Page 8 - Lienz Treasure Chest

Looking Back on History Schloss Bruck.

We don’t know much about the cen”. As an adequate lordly seat,
Neolithic people, from whose li- Schloss (Castle) Bruck was built.
ves two axes were found on the The present town’s layout and
Schlossberg. But of course, that many well-preserved buildings
was no less than 4000 years ago. were created under Gorizian rule.
Later Celts, Slavs and Baiuvarii As the bride of Count Leonhard,
settled here. But there is one high- Paola Gonzaga was the first to
light in the early history of Lienz bring Italian flair from Mantua to
and its surroundings: Aguntum. the formerly warlike and austere
Given city rights almost 2000 ye- town. With them, the Gorizian dy-
ars ago, it was a centre of trade for nasty died out. The Italian flair has
the Romans, located near the fa- remained. The town is no longer
mous Via Iulia Augusta, the direct austere, but lovely. Maximilian I
connection to Aquileia. Aguntum’s only briefly ruled Lienz and “sold”
heyday lasted into the 600s AD. the rule to Baron Michael von Wol-
Extensive excavations demonstra- kenstein-Rodenegg for 22,000
te the size and wealth of this uni- guilders. Later, House Wolken-
que Roman city. stein moved their seat from the
clunky knights’ fortress to the re-
Around 1022, Lienz was mentio- fined Liebburg. Fires, plagues and
ned for the first time as “Luenzi- floods did not spare Lienz and had
na”. The Gorizian counts cleared to be overcome. But progress was
the valley until the end of the 12th unstoppable. Schools were built,
century and founded Lienz as a associations were founded. After
knightly fortress. World War II had inflicted deep
wounds on the town, things mo-
In 1242, Lienz was first mentioned ved upward once again.
as a city under the name of “Luan-

Museum of the Roman city of Aguntum.

— 10 — — 11 —