Austria - Schärding

Schärding - located along the river Inn - is known as a Baroque town with its numerous Baroque mansions and historic squares. The town was first mentioned in a document in 804 as an agricultural settlement "Scardinga". Shipping and trade - first only salt, then grain, wine, ores, glass, cattle, wood and textiles - made Schärding a wealthy city in the Middle Ages. During several wars Schärding had to suffer from looting and destruction.

In the last days of the Second World War in 1945 the Americans bombed the city from the Bavarian side of the Inn, destroying and damaging many houses. In 1966, fifty restored town houses were declared a protected cityscape.

The best example of this can be seen on the north-eastern side of the Oberer Stadtplatz (Upper Town Square) with mansions from the 16th to the 19th century. This row of buildings is called Silberzeile (Silver Lane), probably because of the rich merchants who settled here when the Inn was still an important trade route.

The pastel-coloured facades date back to the late medieval guild colours, some of which are still valid to this day: Red for the Butchers’ Guild, Blue for the Bakers’ Guild, Green for the Wine Merchants’ Guild, and Yellow for the Brewers’ Guild.