Carinthia (state)
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Carinthia (german: Kärnten ; sl, Koroška ) is the southernmost Austrian state, in the
Eastern Alps Eastern Alps is the name given to the eastern half of the Alps, usually defined as the area east of a line from Lake Constance and the Alpine Rhine valley up to the Splügen Pass at the Alpine divide and down the Liro River to Lake Como in t ...
, and is noted for its mountains and lakes. The main language is
German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) ** Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ge ...
. Its regional dialects belong to the
Southern Bavarian Southern Bavarian or South Bavarian, is a cluster of Upper German dialects of the Bavarian group. They are primarily spoken in Tyrol (i.e. the Austrian federal state of Tyrol and the Italian province of South Tyrol), in Carinthia and in the west ...
group. Carinthian Slovene dialects, forms of a South
Slavic language The Slavic languages, also known as the Slavonic languages, are Indo-European languages spoken primarily by the Slavic peoples and their descendants. They are thought to descend from a proto-language called Proto-Slavic, spoken during the Ea ...
that predominated in the southeastern part of the region up to the first half of the 20th century, are now spoken by a small minority in the area. Carinthia's main industries are
tourism Tourism is travel for pleasure or business; also the theory and practice of touring (disambiguation), touring, the business of attracting, accommodating, and entertaining tourists, and the business of operating tour (disambiguation), tours. Th ...
,
electronics The field of electronics is a branch of physics and electrical engineering that deals with the emission, behaviour and effects of electrons using electronic devices. Electronics uses active devices to control electron flow by amplification ...
,
engineering Engineering is the use of scientific method, scientific principles to design and build machines, structures, and other items, including bridges, tunnels, roads, vehicles, and buildings. The discipline of engineering encompasses a broad rang ...
,
forestry Forestry is the science and craft of creating, managing, planting, using, conserving and repairing forests, woodlands, and associated resources for human and environmental benefits. Forestry is practiced in plantations and natural stands. Th ...
, and
agriculture Agriculture or farming is the practice of cultivating plants and livestock. Agriculture was the key development in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created food surpluses that enabled people to ...
.


Name

The etymology of the name "Carinthia", similar to Carnia or Carniola, has not been conclusively established. The ''
Ravenna Cosmography The ''Ravenna Cosmography'' ( la, Ravennatis Anonymi Cosmographia,  "The Cosmography of the Unknown Ravennese") is a list of place-names covering the world from India to Ireland, compiled by an anonymous cleric in Ravenna around 700 AD. Textu ...
'' (about AD 700) referred to a Slavic "Carantani" tribe as the eastern neighbours of the Bavarians. In his ''
History of the Lombards The ''History of the Lombards'' or the ''History of the Langobards'' ( la, Historia Langobardorum) is the chief work by Paul the Deacon, written in the late 8th century. This incomplete history in six books was written after 787 and at any rate ...
'', the 8th-century chronicler Paul the Deacon mentions "Slavs in
Carnuntum Carnuntum ( according to Ptolemy) was a Roman legionary fortress ( la, castra legionis) and headquarters of the Pannonian fleet from 50 AD. After the 1st century, it was capital of the Pannonia Superior province. It also became a large ...
, which is erroneously called Carantanum" (''Carnuntum, quod corrupte vocitant Carantanum'') for the year 663. "Carantani" may have been formed from a toponymic base ''carant-'' which ultimately derives from pre-
Indo-European The Indo-European languages are a language family native to the overwhelming majority of Europe, the Iranian plateau, and the northern Indian subcontinent. Some European languages of this family, English, French, Portuguese, Russian, Dutc ...
root *''karra'' 'rock'. (cf. fur, carantàn), or that it is of
Celtic Celtic, Celtics or Keltic may refer to: Language and ethnicity *pertaining to Celts, a collection of Indo-European peoples in Europe and Anatolia **Celts (modern) *Celtic languages **Proto-Celtic language * Celtic music *Celtic nations Sports Fo ...
origin and derived from *''karantos'' 'friend, ally'. Likewise the Slovene name may have been adopted from the
Latin Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through the power of the ...
*''carantanum''. The toponym ''Carinthia'' (Slovene: <
Proto-Slavic Proto-Slavic (abbreviated PSl., PS.; also called Common Slavic or Common Slavonic) is the Attested language, unattested, linguistic reconstruction, reconstructed proto-language of all Slavic languages. It represents Slavic speech approximately ...
''*korǫt’ьsko'') is also claimed to be etymologically related, deriving from pre-Slavic *''carantia''. Carinthia is known as ''Koruška'' in Croatian, ''Korutany'' in Czech, ''Kärnten'' in German, ''Karintia'' in Hungarian, ''Carinzia'' in Italian, ''Carintia'' in Spanish, ''Karyntia'' in Polish, ''Korutánsko'' in Slovak, and ''Koroška'' in Slovene.


