ÖSTERREICH	AUSTRIA
Bundesland: Salzburg
Bezirk: Tamsweg

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• lv: Tamsvega • lt: Tamsvegas
• el: Τάμσβεγκ
• bg, mk, ru, sr, uk: Тамсвег

Tamsweg is situated in a wide valley basin at the confluence of the Mur, Lungauer Taurach, and Leißnitzbach rivers in the Lungau district of Austria's state of Salzburg, about 96 km southeast of the city of Salzburg. Tamsweg is the only municipality in Austria that is the seat of a district administration but has not been granted town status, and, at 1,022 metres above sea level, it is the highest-lying district administrative centre in Austria. The municipality has a population of about 5,700 (2026).

The Lungau region was settled by Slavs from around 600 AD and by Bavarians from around 700 AD. The place name is documented as Taemswich around 1156. In 1246, the archbishop of Salzburg purchased the Lungau estate of the Lords of Pettau (Ptuj) and gifted the church and half the market to the cathedral chapter. Tamsweg was likely already an independent parish at that time. A church is first documented in 1231, then still as a branch church of Mariapfarr. The pilgrimage church of St. Leonhard was built in 1428–1433 and Tamsweg became a popular pilgrimage site and experienced economic growth. The town was plundered and burned in 1478 during the war between Emperor Friedrich III and the Hungarian King Matthias Corvinus. The Reformation also led to a decline in pilgrimages, which only experienced a revival with the settlement of Capuchin monks in 1644 as part of the Counter-Reformation. From around 1700, the lively trade in salt and iron constituted a significant source of income for the citizens of Tamsweg for more than 200 years. After the Peace of Lunéville (1801), the former Archdiocese of Salzburg, including Tamsweg, became part of Austria as a crown land. The 19th century saw the region decline into insignificance, accompanied by population loss, poverty, and development deficits. It was only around the turn of the 20th century that the region experienced a resurgence; the narrow-gauge Murtalbahn railway from Unzmarkt via Murau and Tamsweg to Mauterndorf) was opened in 1894, an electricity plant and a water pipeline were built in 1897, and the hospital was opened in 1908. In 1936, six surrounding rural communities were incorporated, increasing the municipal area to its current size.

The Roman Catholic deanary and parish church of Sankt Jakob (St. James the Elder) [background centre] was first mentioned in 1231. At the beginning of the 16th century, the old church was rebuilt and consecrated in 1513. The tower was rebuilt in 1716. This building, with the exception of the tower, was demolished in 1738. The present, Baroque church was built in 1738–1741. In 1811, the parish office was given the status of a deanery office and has been the seat of the deanery ever since.

[https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tamsweg; https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Murtalbahn; https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dekanatspfarrkirche_Tamsweg]