Villach (; sl, Beljak; it, Villaco; fur, Vilac) is the seventh-largest city in

Austria Austria, , bar, Östareich officially the Republic of Austria, is a country in the southern part of Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine states, one of which is the capital, Vienna, the most populous ...

and the second-largest in the federal state of Carinthia. It is an important traffic junction for southern Austria and the whole

Alpe-Adria Alpe-Adria is a bioregion in Central Europe, embracing all of Slovenia, the Austrian states of Carinthia and Styria, and the Italian regions of Friuli-Venezia-Giulia and Veneto. , it is the subject of a proposal to create the world's first organic ...

region. , the population is 61,887. Together with other Alpine towns Villach engages in the

Alpine Town of the Year The Alpine Town of the Year award is given to towns which have made exceptional efforts for the realization of the Alpine Convention and for sustainable development. The ''Alpine Towns of the Year'' are members of the international association o ...

Association for the implementation of the Alpine Convention to achieve sustainable development in the Alpine Arc. In 1997, Villach was the first town to be awarded Alpine Town of the Year.

Geography

Villach Innenstadt Hauptplatz mit Pranger NO-Ansicht 30012011 666

Villach is a statutory city, on the Drau River near its confluence with the

Gail Gail may refer to: People *Gail (given name), list of notable people with the given name Surname * Jean-Baptiste Gail (1755–1829), French Hellenist scholar * Max Gail (born 1943), American actor * Sophie Gail (1775–1819), French singer and ...

tributary, at the western rim of the

Klagenfurt Klagenfurt am WörtherseeLandesgesetzblatt 2008 vom 16. Jänner 2008, Stück 1, Nr. 1: ''Gesetz vom 25. Oktober 2007, mit dem die Kärntner Landesverfassung und das Klagenfurter Stadtrecht 1998 geändert werden.'/ref> (; ; sl, Celovec), usually ...

basin. The municipal area stretches from the slopes of the

Gailtal Alps , ''Drauzug'' , photo=Grosse Sandspitze 1.jpg , photo_size= , photo_caption=Große Sandspitze, the highest peak in the range , country= Austria , subdivision1_type= States , subdivision1= , parent= , geology= Limestone , orogeny=Alpine o ...

(Mt. Dobratsch) down to

Lake Ossiach Lake Ossiach (german: Ossiacher See, sl, Osojsko jezero) is a lake in the Austrian state of Carinthia. It is the state's third largest lake, superseded only by Wörthersee, Lake Wörth and Millstätter See, Lake Millstatt. Geography It is situ ...

in the northeast. The Villach city limits comprise the following districts and villages: }) * Dobrova (''Dobrova'') * Drautschen (''Dravče'') * Drobollach am Faaker See (''Drobolje ob Baškem jezeru'') * Duel (''Dole'') * Egg am Faaker See (''Brdo ob Baškem jezeru'') * Goritschach (''Goriče'') * Graschitz (''Krošče'') * Gratschach (''Grače pri Šentrupertu'') * Greuth (''Rute pri Beljaku'') * Gritschach (''Griče'') * Großsattel (''Sedlo'') * Großvassach (''Velike Laze pri Beljaku'') * Heiligen Gestade * Heiligengeist (''Sveti Duh'') * Kleinsattel (''Malo Sedlo'') * Kleinvassach (''Male Laze pri Beljaku'') * Kratschach (''Hrašče pri Mariji na Zilji'') * Kumitz * Landskron (''Vajškra'') * Maria Gail (''Marija na Zilji'') * Mittewald ober dem Faaker See (''Na Dobrovi'') * Mittewald ob Villach * Neufellach (''Nova Bela'') * Neulandskron (''Nova Vajškra'') * Obere Fellach (''Gornja Bela'') * Oberfederaun (''Gornji Vetrov'') * Oberschütt (''Rogaje pod Dobračem'') * Oberwollanig , valign="top" , * Pogöriach (''Pogorje'') * Prossowitsch (''Prosoviče'') * Rennstein * Serai (''Seraje'') * St. Andrä * St. Georgen * St. Leonhard * St. Magdalen * St. Michael * St. Niklas an der Drau (''Miklavž na Dravi'') * St. Ruprecht * St. Ulrich * Tschinowitsch (''Činoviče'') * Turdanitsch (''Trdaniče pri Mariji na Zilji'') * Untere Fellach (''Spodnja Bela'') * Unterfederaun (''Pod Vetrovom'') * Unterschütt (''Zabuče pri Brnci'') * Unterwollanig * Urlaken * Villach-Auen (''Log pri Beljaku'') * Villach-Innere Stadt (''Beljak - Mesto'') * Villach-Lind (''Beljak - Lipa'') * Villach-Seebach-Wasenboden * Villach-St. Agathen und Perau * Villach-St. Martin * Villach-Völkendorf * Villach-Warmbad-Judendorf (''Beljaške Toplice'') * Weißenbach * Zauchen (''Suha pri Vernberku'') In 1905 a part of the municipal area St. Martin was incorporated. In 1973 the city area was further enlarged through the incorporation of Landskron, Maria Gail and Fellach.