Geography

The state stretches about from east to west, and in a north-south direction. With , it is the fifth-largest Austrian state by area. Most of the larger Carinthian towns and lakes are situated within the Klagenfurt Basin in the southeast, an inner Alpine
sedimentary basin Sedimentary basins are region-scale depressions of the Earth's crust where subsidence has occurred and a thick sequence of sediments have accumulated to form a large three-dimensional body of sedimentary rock. They form when long-term subside ...
covering about one-fifth of the area. These Lower Carinthian lands differ from the mountainous Upper Carinthian region in the northwest, stretching up to the Alpine crest. The Carinthian lands are confined by mountain ranges: the
Carnic Alps The Carnic Alps ( it, Alpi Carniche; german: Karnische Alpen; sl, Karnijske Alpe; fur, Alps Cjargnelis) are a range of the Southern Limestone Alps in Austria and northeastern Italy. They are within Austrian East Tyrol and Carinthia, and Itali ...
and the
Karawanks The Karawanks or Karavankas or Karavanks ( sl, Karavanke; german: Karawanken, ) are a mountain range of the Southern Limestone Alps on the border between Slovenia to the south and Austria to the north. With a total length of in an east–west dir ...
form the border to the Italy (
Friuli-Venezia Giulia (man), it, Friulana (woman), it, Giuliano (man), it, Giuliana (woman) , population_note = , population_blank1_title = , population_blank1 = , demographics_type1 = , demographics1_footnotes = , demographics1_t ...
) and Slovenia (
Carinthia Statistical Region The Carinthia Statistical Region ( sl, Koroška statistična regija) is a statistical region in northern Slovenia along the border with Austria. The region is difficult to access and is poorly connected with the central part of Slovenia. The env ...
,
Savinja Statistical Region The Savinja Statistical Region ( sl, Savinjska statistična regija) is a statistical region in Slovenia. The largest town in the region is Celje. It is named after the Savinja River. The region is very diverse in natural geography; it mainly c ...
and
Upper Carniola Statistical Region The Upper Carniola Statistical Region ( sl, Gorenjska statistična regija) is a statistical region in northwest Slovenia. It is a region with high mountains, including Mount Triglav, and is almost entirely Alpine. A large part of this statistical ...
). The
High Tauern The High Tauern ( pl.; german: Hohe Tauern, it, Alti Tauri) are a mountain range on the main chain of the Central Eastern Alps, comprising the highest peaks east of the Brenner Pass. The crest forms the southern border of the Austrian states of ...
mountain range with Mt
Grossglockner The Grossglockner (german: Großglockner ; or just ''Glockner'') is, at 3,798 metres above the Adriatic (12,461 ft), the highest mountain in Austria and the highest mountain in the Alps east of the Brenner Pass. It is part of the larger Glo ...
, , separates it from the state of
Salzburg Salzburg (, ; literally "Salt-Castle"; bar, Soizbuag, label=Bavarian language, Austro-Bavarian) is the List of cities and towns in Austria, fourth-largest city in Austria. In 2020, it had a population of 156,872. The town is on the site of the ...
in the northwest. To the northeast and east beyond the
Pack Saddle A pack saddle is any device designed to be secured on the back of a horse, mule, or other working animal so it can carry heavy loads such as luggage, firewood, small cannons, or other things too heavy to be carried by humans. Description Idea ...
mountain pass is the state of Styria. The main river of Carinthia is the Drava (''Drau''), it makes up a continuous valley with
East Tyrol East Tyrol, occasionally East Tirol (german: Osttirol), is an exclave of the Austrian state of Tyrol, separated from the main North Tyrol part by the short common border of Salzburg and Italian South Tyrol (''Südtirol'', it, Alto Adige). It i ...
,
Tyrol Tyrol (; historically the Tyrole; de-AT, Tirol ; it, Tirolo) is a historical region in the Alps - in Northern Italy and western Austria. The area was historically the core of the County of Tyrol, part of the Holy Roman Empire, Austrian Emp ...
to the west. Tributaries are the Gurk, the Glan, the Lavant, and 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 ...
rivers. Carinthia's lakes including Wörther See,
Millstätter See Lake Millstatt (german: Millstätter See, sometimes written "Millstättersee") is a lake in Carinthia, Austria. Geography It is situated at 588 metres above the Adriatic (1,929 ft), north of the Drava Valley within the Gurktal Alps (Nock Moun ...
,
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 ...
, and
Lake Faak Lake Faak (german: Faaker See; sl, Baško jezero) is a lake in the Austrian state of Carinthia. With an area of approximately , it is the state's fifth-largest lake. Geography The lake is located southeast of Villach in the Drava Valley, below ...
are a major tourist attraction. The capital city is
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 ...
. The next important town is
Villach Villach (; sl, Beljak; it, Villaco; fur, Vilac) is the seventh-largest city in Austria and the second-largest in the federal state of Carinthia. It is an important traffic junction for southern Austria and the whole Alpe-Adria region. , the p ...
, both strongly linked economically. Other major towns include
Althofen Althofen ( sl, Stari Dvor) is a town in the district of Sankt Veit an der Glan in the Austrian state of Carinthia. Geography The town is located about north of Sankt Veit an der Glan and north of the state capital Klagenfurt in the Krappfeld ...
,
Bad Sankt Leonhard im Lavanttal Bad Sankt Leonhard im Lavanttal ( sl, Sveti Lenart v Labotu) is a spa town in the district of Wolfsberg in the Austrian state of Carinthia. Geography The municipality lies in the upper Lavant valley (''Lavanttal'') north of the district capita ...
,
Bleiburg Bleiburg ( sl, Pliberk) is a small town in the south Austrian state of Carinthia (''Koroška''), south-east of Klagenfurt, in the district of Völkermarkt, some four kilometres (2.5 miles) from the border with Slovenia. The municipality consists ...
, Feldkirchen,
Ferlach Ferlach ( sl, Borovlje) in the district of Klagenfurt-Land in Carinthia is the southernmost town in Austria. It is known for its centuries-old gunsmith tradition, part of the Austrian intangible cultural heritage since 2010. Geography It is situa ...
,
Friesach Friesach ( sl, Breže) is a historic town in the Sankt Veit an der Glan (district), Sankt Veit an der Glan district of Carinthia (state), Carinthia, Austria. First mentioned in an 860 deed, it is known as the oldest town in Carinthia. Geography ...
, Gmünd, Hermagor,
Radenthein Radenthein ( sl, Radenče ) is a town in Spittal an der Drau District, in the Austrian state of Carinthia. Geography The town is situated in the Gegend valley (''Gegendtal'') of the Nock Mountains range (part of the Gurktal Alps), stretching to ...
,
Sankt Andrä ) is a town in the district of Wolfsberg in Carinthia in Austria. It is named after Saint Andrew. Landmarks The main church is the former Saint Andrew's Cathedral, until 1829 the bishop's seat of the Diocese of Lavant The Diocese of Lavant(tal) ...
, Sankt Veit an der Glan,
Spittal an der Drau Spittal an der Drau is a town in the western part of the Austrian federal state of Carinthia. It is the administrative centre of Spittal an der Drau District, Austria's second largest district (''Bezirk'') by area. Geography The town is located o ...
,
Straßburg Strasbourg (, , ; german: Straßburg ; gsw, label=Bas Rhin Alsatian, Strossburi , gsw, label= Haut Rhin Alsatian, Strossburig ) is the prefecture and largest city of the Grand Est region of eastern France and the official seat of the Eu ...
,
Völkermarkt Völkermarkt (; sl, Velikovec) is a town of about 11,000 inhabitants in the Austrian state of Carinthia, the administrative capital of Völkermarkt District. It is located within the Drava valley east of the Carinthian capital Klagenfurt, north ...
, Wolfsberg. Carinthia has a
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 ...
), with hot and moderately wet summers and long harsh winters. In recent decades, winters have been exceptionally
arid A region is arid when it severely lacks available water, to the extent of hindering or preventing the growth and development of plant and animal life. Regions with arid climates tend to lack vegetation and are called xeric or desertic. Most ar ...
. The summer
precipitation In meteorology, precipitation is any product of the condensation of atmospheric water vapor that falls under gravitational pull from clouds. The main forms of precipitation include drizzle, rain, sleet, snow, ice pellets, graupel and hail. ...
maxima often takes the form of heavy rain and
thunderstorm A thunderstorm, also known as an electrical storm or a lightning storm, is a storm characterized by the presence of lightning and its acoustic effect on the Earth's atmosphere, known as thunder. Relatively weak thunderstorms are someti ...
s, especially in the mountainous regions. The main Alpine ridge in the north is a meteorological divide with pronounced
windward and leeward Windward () and leeward () are terms used to describe the direction of the wind. Windward is ''upwind'' from the point of reference, i.e. towards the direction from which the wind is coming; leeward is ''downwind'' from the point of reference ...
sides where
foehn A Foehn or Föhn (, , ), is a type of dry, relatively warm, downslope wind that occurs in the lee (downwind side) of a mountain range. It is a rain shadow wind that results from the subsequent adiabatic warming of air that has dropped most of ...
occurs regularly. Due to the diversified
terrain Terrain or relief (also topographical relief) involves the vertical and horizontal dimensions of land surface. The term bathymetry is used to describe underwater relief, while hypsometry studies terrain relative to sea level. The Latin word ...
, numerous distinct
microclimates A microclimate (or micro-climate) is a local set of atmospheric conditions that differ from those in the surrounding areas, often with a slight difference but sometimes with a substantial one. The term may refer to areas as small as a few squa ...
exist. Nevertheless, the average amount of sunshine hours is the highest of all states in Austria. In autumn and winter, temperature
inversion Inversion or inversions may refer to: Arts * , a French gay magazine (1924/1925) * ''Inversion'' (artwork), a 2005 temporary sculpture in Houston, Texas * Inversion (music), a term with various meanings in music theory and musical set theory * ...
often dominates the climate, characterized by air stillness, a dense fog covering the frosty valleys and trapping pollution to form smog, while mild sunny weather is recorded higher up in the foothills and mountains.


