LEOBEN

leoben, a town in styria, austria, 44 m. n.w. of graz by rail. pop. (1900) 10,204. it is situated on the mur, and part of its old walls and towers still remain. it has a well-known academy of mining and a number of technical schools. its extensive iron-works and trade in iron are a consequence of its position on the verge of the important lignite deposits of upper styria and in the neighbourhood of the iron mines and furnaces of vordernberg and eisenerz. on the 18th of april 1797 a preliminary peace was concluded here between austria and france, which led to the treaty of campo-formio. leobschutz (bohemian _lubczyce_), a town of germany, in the prussian province of silesia, on the zinna, about 20 m. to the n.w. of ratibor by rail. pop. (1905) 12,700. it has a large trade in wool, flax and grain, its markets for these commodities being very numerously attended. the principal industries are malting, carriage-building, wool-spinning and glass-making. the town contains three roman catholic churches, a protestant church, a synagogue, a new town-hall and a gymnasium. leobschutz existed in the 10th century, and from 1524 to 1623 was the capital of the principality of jagerndorf. see f. troska, _geschichte der stadt leobschutz_ (leobschutz, 1892).