Climate

Villach has a cool summer

humid continental climate A humid continental climate is a climatic region defined by Russo-German climatologist Wladimir Köppen in 1900, typified by four distinct seasons and large seasonal temperature differences, with warm to hot (and often humid) summers and freezing ...

(

Köppen Köppen is a German surname. Notable people with the surname include: * Bernd Köppen (born 1951), German pianist and composer * Carl Köppen (1833-1907), German military advisor in Meiji era Japan * Edlef Köppen (1893–1939), German author and ...

''Dfb'').

History

The oldest human traces found in Villach date back to the late

Neolithic The Neolithic period, or New Stone Age, is an Old World archaeological period and the final division of the Stone Age. It saw the Neolithic Revolution, a wide-ranging set of developments that appear to have arisen independently in several p ...

. Many

Roman Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy *Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD *Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *'' Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a lette ...

artifacts have been discovered in the city and its vicinity, as it was near an important Roman road (today called ''Römerweg'') leading from

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical ...

into the

Noricum Noricum () is the Latin name for the Celtic kingdom or federation of tribes that included most of modern Austria and part of Slovenia. In the first century AD, it became a province of the Roman Empire. Its borders were the Danube to the north, ...

province established in 15 BC. At the time, a mansio named ''Sanctium'' was probably located at the

hot spring A hot spring, hydrothermal spring, or geothermal spring is a spring produced by the emergence of geothermally heated groundwater onto the surface of the Earth. The groundwater is heated either by shallow bodies of magma (molten rock) or by c ...

in the present-day Warmbad quarter south of the city centre. After the Migration Period and the

Slavic settlement of the Eastern Alps The settlement of the Eastern Alps region by early Slavs took place during the 6th to 8th centuries. It is part of the southward expansion of the early Slavs which would result in the characterization of the South Slavic group, and would ultimate ...

about 600 AD, the area became part of the Carantania principality. When about 740 Prince

Boruth Boruth, also Borut (from cu, borъ, "fighter") or Borouth, (died about 750) was the first documented Slavic prince (''Knyaz'') of Carantania, ruling from about 740 until his death. He was one of the few pagan leaders of the Carantanians to conver ...

enlisted the aid of Duke

Odilo of Bavaria Odilo, also Oatilo or Uatilo (died 18th January 748) of the Agilolfing dynasty was Duke of Bavaria from 737 until his death in 748. He had the ''Lex Baiuvariorum'' compilation edited, the first ancient Germanic law collection of the Bavarians. O ...

against the invading Avars, he had to accept Bavarian overlordship. An 878 deed of donation, issued by the Carolingian ruler

Carloman of Bavaria Carloman (german: Karlmann, la, Karlomannus; c. 830 – 22 March 880) was a Frankish king of the Carolingian dynasty. He was the eldest son of Louis the German, king of East Francia, and Hemma, daughter of a Bavarian count. His father appointed ...

, mentioned a bridge (''ad pontem Uillach'') near the royal court of

Treffen Treffen ( sl, Trebinje) is a market town in the district of Villach-Land in Carinthia in south-central Austria. Geography The municipality lies about 8 km north of Villach Villach (; sl, Beljak; it, Villaco; fur, Vilac) is the seventh-l ...