History

The settlement history of Carinthia dates back to the
Paleolithic The Paleolithic or Palaeolithic (), also called the Old Stone Age (from Greek: παλαιός ''palaios'', "old" and λίθος ''lithos'', "stone"), is a period in human prehistory that is distinguished by the original development of stone too ...
era. Archaeological findings of stone artifacts in a stalactite cave near Griffen are older than 30,000 years; larger settlements in the
Lavanttal The Lavant Valley (german: Lavanttal, sl, Labotska dolinaGams, Ivan. 1992. "Labotska dolina." ''Enciklopedija Slovenije'', vol. 6. Ljubljana: Mladinska knjiga, pp. 87–87. or ''Laboška dolina''; Southern Bavarian: ''Lovnthol'') lies in the Lav ...
,
Maria Saal Maria Saal ( sl, Gospa Sveta) is a market town in the district of Klagenfurt-Land in the Austrian state of Carinthia. It is located in the east of the historic Zollfeld plain (''Gosposvetsko polje''), the wide valley of the Glan river. The muni ...
and
Villach Villach (; sl, Beljak; it, Villaco; fur, Vilac) is the seventh-largest city in Austria and the second-largest in the federal state of Carinthia. It is an important traffic junction for southern Austria and the whole Alpe-Adria region. , the p ...
regions are documented from about 3000 BC. Remains of a prehistoric stilt house settlement were discovered at Lake Keutschach, today part of the
Prehistoric pile dwellings around the Alps Prehistoric pile dwellings around the Alps are a series of prehistoric pile dwelling (or stilt house) settlements in and around the Alps built from about 5000 to 500 BC on the edges of lakes, rivers or wetlands. In 2011, 111 sites located variousl ...
World Heritage Site. Skeleton finds from about 2000 BC (near
Friesach Friesach ( sl, Breže) is a historic town in the Sankt Veit an der Glan (district), Sankt Veit an der Glan district of Carinthia (state), Carinthia, Austria. First mentioned in an 860 deed, it is known as the oldest town in Carinthia. Geography ...
) denote a permanent population, and intensive arable farming, as well as trading with salt and Mediterranean products, was common already during the periods of the
Urnfield The Urnfield culture ( 1300 BC – 750 BC) was a late Bronze Age culture of Central Europe, often divided into several local cultures within a broader Urnfield tradition. The name comes from the custom of cremating the dead and p ...
and
Hallstatt culture The Hallstatt culture was the predominant Western Europe, Western and Central European Archaeological culture, culture of Late Bronze Age Europe, Bronze Age (Hallstatt A, Hallstatt B) from the 12th to 8th centuries BC and Early Iron Age Europe ...
. Hallstatt
grave field A grave field is a prehistoric cemetery, typically of Bronze Age and Iron Age Europe. Grave fields are distinguished from necropoleis by the former's lack of remaining above-ground structures, buildings, or grave markers. Types Grave fields can b ...
s were discovered near
Dellach Dellach ( sl, Dole) is a municipality in the district of Hermagor, in the Austrian state of Carinthia. Geography The municipal area lies in the upper Gail valley, between the neighbouring municipalities of Kötschach-Mauthen in the west and ...
(Gurina),
Rosegg Rosegg ( sl, Rožek) is a town in the district of Villach-Land in Carinthia in Austria. Neighboring municipalities Personalities It is the birthplace of the painter Peter Markovič, after whom the local Slovene cultural association is named. L ...
(Frög) and on the Gracarca mountain southeast of
Lake Klopein Lake Klopein (, ) is a lake near the town of Völkermarkt located within the municipality of Sankt Kanzian in Carinthia, Austria. Lake Klopein is the remaining lake of previously larger lake area, which has spanned over today's Kühnsdorf area. W ...
.


