Kapfenberg

Kapfenberg
Kapfenberg
Municipality
	Overview of the outskirts of Kapfenberg in Styria, Austria
	Flag Coat of arms
	Kapfenberg Location within Austria
	Coordinates: 47°26′N 15°17′E / 47.433°N 15.283°E
Country	Austria
State	Styria
District	Bruck-Mürzzuschlag
Government
• Mayor	Friedrich Kratzer (SPÖ)
Area
• Total	82.08 km2 (31.69 sq mi)
Elevation	502 m (1,647 ft)
Population (2018-01-01)
• Total	22,798
• Density	280/km2 (720/sq mi)
Time zone	UTC+1 (CET)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+2 (CEST)
Postal code	8605
Area code	03862
Vehicle registration	BM
Website	www.kapfenberg.at

Kapfenberg ([ˈkapfənbɛʁk]), with 22,182 inhabitants in 2023, is the third largest city in Styria, Austria, and lies in the valley of the Mürz near the town of Bruck an der Mur. The town's landmark is Burg Oberkapfenberg. Every year in June, the Ritterfest ("knights' festival") takes place at the castle, which is one of the largest events of its kind in Austria.

Kapfenbergs main employer is the steel manufacturer voestalpine. The town has a swimming complex, a football stadium (Franz Fekete Stadium) used by the club Kapfenberger SV, and an ice rink. The Kapfenberg Bulls is a team in the Österreichische Basketball Bundesliga, the highest professional basketball league in Austria.

In 1970, Kapfenberg hosted the European Team Chess Championship, which was won by the Soviet Union.

Geography

Kapfenberg is located around 43 kilometres north of the Styrian capital Graz and around 117 kilometres southwest of the Austrian capital Vienna.

The town lies between the Mürztaler Alps and Fischbach Alps. The highest point is the Floning at 1583 metres above sea level, the lowest point at 483 metres above sea level is the Mürz on the municipal border with Bruck an der Mur, which flows into the Mur around 1.2 kilometres downstream.

Notable people

Wulfing von Stubenberg, (DE Wiki) (1259–1318), Catholic bishop
Ruth Feldgrill-Zankel (born 1942), politician (ÖVP)
Ernst Kovacic, (DE Wiki) (born 1943), violinist and conductor
Manfred Wegscheider, (DE Wiki) (born 1949), politician (SPÖ)
Peter Nehr (born 1952), US-American politician
Peter Pilz (born 1954), politician (The Greens)
Brigitte Schwarz, (DE Wiki) (born 1960), politician (SPÖ). Mayor of Kapfenberg 2005–2012
Melitta Breznik (born 1961), doctor and writer
Ulrike Diebold (born 1961), an Austrian physicist and materials scientist