, in what is today Villach. In 979 Emperor

Otto II Otto II (955 – 7 December 983), called the Red (''der Rote''), was Holy Roman Emperor from 973 until his death in 983. A member of the Ottonian dynasty, Otto II was the youngest and sole surviving son of Otto the Great and Adelaide of Ita ...

enfeoffed Bishop Albuin of

Brixen Brixen (, ; it, Bressanone ; lld, Porsenù or ) is a town in South Tyrol, northern Italy, located about north of Bolzano. Geography First mentioned in 901, Brixen is the third largest city and oldest town in the province, and the artistic an ...

with the Villach manor. After his death, King Henry II in 1007 ceded the settlement to the newly established

Bishopric of Bamberg The Prince-Bishopric of Bamberg (german: Hochstift Bamberg) was an ecclesiastical State of the Holy Roman Empire. It goes back to the Roman Catholic Diocese of Bamberg established at the 1007 synod in Frankfurt, at the behest of King Henry II ...

. The bishops also held the adjacent estates along the strategically important route to Italy up to Pontafel, which they retained until 1759 while the surrounding

Carinthian Carinthia (german: Kärnten ; sl, Koroška ) is the southernmost Austrian state, in the Eastern Alps, and is noted for its mountains and lakes. The main language is German. Its regional dialects belong to the Southern Bavarian group. Carint ...

ducal lands passed to the Austrian

House of Habsburg The House of Habsburg (), alternatively spelled Hapsburg in Englishgerman: Haus Habsburg, ; es, Casa de Habsburgo; hu, Habsburg család, it, Casa di Asburgo, nl, Huis van Habsburg, pl, dom Habsburgów, pt, Casa de Habsburgo, la, Domus Hab ...

in 1335.

Villach received

market rights A market town is a settlement most common in Europe that obtained by custom or royal charter, in the Middle Ages, a market right, which allowed it to host a regular market; this distinguished it from a village or city. In Britain, small rural ...

in 1060, though it was not mentioned as a

town A town is a human settlement. Towns are generally larger than villages and smaller than cities, though the criteria to distinguish between them vary considerably in different parts of the world. Origin and use The word "town" shares an ori ...

in records until about 1240. The parish church dedicated to St. James was first documented in 1136. Emperor Frederick II conferred the citizens the right to hold an annual fair on the feast of 25 July (''Jakobitag'') in 1222. The

1348 Friuli earthquake The 1348 Friuli earthquake, centered in the South Alpine region of Friuli, was felt across Europe on 25 January. The earthquake hit in the same year that the Great Plague ravaged Italy. According to contemporary sources, it caused considerabl ...

devastated large parts of the town; another devastating earthquake occurred in 1690. There were also several fires in Villach, which destroyed many buildings. The first documented mayor took office in the 16th century. From 1526 onwards, many citizens turned

Protestant Protestantism is a branch of Christianity that follows the theological tenets of the Protestant Reformation, a movement that began seeking to reform the Catholic Church from within in the 16th century against what its followers perceived to b ...

and the Villach parish became a centre of the new faith within the Carinthian estates, which entailed harsh Counter-Reformation measures by the ecclesiastical rulers. From about 1600, numerous residents were forced to leave the town, precipitating an economic decline. In 1759 the Habsburg empress Maria Theresa formally purchased the Bamberg territories in Carinthia for a price of one million florins. Villach was incorporated into the "hereditary lands" of the Habsburg monarchy and became the administrative seat of a Carinthian district. During the

Napoleonic Wars The Napoleonic Wars (1803–1815) were a series of major global conflicts pitting the French Empire and its allies, led by Napoleon I, against a fluctuating array of European states formed into various coalitions. It produced a period of Fren ...

, the city was occupied by French troops and became part of the short-lived Illyrian Provinces from 1809, until it was re-conquered by the forces of the

Austrian Empire The Austrian Empire (german: link=no, Kaiserthum Oesterreich, modern spelling , ) was a Central-Eastern European multinational great power from 1804 to 1867, created by proclamation out of the realms of the Habsburgs. During its existence ...

in 1813 and incorporated into the Austrian Kingdom of Illyria by 1816. The city's economy was decisively promoted by a western branch of the Southern Railway line, which finally reached Villach in 1864, providing growth and expansion. By 1880, the town had a population of 6,104. In

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

, Villach near the Italian front was the seat of the 10th Army command of the

Austro-Hungarian Army The Austro-Hungarian Army (, literally "Ground Forces of the Austro-Hungarians"; , literally "Imperial and Royal Army") was the ground force of the Austro-Hungarian Dual Monarchy from 1867 to 1918. It was composed of three parts: the joint arm ...