Noricum

About 300 BC, several Illyrian and
Celtic Celtic, Celtics or Keltic may refer to: Language and ethnicity *pertaining to Celts, a collection of Indo-European peoples in Europe and Anatolia **Celts (modern) *Celtic languages **Proto-Celtic language * Celtic music *Celtic nations Sports Fo ...
tribes joined together in the Kingdom of Noricum, centered on the capital
Noreia Noreia is an ancient lost city in the Eastern Alps, most likely in southern Austria. While according to Julius Caesar it is known to have been the capital of the Celtic kingdom of Noricum, it was already referred to as a lost city by Pliny the ...
, possibly located in the
Zollfeld Zollfeld ( sl, Gosposvetsko polje) is a slightly ascending plain in Carinthia, Austria. It is one of the oldest cultural landscapes in the East Alpine region. Geography It is from to wide and about long, with an elevation between above sea ...
basin near the later Roman city of
Virunum Claudium Virunum was a Roman city in the province of Noricum, on today's Zollfeld in the Austrian State of Carinthia. Virunum may also have been the name of the older Celtic-Roman settlement on the hilltop of Magdalensberg nearby. Virunum (''Vir ...
. Known for the production of salt and iron, the Kingdom maintained intensive trade relations with
Etruscan __NOTOC__ Etruscan may refer to: Ancient civilization *The Etruscan language, an extinct language in ancient Italy *Something derived from or related to the Etruscan civilization **Etruscan architecture **Etruscan art **Etruscan cities ** Etrusca ...
peoples and over the centuries extended the borders of its realm up to the
Danube The Danube ( ; ) is a river that was once a long-standing frontier of the Roman Empire and today connects 10 European countries, running through their territories or being a border. Originating in Germany, the Danube flows southeast for , p ...
in the north. The
Roman Empire The Roman Empire ( la, Imperium Romanum ; grc-gre, Βασιλεία τῶν Ῥωμαίων, Basileía tôn Rhōmaíōn) was the post-Republican period of ancient Rome. As a polity, it included large territorial holdings around the Mediterr ...
incorporated Noricum in 15 BC. Beside the administrative seat of Virunum, the cities of
Teurnia Teurnia (later Tiburnia) was a Roman city (''municipium''). Today its ruins lie in western Carinthia. In late antiquity it was also a bishop's see, and towards the end of Roman times it was mentioned as the capital of the province of Noricum me ...
, Santicum (Villach) and Iuenna (
Globasnitz Globasnitz ( Slovene: ''Globasnica'') is a town in the district of Völkermarkt in the Austrian state of Carinthia. Population A considerable percentage (42.1%) of the population are Carinthian Slovenes, and Slovene is a second official language ...
) arose as centres of Roman culture. The Noricum
province A province is almost always an administrative division within a country or sovereign state, state. The term derives from the ancient Roman ''Roman province, provincia'', which was the major territorial and administrative unit of the Roman Empire ...
remained strategically important as a mining area for iron, gold and lead and as an agricultural region. In the reign of the Emperor
Diocletian Diocletian (; la, Gaius Aurelius Valerius Diocletianus, grc, Διοκλητιανός, Diokletianós; c. 242/245 – 311/312), nicknamed ''Iovius'', was Roman emperor from 284 until his abdication in 305. He was born Gaius Valerius Diocles ...
(245–313) Noricum split into two provinces: ''Noricum ripense'' ("Noricum along the river", the northern part southward from the Danube), and ''Noricum mediterraneum'' ("landlocked Noricum", the district south of the Alpine crest). Teurnia became the administrative seat of the latter, as well as an Early Christian
episcopal see An episcopal see is, in a practical use of the phrase, the area of a bishop's ecclesiastical jurisdiction. Phrases concerning actions occurring within or outside an episcopal see are indicative of the geographical significance of the term, mak ...
. As the Roman Empire declined in the 5th century AD, the Noricum region was exposed to recurring campaigns of Germanic tribes, whereupon the population retired to hilltop settlements. In 408
Visigoth The Visigoths (; la, Visigothi, Wisigothi, Vesi, Visi, Wesi, Wisi) were an early Germanic people who, along with the Ostrogoths, constituted the two major political entities of the Goths within the Roman Empire in late antiquity, or what is kn ...
troops under King Alaric I entered Noricum from Italy across the
Carnic Alps The Carnic Alps ( it, Alpi Carniche; german: Karnische Alpen; sl, Karnijske Alpe; fur, Alps Cjargnelis) are a range of the Southern Limestone Alps in Austria and northeastern Italy. They are within Austrian East Tyrol and Carinthia, and Itali ...
and forged an alliance with the Roman commander
Stilicho Flavius Stilicho (; c. 359 – 22 August 408) was a military commander in the Roman army who, for a time, became the most powerful man in the Western Roman Empire. He was of Vandal origins and married to Serena, the niece of emperor Theodosiu ...
, who as a result was deposed and executed for high treason (August 408). From 472 Ostrogoth and Alemannic forces campaigned in Noricum, which became a province of Odoacer's
Kingdom of Italy The Kingdom of Italy ( it, Regno d'Italia) was a state that existed from 1861, when Victor Emmanuel II of Kingdom of Sardinia, Sardinia was proclamation of the Kingdom of Italy, proclaimed King of Italy, until 1946, when civil discontent led to ...
in 476 and of the
Ostrogothic Kingdom The Ostrogothic Kingdom, officially the Kingdom of Italy (), existed under the control of the Germanic peoples, Germanic Ostrogoths in Italian peninsula, Italy and neighbouring areas from 493 to 553. In Italy, the Ostrogoths led by Theodoric the ...
from 493. On the death of King
Theoderic the Great Theodoric (or Theoderic) the Great (454 – 30 August 526), also called Theodoric the Amal ( got, , *Þiudareiks; Greek: , romanized: ; Latin: ), was king of the Ostrogoths (471–526), and ruler of the independent Ostrogothic Kingdom of Italy ...
in 526, the Italian kingdom finally collapsed and the East Roman
Byzantine The Byzantine Empire, also referred to as the Eastern Roman Empire or Byzantium, was the continuation of the Roman Empire primarily in its eastern provinces during Late Antiquity and the Middle Ages, when its capital city was Constantinopl ...
empire under
Justinian I Justinian I (; la, Iustinianus, ; grc-gre, Ἰουστινιανός ; 48214 November 565), also known as Justinian the Great, was the Byzantine emperor from 527 to 565. His reign is marked by the ambitious but only partly realized ''renovat ...
temporarily conquered the Noricum region in the course of the Gothic War of 535 to 554.


