Hartberg

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Location of Hartberg within Hartberg district
Hartberg
Coat of arms	Location

Administration
Country	Austria
State	Styria
District	Hartberg
Mayor	Karl Pack (ÖVP)
Basic statistics
Area	21.54 km² (8.3 sq mi)
Elevation	359 m (1178 ft)
Population	6,634 (31/12/2005)
- Density	308 /km² (798 /sq mi)
Other information
Time zone	CET/CEST (UTC+1/+2)
Licence plate	HB
Postal codes	8230, 8274, 8295
Area code	03332
Website	www.hartberg.at
Coordinates: 47°16′50″N 15°58′12″E / 47.28056, 15.97

Hartberg is a city in Styria, Austria, the capital of the district of the same name. As of the census of 2001, it has a population of 6,547 in an area of 21.54 km². About 68 km up the A2 is the large city of Graz.

This town has a long and rich history. A settlement was located here in the Neolithic ages. One of the most important, prehistoric settlements of Styria developed on "Ringkogel" in the 3rd century BC. A massive protective wall surrounded it. Only two towers remind of the 7-8 meter high and 1500 meter long wall. (Schölbinger Tower and Reck Tower). The fist mention of Hartberg as a city was in a 1286 document. During the 1400s it was conquered by King Matthias Corvinus of Hungary. A huge fire destroyed the town up to a few houses, but the population has been continually on the rise since then.

A massive protective wall surrounded it. In 1122 margrave Leopold I of Styria founded "Hartberg". Hartberg was even a central village in Styria for a certain time. The first written reference to Hartberg as "civitas" was in 1286.