. The town obtained statutory city status during the interwar period on 1 January 1932. After the Austrian ''

Anschluss The (, or , ), also known as the (, en, Annexation of Austria), was the annexation of the Federal State of Austria into the German Reich on 13 March 1938. The idea of an (a united Austria and Germany that would form a " Greater Germany ...

'' to

Nazi Germany Nazi Germany (lit. "National Socialist State"), ' (lit. "Nazi State") for short; also ' (lit. "National Socialist Germany") (officially known as the German Reich from 1933 until 1943, and the Greater German Reich from 1943 to 1945) was ...

in 1938, the mayor of Villach was Oskar Kraus, an enthusiastic

Nazi Nazism ( ; german: Nazismus), the common name in English for National Socialism (german: Nationalsozialismus, ), is the far-right totalitarian political ideology and practices associated with Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party (NSDAP) in ...

. On 9 November 1938 Villach was a site of the nationwide ''

Kristallnacht () or the Night of Broken Glass, also called the November pogrom(s) (german: Novemberpogrome, ), was a pogrom against Jews carried out by the Nazi Party's (SA) paramilitary and (SS) paramilitary forces along with some participation fro ...

'' pogroms with violent attacks on the

Jewish Jews ( he, יְהוּדִים, , ) or Jewish people are an ethnoreligious group and nation originating from the Israelites Israelite origins and kingdom: "The first act in the long drama of Jewish history is the age of the Israelites""The ...

population. A memorial for the 1919 border conflict that led to the

Carinthian Plebiscite The Carinthian plebiscite (german: Kärntner Volksabstimmung, sl, Koroški plebiscit) was held on 10 October 1920 in the area in southern Carinthia predominantly settled by Carinthian Slovenes. It determined the final border between the Republi ...

caused controversy when it was inaugurated in 2002, as Kraus, who had not been especially prominent in the conflict, was the only person named. During

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

, allied forces bombed Villach 37 times. About 42,500 bombs killed 300 people and damaged 85% of the buildings. Nevertheless, the city quickly recovered. Today, Villach is a bustling city with commerce and recreation, yet it retains its historic background.

Population

Politics

Villach - Blick von der Stadtparrkirche auf den Rathausplatz

Municipal council

The municipal council (''Gemeinderat'') consists of 45 members, with the mayor as president, and following the 2015 elections:Wahlstatistiken – Stadt Villach
/ref> * Social Democratic Party of Austria (SPÖ): 23 seats * Austrian People's Party (ÖVP): 10 seats *

Freedom Party of Austria The Freedom Party of Austria (german: Freiheitliche Partei Österreichs, FPÖ) is a right-wing populist and national-conservative political party in Austria. It was led by Norbert Hofer from September 2019 to 1 June 2021.Staff (1 June 2021"Aus ...

(FPÖ): 7 seats * Austrian Green Party: 3 seats * Verantwortung Erde: 1 seat * NEOS: 1 seat

City government

The city government of Villach (Stadtsenat) consists of seven members. It is chaired by the mayor, who is directly elected by the people. The other members—two vice-mayors and four town councillors—are appointed by the municipal council, with party affiliations according to the election results. *''Mayor'' Günther Albel, SPÖ *''First vice-mayor'' Mag. Dr. Petra Oberrauner, SPÖ *''Second vice-mayor'' Mag. Gerda Sandriesser, SPÖ *''Councillor'' Mag. Peter F. Weidinger, ÖVP *''Councillor'' Erwin Baumann, FPÖ *''Councillor'' Mag. Harald Sobe, SPÖ *''Councillor'' Katharina Spanring, ÖVP In the March 2015 elections, Günther Albel was elected with 55.46 per cent of the votes cast.Wahlergebnisse 2015

Twin towns—sister cities

Villach is twinned with: * Bamberg, Germany *

Udine Udine ( , ; fur, Udin; la, Utinum) is a city and ''comune'' in north-eastern Italy, in the middle of the Friuli Venezia Giulia region, between the Adriatic Sea and the Alps (''Alpi Carniche''). Its population was 100,514 in 2012, 176,000 with t ...

, Italy *

Suresnes Suresnes () is a commune in the western suburbs of Paris, Île-de-France. Located in Hauts-de-Seine, from the centre of Paris, it had a population of 49,145 as of 2016. The nearest communes are Nanterre, Puteaux, Rueil-Malmaison, Saint-Cloud a ...

