Cities in Carinthia

Bleiburg

Bleiburg was mentioned for the first time in a document of the year 1000. At that time, Bishop Albuin of Brixen gave his brother the Manor Liupicdorf, later Bleiburg. In 1228, Bleiburg was called “castrum et forum pliburch”. The area came under the authority of the Counts of Heunburg in the 13th century, and later under the Pfannbergers, and, after 1338, Bleiburg was administered by the Auffensteiners. The latter instigated a rebellion against the Habsburgs, in the course of which it came to a siege and finally to the destruction of Bleiburg. After that Bleiburg was put under a Vicedom administration and in 1370 was awarded the rights of a city. In 1393, a right for a Market was added, which is the current legal basis for the current Bleiburg Annual Fair. During the Turkish wars Bleiburg was destroyed several times but again and again it was reconstructed. South Slavic troops occupied Bleiburg, as Völkermarkt, after the end of the First World War. On May 5, 1919, Carinthian troops managed to reconquer the city, only to lose it to the South Slavs toward the end of the May. As a result of the Carinthian Plebiscite of October 20, 1920, the majority of the Bleiburg inhabitants voted to stay with Austria. In the course of the inter-war period and as a result of the Carinthian Defense Units, there was discrimination again the Carinthian Slovenes. Their language and their associations were forbidden, their use was punishable. Also in Bleiburg during the Second World War, the Slovene-speaking population was deported from Carinthia. Bleiburg, in Slovene “Pliberk” has a population of 4,127 (as of January 1, 2022).

Friesach

The region in which the existing Friesach lies was settled very early, as proven by archaeological findings. Also the Slavs settled in this area, as is confirmed through the numerous slavic place and field names. The name Friesach comes from the Slavic word Breže (= place of the birches). After the Carantanians were conquered, the Bavarians settled the area. In Friesach in that time, there developed a number of agricultural manors. In 860, Ludwig the German gave several manors to the Archbishop of Salzburg, Adalwin, among them was also a “Hof ad Friesah” (= farm near Friesach). This is the oldest documented mention of the town. Between 1016 and 1028, Count Wilhelm founded a market south of this farm. Because of the good location on the trading route between Vienna and Venice, Friesach became an important trading centre in Carinthia. In 1215, the Market of Friesach advanced to the status of city. Under the Archbishop Eberhard II, Friesach reached its height and grew to the second largest city within the properties of the Archdiocese of Salzburg. On the basis of the conflicts between the Archdiocese and the House of Habsburg, Friesach was conquered three times during the 13th century, plundered and devastated. The city remained part of the Archdiocese of Salzburg until 1803, but after its destruction it could not win back the economic importance it had in the Middle Ages. Today, Friesach has a population of 4,893 (as of January 1, 2022).

Gmünd

Near Seeboden, a road diverges from the Roman Road “Via Julia Augusta” in the direction of today’s Salzburg. This road probably proceded to the present day Gmünd. The town of Gmünd was established in the 11th or 12th century A.D., namely as an outpost of the Archdiocese of Salzburg. Gmünd was mentioned in a document for the first time in 1252. In 1273, the town was named as an Archbishop’s Market. In 1346, Gmünd was given the rights of a city, and so is, after Friesach, the second-oldest verifiable city of the Middle Ages in Carinthia. Also in Gmünd, in 1773, Eva Faschaunerin, a murderer by poisoning, was the last victim of the Austrian Inquisition, who was executed after admitting to her crimes under torture. Towards the end of the Second World War, Ferdinand Porsche moved his production plant to Gmünd as it was hardly threatened by the war. Until 1950, the first models of the Porsche 356 were produced in Gmünd. There even is a Porsche Automobile Museum in Gmünd, that is remindful of the time. Today, Gmünd has a population of 2,534 (as of January 1, 2022)

Klagenfurt

Archeological finds attest to the fact of a settlement of the Klagenfurt area in the years 4000 to 2000 B.C. In the ancient world, there were no settlements of importance in this area. Only in the first half of the 12th century did Klagenfurt slowly achieve importance. The Spanheimers bought parts of the city area of today and among other things founded the Cistercian Abbey of Viktring in 1142. The Dukes Hermann and Bernhard of Spanheim were the founders of Klagenfurt. Hermann is the one who founded the Market Klagenfurt, which between 1192 and 1199 was documented for the first time. Because Klagenfurt was at that time in the floodplain of the Glan, there were often floods. For that reason Bernhard founded Klagenfurt anew, in a more secure area in 1246. After Klagenfurt was destroyed several times by earthquakes and fires, the Carinthian provincial estates asked Emperor Maximilian I to leave the city to them. In a so-called “deed of donation” of 1518, the Emperor gave the city including its castle and citizenry to the provincial estates. The estates began to rebuild the city according to their own ideas. In 1527, the Lend Canal was dug as an artificial waterway from Lake Wörthersee into the city. The “gallows exchange” was made into the New Square and so became the centre of the city. Representative buildings like the State Parliament (“Landhaus”) and the Cathedral of Klagenfurt were erected. A large part of the population and nearly the entire provincial estates converted to the Lutheran faith. In 1595, the Habsburg started their Counter-Reformation and gave the Klagenfurt inhabitants the choice between rejecting the new beliefs or leaving the city. Today, Klagenfurt has a population of 102,618 (as of January 1, 2002).