Carantania

From 591 onwards, the
Frankish Frankish may refer to: * Franks, a Germanic tribe and their culture ** Frankish language or its modern descendants, Franconian languages * Francia, a post-Roman state in France and Germany * East Francia, the successor state to Francia in Germany ...
king
Theudebert I Theudebert I (french: Thibert/Théodebert) ( 500 – 547 or 548) was the Merovingian king of Austrasia from 533 to his death in 548. He was the son of Theuderic I and the father of Theudebald. Sources Most of what we know about Theudebert comes f ...
tried to break into the former Noricum region, and Bavarian settlers entered the area from the
Puster Valley The Puster Valley ( it, Val Pusteria ; german: Pustertal, ) is one of the largest longitudinal valleys in the Alps that runs in an east-west direction between Lienz in East Tyrol, Austria, and Mühlbach near Brixen in South Tyrol, Italy. The S ...
in the west. They were however repulsed by Slavic tribes, who, beset by Avar horsemen moved into present-day Carinthia from the east. About 600 the Slavic principality of Carantania arose, stretching along the valleys of the Drava, Mur and
Sava The Sava (; , ; sr-cyr, Сава, hu, Száva) is a river in Central and Southeast Europe, a right-bank and the longest tributary of the Danube. It flows through Slovenia, Croatia and along its border with Bosnia and Herzegovina, and finally t ...
rivers. The remaining Celto-Roman population was largely assimilated, jointly challenging Avar and Frankish advance. The name ''Carontani'' was first mentioned about 700; the lands of ''Carantanum'' were documented by the chronicler Paul the Deacon (d. 799). The principality was again centered on the historic Zollfeld valley, where the Prince's Stone bears witness to the ritual of the investiture of the Carantanian rulers exclusively in Slovene. While initially the Carantanian rulers joined the tribal union of
Samo's Empire Samo's Empire (also known as Samo's Kingdom or Samo's State) is the historiographical name for the West Slavic tribal union established by King (" Rex") Samo, which existed between 623 and 658 in Central Europe. The centre of the union was most ...
, 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 ...
around 743 turned to Duke Odilo of
Bavaria Bavaria ( ; ), officially the Free State of Bavaria (german: Freistaat Bayern, link=no ), is a state in the south-east of Germany. With an area of , Bavaria is the largest German state by land area, comprising roughly a fifth of the total lan ...
to ask for support against the Avar invaders. Aid was granted, however at the price of Bavarian overlordship. The Carantanian principality became part of the Bavarian stem duchy, while the area was
Christianised Christianization ( or Christianisation) is to make Christian; to imbue with Christian principles; to become Christian. It can apply to the conversion of an individual, a practice, a place or a whole society. It began in the Roman Empire, conti ...
for the second time by missionaries from the Salzburg diocese. Bishop
Vergilius Publius Vergilius Maro (; traditional dates 15 October 7021 September 19 BC), usually called Virgil or Vergil ( ) in English, was an ancient Roman poet of the Augustan period. He composed three of the most famous poems in Latin literature: t ...
had Prince Boruth's son Cacatius and his nephew Cheitmar brought up in Christian faith. In 767, at their request, the bishop sent Modestus to Carantania as a
vicar A vicar (; Latin: '' vicarius'') is a representative, deputy or substitute; anyone acting "in the person of" or agent for a superior (compare "vicarious" in the sense of "at second hand"). Linguistically, ''vicar'' is cognate with the English pre ...
and had churches built at Teurnia and
Maria Saal Maria Saal ( sl, Gospa Sveta) is a market town in the district of Klagenfurt-Land in the Austrian state of Carinthia. It is located in the east of the historic Zollfeld plain (''Gosposvetsko polje''), the wide valley of the Glan river. The muni ...
. Upon a pagan uprising in 772, the forces of Odilo's son Duke
Tassilo III of Bavaria Tassilo III ( 741 – c. 796) was the duke of Bavaria from 748 to 788, the last of the house of the Agilolfings. The Son of Duke Odilo of Bavaria and Hitrud, the Daughter of Charles Martell. Tassilo, then still a child, began his rule as a Frankis ...
again subdued the Carantanian lands. In 788, Duke Tassilo III was finally deposed by the Frankish king
Charlemagne Charlemagne ( , ) or Charles the Great ( la, Carolus Magnus; german: Karl der Große; 2 April 747 – 28 January 814), a member of the Carolingian dynasty, was King of the Franks from 768, King of the Lombards from 774, and the first Holy ...
, and his territories were incorporated into the
Carolingian Empire The Carolingian Empire (800–888) was a large Frankish-dominated empire in western and central Europe during the Early Middle Ages. It was ruled by the Carolingian dynasty, which had ruled as kings of the Franks since 751 and as kings of the Lom ...
. By the 843
Treaty of Verdun The Treaty of Verdun (), agreed in , divided the Frankish Empire into three kingdoms among the surviving sons of the emperor Louis I, the son and successor of Charlemagne. The treaty was concluded following almost three years of civil war and ...
, the former Carantanian lands fell to the kingdom of East Francia ruled by Charlemagne's grandson
Louis the German Louis the German (c. 806/810 – 28 August 876), also known as Louis II of Germany and Louis II of East Francia, was the first king of East Francia, and ruled from 843 to 876 AD. Grandson of emperor Charlemagne and the third son of Louis the P ...
. The ritual of installation of the Carantanian dukes at the Prince's Stone near Karnburg in Slovenian was preserved until 1414, when
Ernest the Iron Ernest the Iron (; 1377 – 10 June 1424), a member of the House of Habsburg, ruled over the Inner Austrian duchies of Styria, Carinthia and Carniola from 1406 until his death. He was head of the Habsburg Leopoldian line from 1411. Biograp ...
was enthroned as Duke of Carinthia.