, France

Festivals

There are several

festival A festival is an event ordinarily celebrated by a community and centering on some characteristic aspect or aspects of that community and its religion or cultures. It is often marked as a local or national holiday, mela, or eid. A festival ...

s throughout the year: *The carnival in Villach (which starts on November 11 and ends on March 4) *The arts and crafts festival (with self made goods) *''Villacher Fasching'' or '' Mardi Gras'' *The streets-art festival (displays performances of artists and singers) *The "''Villacher Kirchtag''" (a festival spanning a whole week in summer and ends on August's first Saturday.) *Performances on a floating stage on the ''Drau River''

Notable citizens

Guido Burgstaller - AUT-ROM-freundschaftsspiel - 2012-06-05

Anton Janežič Anton Janežič, also known in German as Anton Janeschitz (19 December 1828 – 18 September 1869) was a Carinthian Slovene linguist, philologist, author, editor, literary historian and critic. Life Janežič was born in a peasant family in ...

, (1828 in St. Jakob im Rosental – 1869)

Carinthian Slovene Carinthian Slovenes or Carinthian Slovenians ( sl, Koroški Slovenci; german: Kärntner Slowenen) are the indigenous minority of Slovene ethnicity, living within borders of the Austrian state of Carinthia, neighboring Slovenia. Their status of ...

linguist, philologist, author, and literary historian. *

Oskar Potiorek Oskar Potiorek (20 November 1853 – 17 December 1933) was an officer of the Austro-Hungarian Army, who served as Governor of Bosnia and Herzegovina from 1911 to 1914. He was a passenger in the car carrying Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria ...

(1853 in Bad Bleiberg – 1933)

officer,

Governor of Bosnia and Herzegovina Bosnia and Herzegovina fell under Austria-Hungary, Austro-Hungarian rule in 1878, when the Congress of Berlin approved the occupation of the Bosnia Vilayet, which officially remained part of the Ottoman Empire. Three decades later, in 1908, Aus ...

in Sarajevo from 1911 to 1914, when Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria was assassinated there * Anton Ghon (1866 in Villach – 1936) Austrian

pathologist Pathology is the study of the causes and effects of disease or injury. The word ''pathology'' also refers to the study of disease in general, incorporating a wide range of biology research fields and medical practices. However, when used in t ...

viz

Ghon focus A Ghon focus is a primary lesion usually subpleural, often in the mid to lower zones, caused by '' Mycobacterium'' bacilli (tuberculosis) developed in the lung of a nonimmune host (usually a child). It is named for Anton Ghon (1866–1936), an A ...

and

Ghon's complex Ghon's complex is a lesion seen in the lung that is caused by tuberculosis. The lesions consist of a Ghon focus along with pulmonary lymphadenopathy within a nearby pulmonary lymph node. A Ghons complex retains viable bacteria, making them sources ...

Hans Kurath Hans Kurath (13 December 1891 – 2 January 1992) was an American linguist of Austrian origin. He was full professor for English and Linguistics at the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor. The many varieties of regional English that he encountered d ...

(1891 in Villach – 1992) American linguist of Austrian origin, emigrated to the US in 1907 * Carl-Heinz Birnbacher (1910 in Villach – 1991) German naval officer of Austrian origin, Vice admiral of the German Navy * Albert Bach (1910 in Treffen – 2003) Austrian soldier, Generalmajor, and skier, competed at the

1936 Winter Olympics The 1936 Winter Olympics, officially known as the IV Olympic Winter Games (german: IV. Olympische Winterspiele) and commonly known as Garmisch-Partenkirchen 1936 ( bar, Garmasch-Partakurch 1936), were a winter multi-sport event held from 6 to 16 ...

. *

Hubert Petschnigg Hubert Petschnigg (31 October 1913 – 15 September 1997) was an Austrian architect. Life Petschnigg was born in Klagenfurt, and went to school in Villach. In 1934 he began to study architecture at the Vienna University of Technology, where he e ...

(1913 – 1997) Austrian architect, born in Klagenfurt, went to school in Villach. *

Heidemarie Hatheyer Heidemarie Hatheyer (8 April 1918 – 11 May 1990) was an Austrian film actress. She appeared in 43 films between 1938 and 1988. Selected filmography *'' The Mountain Calls'' (1938) * ''Frau Sixta'' (1938) * '' The Vulture Wally'' (1940) * ...