St. Veit an der Glan

Fragments of a Carolingian wattle-stone, now found in the outer wall of the charnel house of the city parish church, is the earliest proof of a settlement of the area of St. Veit. The Hungarian invasion in 901 was supposedly the occasion for its founding. Until 1122, the Eppensteiners ruled this area. The Spanheimers followed them, and soon advanced to the dukes of Carinthia. After the 12th century, St. Veit became the seat of the Carinthian dukes. The first zenith the city had was under Duke Bernhard of Spanheim. He had ducal coins minted in St. Veit after 1205. In 1224, the town was given rights of a city with its own judge. Duke Bernhard had a castle built next to the city wall. In 1214, the famous minstrel Walther von der Vogelweide visited St. Veit. When the Spanheimers died out in 1269, they were followed by Meinhard II of Gorizia-Tyrol as the Duke of Carinthia in 1286. Under his regency, there were uprisings that resulted in severe damage to the castle and the city. For the counts of Gorizia-Tyrol, St. Veit was then only a sideshow that had lost its radiance. In 1335, the Duchy of Carinthia came to the Habsburgs. In 1450, St. Veit was first mentioned in a document as the capital of Carinthia. In the course of the Turkish wars the city was destroyed five times. In 1518, Emperor Maximilian gave Klagenfurt to the provincial estates and so the end of St. Veit as capital of Carinthia was sealed. St. Veit an der Glan, in Slovene “Sveti Vid” or” Šent Fi”, today has a population of 10,508 (as of January 1, 2022).

Villach

The oldest human traces in the area of Villach can be dated to the late Neolithic period. Numerous are the archeological finds from the Roman era in the area of the city. The “Römerweg” (Roman Road) ran at that time near Warmbad Villach and was one of the most important transportation roads from Italy into the Eastern Alps Region. Roman witnesses attest to the use of the thermal springs there. When Carantania came under the authority of the Duchy of Bavaria in 740, the Drau River was determined to be the border of the diocese in the course of the Christian missionary policies. In 979, the king’s court Villach was transferred from Emperor Otto II to Bishop Albuin of Säben-Brixen as a fiefdom. In 1007, the area of Villach came to the diocese of Bamberg that had been founded by Emperor Heinrich II. In 1060, Villach was given the privilege of the Market and, in 1225, Emperor Friedrich II decreed that Villach could hold an annual fair. In the year 1240, Villach was first mentioned in a document as a city. After 1526, the city became a centre of the Reformation in Carinthia. During the Counter-Reformation, the followers of Luther were persecuted and after 1600 forced to leave the city. These measures accelerated the economic decline of the city. Empress Maria Theresia bought Villach and other properties of the Bambergs in 1759 and integrated them into the Habsburg monarchy. Under Napoleon, the city became a count seat in the province of Illyria. In 1813, when the Habsburgs managed to reconquer the city, it suffered severe damage. Today Villach has a population of 64,071 (as of January 1, 2022).

Völkermarkt

In 1090, the merchant Volko from Rhein Franconia was entrusted by Count Engelbert of Spanheim to erect a market settlement. Between 1105 and 1126, the town was named Vochimercatus (= market of Volko). From that comes the name of Völkermarkt today. Duke Bernhard of Spanheim had a bridge built over the Drau in 1217, and in 1231 he laid out a strategically better settlement. In the course of the 13th century, the settlement acquired the rights of a city and continually grew economically. Only in the course of the 16th century did the city lose its importance. After the end of the First World War, on November 5, 1918, South Slavic troops marched into southern Carinthia. The advance was stopped first by the so-called Treaty of Ferlach, and a demarcation line south of Völkermarkt along the Drau River was drawn. The treaty was broken by the South Slavs on November 26, and four days later Völkermarkt was taken by South Slavic troops. The government in charge was replaced by a government in Ljubljana. On May 2, 1919, Carinthian troops managed to reconquer the city for a short time. Already a month later Völkermarkt was again in the hands of the South Slavs. In the Carinthian Plebiscite on October 10, 1920, 83% voted for remaining in Austria. During National-Socialism, it came to the deportation of Carinthian Slovenes out of the area of Völkermarkt. Many joined the armed resistance. Völkermarkt, in Slovene “Velikovec”, today has a population of 10,904 (as of January 1, 2022).

Wolfsberg

In Wolfsberg and the area around the city, the first traces of settlements come from the Bronze-Age, the Hallstatt Period and the Roman Period. Probably Wolfsberg came under the authority of the Diocese of Bamberg in the 11th century. In 1178, the castle of Wolfsberg was mentioned in a document as Wolfsperch. In 1328, Bishop Werntho of Bamberg made Wolfsberg the seat of the Bamberg vicedom in Carinthia. From here all the possessions of the Bamberg’s, like St. Leonhard, Villach, Feldkirchen, Griffen, and Travis were administered. On September 30 1331, Wolfsberg was awarded the rights of a city. In 1338, all of the Jews were expelled; as the legend goes, this was due to a desecration of altar hosts. In the chapel of Castle Bayerhofen, the followers of Luther assembled. Nearby in the Fortress Waldenstein, the first Austrian printing shop was established, which printed the Lutheran bible and Protestant fliers in the Slovene language. The resident Vicedom in Wolfsberg, George of Stadion, implemented the Counter-Reformation there. In 1634, the Capuchins settled in the city and founded an Abbey. In 1759, the Empress Maria Theresia bought Wolfsberg and other Bamberg possessions. Today, Wolfsberg has a population of 25,056 (as of January 1, 2022).