Schladming () is a small former mining town in the northwest of the Austrian state of

Styria Styria (german: Steiermark ; Serbo-Croatian and sl, ; hu, Stájerország) is a state (''Bundesland'') in the southeast of Austria. With an area of , Styria is the second largest state of Austria, after Lower Austria. Styria is bordered to ...

that is now a popular tourist destination. It has become a large winter-sports resort and has held various skiing competitions, including most notably the

FIS Alpine World Ski Championships 1982 The FIS Alpine World Ski Championships 1982 were held in Schladming, Austria, between 28 January and 7 February 1982. These were the 27th World Championships; the men's races were held at Planai and the women's at Haus im Ennstal. :de:Alpine Ski ...

and the

FIS Alpine World Ski Championships 2013 The FIS Alpine World Ski Championships 2013 were the 42nd FIS Alpine World Ski Championships, held 4–17 February in Austria at Planai in Schladming, Styria. A record number of athletes and countries took part in this championships. Schladmin ...

. The shopping area has many cafes and restaurants, and a variety of shops that cater to tourists.

Population

Recreation

Winter sports

The local peak for winter sports is the

Planai Planai is a ski area in central Austria, the main mountain in the Schladming area in Styria. It is one of four adjoining mountains, which includes Hauser Kaibling, Hochwurzen and Reiteralm, connected under the name Schladminger 4-Berge-Schaukel ...

. A ten-seater cable car with a middle station takes tourists up the mountain. The Planai consists of many red and black slopes for competitive skiers, and many blue slopes for beginners, but generally the Planai is an intermediate to expert mountain. The Hochwurzen is the other mountain in Schladming. It has three main red runs off the four-man chair lift and a sledge run. This mountain is better suited to more experienced boarders and skiers. Also, There is a new 8 man cable car to the top. Schladming is also in close proximity to the Rieteralm ski resort, where the 2019 Ski Cross Junior World Championships and 2019 Ski Cross Europa Cup finals were held.

Non-winter months

The surrounding mountains are popular with climbers and hikers and country lovers. In the summer, downhill

toboggan A toboggan is a simple sled traditionally used by children. It is also a traditional form of transport used by the Innu and Cree of northern Canada. In modern times, it is used on snow to carry one or more people (often children) down a hill o ...

runs and an outdoor swimming complex are open. The UCI

Mountainbike A mountain bike (MTB) or mountain bicycle is a bicycle designed for off-road cycling. Mountain bikes share some similarities with other bicycles, but incorporate features designed to enhance durability and performance in rough terrain, which ...

Worldcup has taken place in Schladming since 2004. In 2010, the Mountainbike Worldcup in Schladming was relocated to

Leogang Leogang is a municipality in the district of Zell am See (Pinzgau region), in the state of Salzburg in Austria. It is a famous winter sports and summer mountain hiking resort. Population Sights :Mining and Gothic Museum :tourist mine Schwarzle ...

due to construction work taking place for the Ski World Championships in 2013.

History

The first official mention of the settlement on the site of today's Schladming dates back to 1180. First name of the town was Slaebnich which is of Slavic origin (Slovenian; Slabnik, Slapnik). In the early and high Middle Ages, the place, like the whole of Styria, belonged to the settlement of the Alpine Slavs and was part of the Slavic principality of

Carantania Carantania, also known as Carentania ( sl, Karantanija, german: Karantanien, in Old Slavic '), was a Slavic principality that emerged in the second half of the 7th century, in the territory of present-day southern Austria and north-eastern ...

. During the period of German colonization, the place gradually acquired a Germanic character, although many Slavic elements were preserved in culture and language.

Transport

A bus service runs up and down the Planai and surrounding mountains throughout the year. Many ski lifts are on the mountains, some catering especially for small runs.

Sports and events

Since 1973, the Planai has been a regular location for

Alpine Ski World Cup The FIS Alpine Ski World Cup is the top international circuit of alpine skiing competitions, launched in 1966 by a group of ski racing friends and experts which included French journalist Serge Lang and the alpine ski team directors from France ( ...

races. Since 1997, the race has been called a "Nightrace" because it takes place at night. In

1982 Events January * January 1 – In Malaysia and Singapore, clocks are adjusted to the same time zone, UTC+8 (GMT+8.00). * January 13 – Air Florida Flight 90 crashes shortly after takeoff into the 14th Street bridges, 14th Street Bridge in ...

and

2013 File:2013 Events Collage V2.png, From left, clockwise: Edward Snowden becomes internationally famous for leaking classified NSA wiretapping information; Typhoon Haiyan kills over 6,000 in the Philippines and Southeast Asia; The Dhaka garment fact ...

, Schladming hosted the Alpine World Ski Championships. In March 2017, Schladming was one of the host towns of the 2017 Special Olympics World Winter Games in

Austria Austria, , bar, Östareich officially the Republic of Austria, is a country in the southern part of Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine states, one of which is the capital, Vienna, the most populous ...

, together with nearby Ramsau am Dachstein and

Graz Graz (; sl, Gradec) is the capital city of the Austrian state of Styria and second-largest city in Austria after Vienna. As of 1 January 2021, it had a population of 331,562 (294,236 of whom had principal-residence status). In 2018, the popul ...

Twin cities

Felletin Felletin (; oc, Falatin) is a commune in the Creuse department in the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region in central France. Historically, the term Aubusson tapestry often covers the similar products made in the nearby town of Felletin, 8 kilometres awa ...

, France since 1960 *

Wetzlar Wetzlar () is a city in the state of Hesse, Germany. It is the twelfth largest city in Hesse with currently 55,371 inhabitants at the beginning of 2019 (including second homes). As an important cultural, industrial and commercial center, the un ...

, Germany since 1974 * Furano, Japan since 1977

References

External links

Schladming

Mountainbike Worldcup in Schladming

Pictures of Schladming

Everything about Schladming in one place

Mountainbike guiding
{{Authority control Ski areas and resorts in Austria Schladming Tauern Cities and towns in Liezen District