Duchy of Carinthia

The
March of Carinthia The March of Carinthia was a frontier district (march) of the Carolingian Empire created in 889. Before it was a march, it had been a principality or duchy ruled by native-born Slavic (or semi-Slavic) princes at first independently and then un ...
arose in 889 from the territory bequeathed by Louis's son Carloman, king of
Bavaria Bavaria ( ; ), officially the Free State of Bavaria (german: Freistaat Bayern, link=no ), is a state in the south-east of Germany. With an area of , Bavaria is the largest German state by land area, comprising roughly a fifth of the total lan ...
from 865 to 880, to his natural son Arnulf of Carinthia. Arnulf had already assumed the title of a Carinthian duke in 880 and followed his uncle
Charles the Fat Charles III (839 – 13 January 888), also known as Charles the Fat, was the emperor of the Carolingian Empire from 881 to 888. A member of the Carolingian dynasty, Charles was the youngest son of Louis the German and Hemma, and a great-grandso ...
as King of East Francia in 887. The Duchy of Carinthia was finally split from the vast Bavarian duchy in 976 by Emperor Otto II, having come out victorious from his quarrels with Duke Henry II the Wrangler. Carinthia therefore was the first newly created duchy of the
Holy Roman Empire The Holy Roman Empire was a Polity, political entity in Western Europe, Western, Central Europe, Central, and Southern Europe that developed during the Early Middle Ages and continued until its Dissolution of the Holy Roman Empire, dissolution i ...
and for a short while comprised lands stretching from the
Adriatic Sea The Adriatic Sea () is a body of water separating the Italian Peninsula from the Balkan Peninsula. The Adriatic is the northernmost arm of the Mediterranean Sea, extending from the Strait of Otranto (where it connects to the Ionian Sea) to t ...
almost to the
Danube The Danube ( ; ) is a river that was once a long-standing frontier of the Roman Empire and today connects 10 European countries, running through their territories or being a border. Originating in Germany, the Danube flows southeast for , p ...
. In 1040, the
March of Carniola The March (or Margraviate) of Carniola ( sl, Kranjska krajina; german: Mark Krain) was a southeastern state of the Holy Roman Empire in the High Middle Ages, the predecessor of the Duchy of Carniola. It corresponded roughly to the central Carniolan ...
was separated from it and c. 1180 Styria, the Carinthian March, became a duchy in its own right. After the death of Duke Henry VI of Gorizia-Tyrol in 1335, Carinthia passed to the Habsburg brothers Albrecht II. and Otto IV, and was ruled by this dynasty until 1918. After the dissolution of the Holy Roman Empire 1806, Carinthia was incorporated in 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, ...
's
Kingdom of Illyria The Kingdom of Illyria was a crown land of the Austrian Empire from 1816 to 1849, the successor state of the Napoleonic Illyrian Provinces, which were reconquered by Austria in the War of the Sixth Coalition. It was established according to th ...
which succeeded Napoleon's Illyrian Provinces, but recovered its previous status in 1849 and in 1867 became one of the Cisleithanian crown lands of
Austria-Hungary Austria-Hungary, often referred to as the Austro-Hungarian Empire,, the Dual Monarchy, or Austria, was a constitutional monarchy and great power in Central Europe between 1867 and 1918. It was formed with the Austro-Hungarian Compromise of ...
.


Formation of the state

In late 1918, the breakup of Habsburg monarchy was imminent, and on 21 October 1918 the members of the Reichsrat for the German-speaking territories of Austria met in Vienna to constitute a "Provisional National Council for
German-Austria The Republic of German-Austria (german: Republik Deutschösterreich or ) was an unrecognised state that was created following World War I as an initial rump state for areas with a predominantly German-speaking and ethnic German population wit ...
". Prior to the meeting the delegates agreed that German-Austria should not include "Yugoslav areas of settlement", which referred to
Lower Styria Styria ( sl, Štajerska), also Slovenian Styria (''Slovenska Štajerska'') or Lower Styria (''Spodnja Štajerska''; german: Untersteiermark), is a traditional region in northeastern Slovenia, comprising the southern third of the former Duchy o ...
and the two Slovene-speaking Carinthian valleys south of the
Karawanken The Karawanks or Karavankas or Karavanks ( sl, Karavanke; german: Karawanken, ) are a mountain range of the Southern Limestone Alps on the border between Slovenia to the south and Austria to the north. With a total length of in an east–west dir ...
range, Seeland (Slovenian: Jezersko) and ''Mießtal'' (
Meža The Meža ( Slovene) or Mieß (German; ) is a river in the Austrian state of Carinthia and in Slovenia, a right tributary of the Drava. It is long, of which are in Slovenia. Its catchment area is , of which in Slovenia. Name The Meža River w ...
Valley). On 12 Nov. 1918, when the Act concerning the foundation of the State of German-Austria was formally passed by the Provisional National Assembly in Vienna this was worded by the State Chancellor,
Karl Renner Karl Renner (14 December 1870 – 31 December 1950) was an Austrian politician and jurist of the Social Democratic Workers' Party of Austria. He is often referred to as the "Father of the Republic" because he led the first government of German ...
, "...to encounter the prejudices of the world as though we wanted to annex alien national property" The day before, on 11 Nov. 1918 the Provisional Diet of Carinthia had formally declared Carinthia's accession to the State of German-Austria. The Federal Act concerning the Extent, the Borders and the Relations of the State Territories of 22 Nov. 1918 then clearly stated in article 1: "...the duchies of Styria and Carinthia with the exclusion of the homogenous Yugoslav areas of settlement". Apart from one Social-Democrat, Florian Gröger, all the other delegates from Carinthia—Hans Hofer, Jakob Lutschounig, Josef Nagele, Alois Pirker, Leopold Pongratz, Otto Steinwender, Viktor Waldner—were members of German national parties and organizations.


