Page 10 - Lienz Treasure Chest
P. 10

Palm trees have adorned the centre of Lienz for decades. The memorial to Emperor Joseph II
 once stood on the Hauptplatz (main square), but now it stands on Europaplatz (Europe Square)
 behind the Liebburg.
 A cultural-historical tour of the town
 by Dr. Meinrad Pizzinini

 Hauptplatz. The regional counts,   western wing,  now called  “Fron-
 who only later called themselves “of   feste” (roughly “Lord’s Fortress”),
 Gorizia”, cleared the valley between   the chapel was located. After the
 the Isel and Drava rivers and, near   fire of 1609, when the Liebburg
 the end of the 12th century, built a   was  rebuilt, the  characteristic  two
 knightly  settlement.  Its  size corre-  towers with onion domes were ad-
 sponds roughly to the present-day   ded. House Wolkenstein first used
 Hauptplatz (Main Square). The   the Liebburg as a residence, later
 elongated triangle becomes nar-  it became the administrative centre
 rower towards the east. The west   of the territory of Lienz and from
 of  the settlement  was  particularly   the 19th century onwards it was
 endangered,  so the entrance,  the   the seat of various authorities. It
 so-called “Mittertor”, offered only   was bought by the town of Lienz in
 a narrow path. The small knightly   1980. The architect Dieter Tuscher
 settlement with approx. 30 houses   successfully converted it into a
 kept  its  inhabitants  safe  and  pro-  town hall. For this exemplary revi-
 tected. Weekly markets and likely   talisation, Lienz received the pres-
 also knights’ tournaments were   tigious EUROPA NOSTRA award
 organised regularly. The first official   in 1991. The Europaplatz (Europe
 mention of the settlement as a “civi-  Square)  can  be reached  through
 tas” (city) was in 1242. This square,   the small former town gate. Here,
 formerly known as the “Lower   one can see the foundations of an
 Town Square”, has been the repre-  early 17th century round tower that
 sentative centre of Lienz ever since.  protected the town entrance.

 1  Liebburg, Hauptplatz 7 – The     2  The square is now adorned with
 barons of Wolkenstein-Rodenegg,   a memorial to Emperor Joseph II,
 rulers  of  Lienz,  built  the  Liebburg   made in 1906 by an artisanal foun-
 between 1605 and 1608. In the   dry in Moravia.


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