The european fugger road leads to mountain factories and assembly centers, whose copper and silver let the fuggers become rich

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A GREAT CHAPTER IN ECONOMIC HISTORY

The Fuggers became fabulously rich in Augsburg in the early modern period through cotton trading and loans for popes, emperors and kings - but above all through the mining industry. From around 1490, the Fugger's Europe-wide mining group emerged with ore mines and smelting works in Tyrol (especially in Schwaz and Sterzing), in Carinthia and in Neusohl in Upper Hungary (Banská Bystrica in present-day Slovakia). With gold and silver, lead and calamine, but above all with copper and mercury, Jakob Fugger "the Rich" and his successors wrote an exciting chapter in European economic and social history. Fugger houses and castles, churches and monuments, show mines and museums in Augsburg, Schwaz, Hall and Innsbruck, Sterzing and Neusohl allow the history of a mining group to be traced, which anticipated the European Union until around 1660.

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NEW: Silver tenner with Emperor Maximilian embossing

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On the occasion of the Maximilian Year 2019, in which the 500th anniversary of the death of Emperor Maximilian I is celebrated all over the country, our silver tenners with noble Emperor Maximilian embossing shine in new splendor.

Our tip

The year 2019 marks the 500th anniversary of the death of Emperor Maximilian I. The "mountain blessing" and the capital power of the Fuggers, who became rich with their mining concern in Tyrol, in Carinthia and in Upper Hungary (today Slovakia), financed the political plans and the military ventures of the Habsburg. Maximilian I, who set the course for the rise of the House of Habsburg to world power with his marriage policy, is the subject of a large special exhibition in the Fugger city of Augsburg and a play in Schwaz - the miners' play "Silberberg" - in the commemorative year.

TWO FUGGER HOUSES
AND THE "MOTHER OF ALL MOUNTAINS"

IN THE MINING TOWN OF SCHWAZ: THREE EPITAPHS OF THE FUGGER AND TWO FUGGER HOUSES
In 1940 Schwaz became a mining town. Very likely, however, ore had already been mined here before that, from which silver and copper were produced: a business initially carried on by local tradesmen from Schwaz, Hall and Innsbruck. But as early as 1487, the Fuggers acquired shares in the trading company of a large entrepreneur from Kufstein.
In 1522, Jakob Fugger "the Rich" entered the mining industry in Schwaz with mining shares and smelting works from the bankruptcy estate of a trade. Subsequently, Schwaz became one of the most important locations of the Fuggers. In 1546 Anton Fugger moved the company headquarters from Augsburg to the mining town for some time. Two Fugger houses, three epitaphs and a monument commemorate the Fugger era, which ended in Schwaz in 1657.

INTERNATIONAL SIGNIFICANCE. Schwaz.
In the first half of the 16th century, the mining districts in Schwaz and at Röhrerbühl near Kitz- bühel were the most important locations of the European mining industry. Between 1506 and 1545, about half of the silver and copper in the Holy Roman Empire of the German Nation was mined there. Because miners flocked to Tyrol from far and wide, Schwaz is said to have been the second-largest town within the Habsburg Empire around 1510, with a population of about 20,000.

Mother of all mines

The silver mine at Falkenstein in Schwaz was called. An estimated 300 kilometers of tunnels and shafts undermine the mountain above the town on the banks of the Inn River. Visitors to the silver mine can travel 800 meters deep by mine train. They discover the traces of the miners who mined ore 500 years ago. The silver mine in Schwaz is one of the biggest sights in Tyrol.

A copper-cast epitaph for Ulrich Fugger the Younger can still be found in the Schwaz parish church of "Unserer lieben Frau," consecrated in 1502 and the largest Gothic hall church in Tyrol. The originally much smaller parish church had to be expanded around 1490 because of the enormous increase in population. This resulted in a four-nave church with two main naves - one for the "more distinguished" citizens, the other for the miners, who were separated from them by a board wall. Today, the mighty sacred building is called Knappenkirche. Like Ulrich Fugger the Younger before him, Hieronymus Fugger in 1633 and Georg Fugger in 1643 also had themselves buried in the miners' choir, where their stone epitaphs were later set into the wall.

www.silberbergwerk.at

Sights

FÜHRUNGEN ZU FUGGERN

GUIDES TO FUGGERS
MOTHING AND MOUNTAIN KNAPPES.

Three themed tours - "The Fuggers," "The Tradesmen" and "The Parish Church in Schwaz" - show traces of mining in Schwaz. The tour leads to two Fugger houses, to buildings of rich Tyrolean tradesmen and to the spectacular miners' church - where you can discover three epitaphs of the Fuggers. Info and booking at:

https://www.silberbergwerk.at

THE SILVER MOUNTAIN WORK
IN SCHWAZ

The Schwaz silver mine is one of the biggest attractions in Tyrol. The most important silver mine in Europe around 1500 is an unforgettable experience underground. Visitors take the mine train 800 meters deep - then they see ore mining tunnels, miners and the Schwaz water art.
Infos and booking at:

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DAS SCHWAZER KNAPPENSPIEL

BURG
FREUNDSBERG

High above Schwaz towers Freundsberg Castle - a picture-book castle with a fantastic view of the city and the Inn Valley. The castle also commemorates business between the Frundsbergers and the Fuggers - and a marriage that brought the Fuggers the Mindelburg and (almost) the town of Mindelheim.
Info and reservations at:

SILBERSTADT

FREE SPECIAL TOUR
THROUGH THE SILVER CITY.

From June to mid-September: The free city tour "On the trail of silver" shows the hidden sights of the mining town of Schwaz. Very special places that were previously hidden from the public - and which open their doors only for participants in these tours. Info and booking at:

DER KNAPPENSTEIG

THE
KNAPPENSTEIG

Discover the Schwazer Knappensteig during a 2-hour guided tour and experience the rich history of the silver city!
Infos at:

TRATZBERG

THE FUGGER CASTLE
TRATZBERG

The magnificent Renaissance castle Tratzberg is one of the most beautiful and also most beautifully situated castles in Tyrol, The original interior design makes this castle, which at times belonged to the Fuggers, particularly worth seeing. Their traces can be found, among other things, in the "Fuggerstube".
Infos and tickets at:

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Silberzehner

GIFT IS SILVER
JOY IS GOLD

The silver tenner serves as the regional currency of the Silberregion Karwendel and unites its 12 municipalities. The high-quality silver coin in the equivalent of 10, - € can be redeemed at over 500 acceptance points in the silver region. The Silberzehner can be purchased in a stylish black velvet bag as a valuable gift.