Steyr is a historic town situated at the confluence of the Enns and Steyr rivers and surrounded by wooded hills. It can boast of one of the better preserved old town complexes in Austria and the Museum of Work, related to the development of the local industry.
The city was founded on the site of the Roman fortified camp Lauriacum in the 10th century. There was a castle here, strategically located at the confluence of rivers. Its importance increased at the end of the 13th century, when it received numerous trade privileges and was promoted to the rank of one of the main economic centers of this part of Austria. From the medieval times, there were many iron processing factories in Steyr, and at the end of the 19th century Josef Werndl opened a weapons factory here. Today, after many transformations, it is the well-known Steyr-Daimler-Puch plant producing trucks and tractors.
The center of Steyr has a perfectly preserved Old Town, picturesquely situated on the river bank. Among its greatest attractions are the Lamberg Castle, the market square surrounded by tenement houses with the Leopoldi fountain, the Church of St. Michael, the Church of Mary, the Church of Infant Jesus and the Church of St. Idzi and Koloman.
A reference to the industrial traditions of the city is the Museum of Work, which shows how the production technique, ways of working, and the approach to employees have changed over the centuries. In Steyr, you can also visit the Railway Museum, the Schmollgruber Clock Museum and the Steyr City Museum.