(1918 in Villach – 1990) Austrian film actress, appearing in 43 films between 1938 and 1988 *

Paul Watzlawick Paul Watzlawick (July 25, 1921 – March 31, 2007) was an Austrian-American family therapist, psychologist, communication theorist, and philosopher. A theoretician in communication theory and radical constructivism, he commented in the fields ...

(1921 in Villach – 2007) Austrian-American therapist, psychologist, communications theorist and philosopher. *

Kurt Diemberger Kurt Diemberger (born 16 March 1932) is an Austrian mountaineer and author of several books. He is the only living person who has made the first ascents on two mountains over 8,000 metres: of Broad Peak in 1957 and of Dhaulagiri in 1960. Career ...

(born 1932), mountaineer and author *

Bruno Gironcoli Bruno Gironcoli (27 September 1936 – 19 February 2010) was an Austrian modern artist. Born in Villach, Gironcoli began training as a goldsmith in 1951 in Innsbruck, completing his apprenticeship in 1956. Between 1957 and 1962 he studied in ...

(1936 in Villach – 2010) Austrian modern artist *

Heidelinde Weis Heidelinde Weis (born 17 September 1940 in Villach, Carinthia) is an Austrian actress. Selected filmography * ''I'm Marrying the Director'' (1960) * '' Dead Woman from Beverly Hills'' (1964) * ''Condemned to Sin'' (1964) * '' Don't Tell Me Any S ...

(born 1940) Austrian actress *

Hermann Knoflacher Hermann Knoflacher (born 21 September 1940 in Villach) is an Austrian civil engineer. He was the head of the Institute for Transport Planning and Technology at the Vienna University of Technology. Life and teachings Knoflacher completed degrees ...

(born 1940 in Villach) Austrian civil engineer. *

Peter Brabeck-Letmathe Peter Brabeck-Letmathe (born 13 November 1944) is an Austrian businessman. He is the chairman emeritus, former chairman and CEO of the Nestlé Group, and former chairman of Formula One. Early life Brabeck-Letmathe was born in Villach, Austria, i ...

(born 1944 in Villach), former CEO of the

Nestlé Nestlé S.A. (; ; ) is a Swiss multinational food and drink processing conglomerate corporation headquartered in Vevey, Vaud, Switzerland. It is the largest publicly held food company in the world, measured by revenue and other metrics, since ...

Group *

George Zebrowski George Zebrowski (born December 28, 1945) is an American science fiction writer and editor who has written and edited a number of books, and is a former editor of The Bulletin of the Science Fiction Writers of America. He lives with author Pamela ...

(born 1945 in Villach) American science fiction author and editor * Zoltan J. Acs (born 1947 in Villach) American economist and Professor of Management at The

London School of Economics The London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE) is a public university, public research university located in London, England and a constituent college of the federal University of London. Founded in 1895 by Fabian Society members Sidn ...

Felix Tretter Felix Tretter (born in 1949 in Villach, Austria) is an Austrian psychologist and psychiatrist. From 1992 to 2014 he was head of the addiction department of the Isar-Amper-Klinikum München-Ost, formerly known as ''Bezirkskrankenhaus Haar'', Ba ...

(born 1949 in Villach) Austrian psychologist, psychiatrist and cybernetician *

Werner Kofler Werner Kofler (23 July 1947 – 8 December 2011) was an Austrian novelist was born in Villach, Austria, and died in Vienna. Life Werner Kofler was the son of a merchant. He broke off his teacher training at the teacher training college in Klag ...

(1947 in Villach – 2011) Austrian postmodernism novelist *

Gerald Kargl Gerald Kargl (born 1953, Villach) is an Austrian film director most famous for directing the 1983 film ''Angst''. Biography Being fascinated by moving pictures, he began shooting short films at the age of 14. Between 1976 and 1982 he founded and ...

(born 1953 in Villach) Austrian film director most famous for directing the 1983 film

Angst Angst is fear or anxiety ('' anguish'' is its Latinate equivalent, and the words ''anxious'' and ''anxiety'' are of similar origin). The dictionary definition for angst is a feeling of anxiety, apprehension, or insecurity. Etymology The word ...

* Wolfgang Ilgenfritz (1957 in Villach – 2013) Austrian politician and notably a non-attached

Member of the European Parliament A Member of the European Parliament (MEP) is a person who has been elected to serve as a popular representative in the European Parliament. When the European Parliament (then known as the Common Assembly of the ECSC) first met in 1952, its ...

