Schwaz - Austrian town, located in the federal state of Tyrol. The city is located in the Inn Valley, 30 km east of Innsbruck.

Schwaz was first mentioned in 930 as a settlement «Suates», and in 1170 on a hill was built the first city tower. The settlement originally existed at the expense of agriculture. However, after the discovery of silver and copper deposits Schwaz began to develop rapidly. At its peak in the 15th and 16th century, Schwaz was the largest mining town in Europe (20,000 inhabitants) and the second largest city after Vienna.

After the closure of the mining industry and the destruction of large parts of the city during the Napoleonic wars, there was an urgent need to restore a large number of institutions. In 1819, opened a secondary school, in 1830 began construction of a tobacco factory in 1837, the district court was opened, and in 1876 appeared in Schwaz nursing home and hospital.

The main attractions include the House Schwaz Fugger, built as the residence of a merchant family in 1525. City Hall - the former trading house, built in the late Gothic style by architect Hans Jorg Shtoklom in 1509. Tourists will be interesting to stroll along the pedestrian street of Franz Josef, which once was the most important city streets and well-preserved.

The parish church, built in Schwaz in 1460, has the largest church hall in Tirol. The altar of the temple is decorated with Gothic statue of St. Anne St. Ursula and St. Elizabeth. A little later - a statue of St. And St. George. Florian. The cemetery chapel of the early 16th century frescoes, created during the construction of the temple. Franciscan Church preserved Gothic interior with small fragments of the Baroque.

In 2001 Schwaz opened modern planetarium Zeiss, which today is one of the most advanced in the world. In 2006, it was equipped with the latest technology, which allows visitors to display high-quality video in 3D.