance and parts of the city wall still reach back to this time. In 1865, the railway came to Schladming and marked the beginning of the town as a popular spot for summer cures.
1908 brought the foundation of the winter sports’ society and thus the start of international tourism. In 1953, the town ordered the construction of the first ski lift and 1973, the first World Cup race took place. A special highlight was the World Championship in 1982, in which Franz Klammer went all the way to the top at the age of 17.

Schladming with its two skiing mountains Planai and Hochwurzen has become Styria’s international ski metropolis over the years.

A large range of huge events such as the annual Male World Cup night slalom, the World „Special Olympics“ and the Planai-Classic have made Schladming one of Austria’s most prominent and most popular vacation spot.

With the construction of the Schladming four-mountain ski swing, Schladming became the centre of one of Austria’s largest skiing centres. But despite all these highlights, Schladming has managed to stay what it always was: a small mining town with tradition, hospitality, ambiance and a great atmosphere surrounded by the beautiful Alps.
Even now, visitors can still feel a slight breeze of history blowing through the old roads and squares. Today, street coffee shops, shopping promenades, restaurants and bars have become a natural sight next to the time-honoured buildings of Schladming.