* Gernot Rumpold (born 1957 in Villach) Austrian politician, associate of

Jörg Haider Jörg Haider (; 26 January 1950 – 11 October 2008) was an Austrian politician. He was Governor of Carinthia on two occasions, the long-time leader of the Freedom Party of Austria (FPÖ) and later Chairman of the Alliance for the Future of ...

Peter Löscher Peter Löscher (born 17 September 1957 in Villach, Austria) is an Austrian manager who was the CEO of Siemens from 2007 until 2013. As of 2017, Löscher remains as the only CEO to be hired from outside the conglomerate in the 170-year history o ...

(born 1957 in Villach) Austrian businessman with Merck & Co now CEO of Siemens since 2007 * Michael Martin Kofler (born 1966), classical flautist *

Eva Glawischnig-Piesczek Eva Glawischnig-Piesczek (born 28 February 1969 as Eva Glawischnig) is an Austrian politician of the Austrian Green Party, and its federal spokeswoman from 2008 until 2017. She was the plaintiff in the landmark case Eva Glawishnig-Piesczek v. Fac ...

(born 1969 in Villach) Austrian politician of the Austrian Green Party * Alexander Kaimbacher (born 1969), Austrian operatic tenor *

Florian Hufsky Florian Hufsky (November 13, 1986 – December 16, 2009) was an Austrian new media artist, Computer Hacker, political activist, founder and former board member of the Pirate Party of Austria. He studied graphic design at the University of Applied ...

(1986 in Villach – 2009) Austrian new media artist, board member of the

Pirate Party of Austria The Pirate Party of Austria (german: Piratenpartei Österreichs, PIRAT) is a political party in Austria and part of the global Pirate Party movement which advocates what has come to be known as Pirate politics. It is mostly known for opposing t ...

Sport

* Ernst Melchior (1920 in Villach – 1978) Austrian football player for Austria Wien,

FC Rouen Football Club de Rouen 1899 (; commonly referred to as simply FC Rouen) is a French association football club based in Rouen, Normandy. The club was formed in 1899 and currently plays in Championnat National 2, the fourth level of French foot ...

and

FC Nantes Football Club de Nantes (; Gallo: ''Naunnt''), commonly referred to as FC Nantes or simply Nantes (), is a French professional football club based in Nantes in Pays de la Loire. The club was founded on 21 April 1943, during World War II, as a ...

* Hanns Brandstätter (born 1949 in Villach) Austrian fencer. He competed in at the 72, 76, and

1984 Summer Olympics The 1984 Summer Olympics (officially the Games of the XXIII Olympiad and also known as Los Angeles 1984) were an international multi-sport event held from July 28 to August 12, 1984, in Los Angeles, California, United States. It marked the sec ...

* Johann "Hans" Lindner (born 1959 in Tragail) hammer thrower

and bobsledder in

1984 Winter Olympics The 1984 Winter Olympics, officially known as the XIV Olympic Winter Games (Serbo-Croatian and Slovene: ''XIV. Zimske olimpijske igre''; Cyrillic: XIV Зимске олимпијске игре; mk, XIV Зимски олимписки игр ...

Alfred Groyer Alfred Groyer (born 8 January 1959 in Villach) is an Austrian former ski jumping, ski jumper who competed from 1978 to 1984. He finished seventh in the Ski jumping at the 1980 Winter Olympics – Normal hill individual, individual normal hill eve ...

(born 1959) Austrian former ski jumper who competed from 1978 to 1984 and in the

1980 Winter Olympics The 1980 Winter Olympics, officially the XIII Olympic Winter Games and also known as Lake Placid 1980, were an international multi-sport event held from February 13 to 24, 1980, in Lake Placid, New York, United States. Lake Placid was elected ...

* Alex Antonitsch (born 1966 in Villach) former tennis player from Austria, turned professional in 1988 * Bärbel Jungmeier (born 1975 in Villach) road cyclist and mountain bike rider competed in the 2004 Summer Olympics * Gerhard Unterluggauer (born 1976 in Villach) Austrian former professional ice hockey defenceman *

Roland Kollmann Roland Kollmann (born 8 October 1976) is an Austrian former professional footballer who played as a striker. He played for Grazer AK Grazer AK, founded 18 August 1902 as Grazer Athletiksport Klub (in Austria the abbreviation GAK is more com ...