Disputed frontiers

After the end of the
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 ...
, however, Carinthia became a contested region. On 5 November 1918, the first armed militia units led by the Slovene volunteer
Franjo Malgaj Franjo Malgaj (November 10, 1894 – May 6, 1919) was a Slovenian soldier, military leader and poet. He was an officer of the Austro-Hungarian Army. After the dissolution of the Austro-Hungarian Empire after World War I, he became one of the comm ...
invaded Carinthia and were then joined by Slovene troops under
Rudolf Maister Rudolf Maister ( pen name: Vojanov; 29 March 1874 – 26 July 1934) was a Slovene military officer, poet and political activist. The soldiers who fought under Maister's command in northern Slovenia became known as "Maister's fighters" ( s ...
. With the subsequent assistance of the regular Yugoslav army they occupied southern Carinthia claiming the area for the
Kingdom of Serbs, Croats, and Slovenes The Kingdom of Yugoslavia ( sh-Latn-Cyrl, separator=" / ", Kraljevina Jugoslavija, Краљевина Југославија; sl, Kraljevina Jugoslavija) was a state in Southeast and Central Europe that existed from 1918 until 1941. From 1918 ...
(''Kraljevina Srba, Hrvata i Slovenaca'', or SHS) also known as
Yugoslavia Yugoslavia (; sh-Latn-Cyrl, separator=" / ", Jugoslavija, Југославија ; sl, Jugoslavija ; mk, Југославија ;; rup, Iugoslavia; hu, Jugoszlávia; rue, label=Pannonian Rusyn, Югославия, translit=Juhoslavija ...
. The provisional state government of Carinthia had fled to
Spittal an der Drau Spittal an der Drau is a town in the western part of the Austrian federal state of Carinthia. It is the administrative centre of Spittal an der Drau District, Austria's second largest district (''Bezirk'') by area. Geography The town is located o ...
and in view of the ongoing fighting between local volunteers and invaders on 5 December decided to declare armed resistance. The resistance encountered by the Yugoslav forces especially north of the Drava River around the town of
Völkermarkt Völkermarkt (; sl, Velikovec) is a town of about 11,000 inhabitants in the Austrian state of Carinthia, the administrative capital of Völkermarkt District. It is located within the Drava valley east of the Carinthian capital Klagenfurt, north ...
with its violent fighting alarmed the victorious
Allies An alliance is a relationship among people, groups, or states that have joined together for mutual benefit or to achieve some common purpose, whether or not explicit agreement has been worked out among them. Members of an alliance are called ...
at the Paris Peace Conference. An Allied Commission headed by U.S. Lt.Col.
Sherman Miles Major General Sherman Miles (December 5, 1882Beer, Siegfried: "Sherman Miles – vor und nach Kärnten 1919. Anmerkungen zu einer hauptsächlich nachrichtendienstlichen Karriere in der US-Armee", pp. 309–317 in Valentin, H.; Haiden, S.; Ma ...
inspected the situation in situ and recommended the Karawanken main ridge as a natural border to keep the Klagenfurt basin intact but, in agreement with item no. 10 of
Woodrow Wilson Thomas Woodrow Wilson (December 28, 1856February 3, 1924) was an American politician and academic who served as the 28th president of the United States from 1913 to 1921. A member of the Democratic Party, Wilson served as the president of ...
's
Fourteen Points U.S. President Woodrow Wilson The Fourteen Points was a statement of principles for peace that was to be used for peace negotiations in order to end World War I. The principles were outlined in a January 8, 1918 speech on war aims and peace terms ...
, suggested a referendum in the disputed area. An armistice was agreed upon on 14 January and by 7 May 1919 the Yugoslav forces had left the state, but Slovene troops under
Rudolf Maister Rudolf Maister ( pen name: Vojanov; 29 March 1874 – 26 July 1934) was a Slovene military officer, poet and political activist. The soldiers who fought under Maister's command in northern Slovenia became known as "Maister's fighters" ( s ...
returned occupying Klagenfurt on 6 June. Upon the intervention of the Allied Supreme Council in Paris they retreated from the city but remained in the disputed part of Carinthia until 13 September 1920. In the
Treaty of Saint-Germain A treaty is a formal, legally binding written agreement between actors in international law. It is usually made by and between sovereign states, but can include international organizations, individuals, business entities, and other legal pers ...
of 10 September 1919, the two smaller Slovene-speaking Carinthian valleys south of the
Karawanken The Karawanks or Karavankas or Karavanks ( sl, Karavanke; german: Karawanken, ) are a mountain range of the Southern Limestone Alps on the border between Slovenia to the south and Austria to the north. With a total length of in an east–west dir ...
range, Jezersko and the
Meža The Meža ( Slovene) or Mieß (German; ) is a river in the Austrian state of Carinthia and in Slovenia, a right tributary of the Drava. It is long, of which are in Slovenia. Its catchment area is , of which in Slovenia. Name The Meža River w ...
Valley, together with the town of
Dravograd Dravograd (; german: Unterdrauburg) is a small town in northern Slovenia, close to the border with Austria. It is the seat of the Municipality of Dravograd. It lies on the Drava River at the confluence with the Meža and the Mislinja. It is ...
—together 128 square miles or —were attached to the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes (later known as the
Kingdom of Yugoslavia The Kingdom of Yugoslavia ( sh-Latn-Cyrl, separator=" / ", Kraljevina Jugoslavija, Краљевина Југославија; sl, Kraljevina Jugoslavija) was a state in Southeast Europe, Southeast and Central Europe that existed from 1918 unt ...
): These areas are today part of Slovene Carinthia. The Canale Valley (german: Kanaltal, it, Val Canale) as far south as
Pontebba Pontebba ( fur, Ponteibe, german: Pontafel, sl, Tablja) is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Province of Udine in the Italian region Friuli-Venezia Giulia. Geography Pontebba, named after it, ponte meaning "bridge", is situated at the confluenc ...
, at that time an ethnically mixed German–Slovene area, with the border town of
Tarvisio Tarvisio (German and fur, Tarvis, sl, Trbiž) is a comune in the northeastern part of the autonomous Friuli Venezia Giulia region in Italy. Geography The town is in the Canal Valley (''Val Canale'') between the Carnic Alps and Karawanks rang ...
(german: Tarvis, sl, Trbiž) and its holy place of pilgrimage of Maria Luschari ( sl, Svete Višarje) (172 square miles”Kärnten.” Encyclopædia Britannica. Ultimate Reference Suite. Chicago 2010. or 445 km²), was ceded to
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 re ...
and included in the Province of Udine. According to the same treaty, a
referendum A referendum (plural: referendums or less commonly referenda) is a direct vote by the electorate on a proposal, law, or political issue. This is in contrast to an issue being voted on by a representative. This may result in the adoption of a ...
was to be held in southern Carinthia as suggested by the Allied Commission, which was to determine whether the area claimed by the SHS-State was to remain part of Austria or go to Yugoslavia. Much of southern Carinthia was divided into two zones. Zone A was formed out of predominantly Slovene-inhabited zones (approximately corresponding to today's District of Völkermarkt, the district of
Klagenfurt-Land Bezirk Klagenfurt-Land is a district of the state of Carinthia in Austria. :de:Bezirk Klagenfurt-Land Municipalities Towns (''Städte'') are indicated in boldface; market towns (''Marktgemeinden'') in ''italics''; suburbs, hamlets and other sub ...
south of lake
Wörthersee Wörthersee (; Slovene: ''Vrbsko jezero'', en, Lake WörthTesch, F. W. 1977. ''The Eel: Biology and Management of Anguillid Eels''. Transl. Jennifer Greenwood. London: Chapman and Hall, p. 195.) is a lake in the southern Austrian state of Carin ...
, and the south-eastern part of the present district of
Villach-Land Bezirk Villach-Land is a district of the state of Carinthia in Austria. Municipalities Towns (''Städte'') are indicated in boldface; market towns (''Marktgemeinden'') in ''italics''; suburbs, hamlets and other subdivisions of a municipality a ...
), while Zone B included the City of Klagenfurt,
Velden am Wörthersee Velden may refer to several places: *Velden am Wörther See, a municipality on lake Wörthersee in Carinthia, Austria *Velden, Limburg, a village in the municipality of Venlo, Netherlands *Velden (Pegnitz) Velden is a town in the district Nürnbe ...
and the immediately surrounding rural areas where German speakers formed a vast majority. If the population in Zone A had decided for Yugoslavia, another referendum in Zone B would have followed. On 10 October 1920, 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 ...
was held in Zone A, with almost 60% of the population voting to remain in Austria, which means that about 40% of the Slovene-speaking population must have voted against a division of Carinthia. In view of the close supervision of the referendum by foreign observers, as well as the Yugoslav occupation of the area until four weeks prior to the referendum, irregularities alleged by the deeply disappointed Yugoslav supporters would not have substantially altered the overall decision. Yet, after the plebiscite, the SHS-State again made attempts to occupy the area, but owing to demarches by the United Kingdom, France, and Italy it removed its troops from Austria so that, by 22 November 1920, the State Diet of Carinthia was at last able to exercise its sovereignty over the entire state.


