On April 14, 2023, NordicHouse was visited by a delegation of regional authorities, entrepreneurs and representatives of industry organizations from the Land of Styria led by Barbara Eibinger-Miedl, a member of the government of the Land of Styria for Economy, Tourism, Regions, Science and Research. The purpose of the visit was to establish economic and tourist contacts between the region of Southern Poland and the region of Styria in the south-eastern part of Austria.
In addition to the chairwoman, the delegation was attended by the Economic Department of the Austrian Embassy, the Austrian Consulate in Krakow, members of the Government of the Land of Styria for the economy, tourism, regions, science and research, the honorary consul of the Republic of Poland in Graz, the Styrian Chamber of Commerce, the Styrian Federation of Austrian Industries, SFG Styria Business Development Corporation, ICS Styria Internationalization Center GmbH, ORF – Styria Regional Television, Steierische Wirtschaft, Regional Medien Steiermark | Wochenzeitungs GmbH Steiermark, the Schladming-Dachstein Tourism Association, the Austrian National Promotion Office, Styrian Tourism and Territorial Marketing GmbH- STG, Green Tech Valley Cluster GMBH and Austrian cleantech companies.
Styria (Steiermark) is one of the nine federal states (Bundesland) of Austria. It is located in its southern part and borders Slovenia and 5 regions in the country: Burgenland, Lower Austria, Upper Austria, Salzburg and Carinthia. In terms of area, Styria is the second largest region of Austria, while taking into account the number of inhabitants, it ranks fourth. Administratively, the region is divided into 16 starosties and 542 communes.
The capital of Styria is the city of Graz, which lies on the Mura River. Its name comes from the Slovenian word “Gradec” meaning a small castle. The biggest attractions of the city include: the ruins of the Schlossberg Castle with two preserved towers, the Gothic cathedral, the 17th-century arsenal, the House of Art in Graz, numerous museums with the most famous Universal Museum, Joanneum. In 2003, Graz won the title of European Capital of Culture. The most famous inhabitants of Graz are Johannes Kepler, mathematician and astronomer, and actor Arnold Schwarzenegger.
Styria is called the “Green heart of Austria” because over 61% of its area is covered by forests, national parks and other green areas. The landscape of Styria also includes the Alps, which make up two-thirds of Austria’s area, as well as numerous lakes. The main tourist attractions of the region are: Spa & Wellness, urban tourism, summer and winter sports, wine and culinary. The typical product of the region is pumpkin seed oil.
The main sectors of the economy in the region are the wood industry, the automotive industry and the sector related to eco-technology. An important and still developing branch of industry on the Styrian market is the sector of new technologies. The following companies have their headquarters in the region: Magna Steyr AG & Co KG, Infineon Technologies, AVL Company, Siemens, Andritz AG.