(born 1976 in Villach) retired Austrian football for

Grazer AK Grazer AK, founded 18 August 1902 as Grazer Athletiksport Klub (in Austria the abbreviation GAK is more common), is an Austrian sports club, from the city of Graz in the federal state of Styria (''Steiermark''). The football section used to be on ...

Daniel Mesotitsch Daniel Mesotitsch (born 22 May 1976) is an Austrian former biathlete. Career Mesotitsch originally competed in cross-country skiing. However, in 1997 he was injured in a car crash and took up shooting during his recovery when he was unable to un ...

(born 1976 in Villach) Austrian

biathlete The biathlon is a winter sport that combines cross-country skiing and rifle shooting. It is treated as a race, with contestants skiing through a cross-country trail whose distance is divided into shooting rounds. The shooting rounds are not time ...

Friedrich Pinter Friedrich Pinter (born 22 February 1978) is an Austrian former biathlete. Life and career Pinter announced his retirement after the 2015–16 season. Biathlon results All results are sourced from the International Biathlon Union The Inte ...

(born 1978 in Villach) Austrian former

* Martin Koch (born 1982 in Villach) Austrian former ski jumper *

Michael Grabner Michael-René Grabner (born 5 October 1987) is an Austrian professional ice hockey player who is currently an unrestricted free agent. Grabner grew up playing for the local team in Villach, EC VSV. He moved to North America at the age of 17 and ...

, (born 1987 in Villach) Austrian professional ice hockey player for

New York Rangers The New York Rangers are a professional ice hockey team based in the New York City borough of Manhattan. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division in the Eastern Conference. The team plays its home ...

National Hockey League The National Hockey League (NHL; french: Ligue nationale de hockey—LNH, ) is a professional ice hockey league in North America comprising 32 teams—25 in the United States and 7 in Canada. It is considered to be the top ranked professional ...

* Marc Sand (born 1988 in Rosegg) Austrian footballer, who plays for SK Austria Klagenfurt *

Michael Raffl Michael Raffl (born 1 December 1988) is an Austrian professional ice hockey left winger currently with Lausanne HC of the Swiss National League (NL). He previously played in the National Hockey League (NHL) for the Philadelphia Flyers, Washingto ...

(born 1988 in Villach) Austrian professional ice hockey left winger for

Dallas Stars The Dallas Stars are a professional ice hockey team based in Dallas. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Central Division in the Western Conference, and were founded during the 1967 NHL expansion as the Minne ...

* Guido Burgstaller (born 1989 in Villach) Austrian professional footballer who plays as a striker for

Rapid Wien Sportklub Rapid Wien (), commonly known as Rapid Vienna, is an Austrian football club playing in the country's capital city of Vienna. Rapid has won the most Austrian championship titles (32), including the first title in the season 1911–12, ...

Anna Gasser Anna Gasser (born 16 August 1991) is an Austrian Snowboarding, snowboarder, competing in slopestyle and big air. She lives in Millstatt. She is the 2018 and 2022 Olympic Champion in Big air. Gasser qualified for the 2014 Winter Olympics and show ...

(born 1991 in Villach) Austrian

snowboarder Snowboarding is a recreational and competitive activity that involves descending a snow-covered surface while standing on a snowboard that is almost always attached to a rider's feet. It features in the Winter Olympic Games and Winter Paralympic ...

, two-time Olympic gold medalist in Big Air (

2018 File:2018 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2018 Winter Olympics opening ceremony in PyeongChang, South Korea; Protests erupt following the Assassination of Jamal Khashoggi; March for Our Lives protests take place across the Unit ...

and

2022 File:2022 collage V1.png, Clockwise, from top left: Road junction at Yamato-Saidaiji Station several hours after the assassination of Shinzo Abe; Anti-government protest in Sri Lanka in front of the Presidential Secretariat; The global monkeypo ...

) * Marco Schwarz (born 1995 in Villach) Austrian World Cup alpine ski racer * Christopher Höher (born 1997 in Villach) Austrian racing driver

References

External links

*
Villach - Official website
(English version)
Kowatsch
- Villach Bus System official site
Official website of the Carinthia University of Applied Sciences - FH Kärnten
{{Authority control Districts of Carinthia (state) Cities and towns in Carinthia (state)