During the Carolingian period in the 8th century the Bavarian tribe met with
the Slavic people. Eastern Styria became almost completely deserted because of
centuries of wars with the eastern riding tribes and it was populated by
German colonists, mostly Bavarians, since the 10th century.
The Carolingian areas are characterized by irregular village lands and settlings
(villages and agglomerates with divided blocks and block lands), the flat eastern regions that were colonized during the High Middle Ages are presenting regular roads and villages surrounded by huge agricultural lands. The mountain areas were opened by wilderness farms at several stages.
Most of the bigger villages were founded by the Dukes and became cities in order
to protect the land, to link the main roads or to become a miners´ center.
Many of these villages are market towns, located along a road and at the foothill of a castle. The highest population density presents the industrial region along the Mur and Mürz rivers, between Judenburg and Mürzzzuschlag.