After World War I to present

Originally an agrarian country, Carinthia made efforts to establish a touristic infrastructure such as the
Grossglockner High Alpine Road The Grossglockner High Alpine Road (in German ''Großglockner Hochalpenstraße'') is the highest surfaced mountain pass road in Austria. It connects Bruck an der Großglocknerstraße, Bruck in the state of Salzburg (state), Salzburg with Heilige ...
and
Klagenfurt Airport Klagenfurt Airport (german: link=no, Flughafen Klagenfurt and occasionally ''Kärnten Airport'', ) is a primary international airport near Klagenfurt, the sixth-largest city in Austria. It is located in the borough of Annabichl, north-north-eas ...
as well as the opening up of the
Alps The Alps () ; german: Alpen ; it, Alpi ; rm, Alps ; sl, Alpe . are the highest and most extensive mountain range system that lies entirely in Europe, stretching approximately across seven Alpine countries (from west to east): France, Sw ...
through the Austrian Alpine Club in the 1920s. It was, however, hard hit by the
Great Depression The Great Depression (19291939) was an economic shock that impacted most countries across the world. It was a period of economic depression that became evident after a major fall in stock prices in the United States. The economic contagio ...
around 1930, which pushed the political system in Austria more and more towards
extremism Extremism is "the quality or state of being extreme" or "the advocacy of extreme measures or views". The term is primarily used in a political or religious sense to refer to an ideology that is considered (by the speaker or by some implied shar ...
. This phenomenon culminated at first in the years of
Austrofascism The Fatherland Front ( de-AT, Vaterländische Front, ''VF'') was the right-wing conservative, nationalist and corporatist ruling political organisation of the Federal State of Austria. It claimed to be a nonpartisan Nonpartisanism is a lack ...
and then in 1938 in the
annexation Annexation (Latin ''ad'', to, and ''nexus'', joining), in international law, is the forcible acquisition of one state's territory by another state, usually following military occupation of the territory. It is generally held to be an illegal act ...
of Austria by
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 ...
(''
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 ...
''). At the same time the Nazi Party took power everywhere in Carinthia, which became, together with
East Tyrol East Tyrol, occasionally East Tirol (german: Osttirol), is an exclave of the Austrian state of Tyrol, separated from the main North Tyrol part by the short common border of Salzburg and Italian South Tyrol (''Südtirol'', it, Alto Adige). It i ...
, a '' Reichsgau'', and
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 ...
leaders such as
Franz Kutschera Franz Kutschera (22 February 1904 – 1 February 1944) was an Austrian Nazi Party politician and '' SS-Brigadeführer''. He was a member of the '' Großdeutscher Reichstag'' and served as the Acting ''Gauleiter'' of Carinthia from 1939 to 19 ...
,
Hubert Klausner Hubert Klausner (1 November 1892 – 12 February 1939) was an Austrian military officer and Nazi politician. He served as ''Gauleiter'' of '' Reichsgau Kärnten'' and ''Landeshauptmann'' (premier) of Carinthia from 1938-39. Early years Born i ...
, and
Friedrich Rainer Friedrich W. Rainer (28 July 1903  –  November 1950)Miller, Michael & Andreas Schulz, (2017). ''Gauleiter: The Regional Leaders of the Nazi Party and Their Deputies, 1925-1945'', Volume II (Georg Joel - Dr. Bernhard Rust). R. James B ...
held the office of
Gauleiter A ''Gauleiter'' () was a regional leader of the Nazi Party (NSDAP) who served as the head of a '' Gau'' or '' Reichsgau''. ''Gauleiter'' was the third-highest rank in the Nazi political leadership, subordinate only to '' Reichsleiter'' and to ...
and Reichsstatthalter. 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 opposi ...
,
Slovene Partisan The Slovene Partisans, formally the National Liberation Army and Partisan Detachments of Slovenia, (NOV in POS) were part of Europe's most effective anti-Nazi resistance movement Jeffreys-Jones, R. (2013): ''In Spies We Trust: The Story of Western ...
resistance was active in the southern areas of the region, reaching around 3,000 armed men. The cities of
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 ...
and
Villach Villach (; sl, Beljak; it, Villaco; fur, Vilac) is the seventh-largest city in Austria and the second-largest in the federal state of Carinthia. It is an important traffic junction for southern Austria and the whole Alpe-Adria region. , the p ...
suffered from air raids, but the
Allied An alliance is a relationship among people, groups, or states that have joined together for mutual benefit or to achieve some common purpose, whether or not explicit agreement has been worked out among them. Members of an alliance are called ...
forces did not reach Carinthia before May 8, 1945. Toward the end of the war, Gauleiter Rainer tried to implement a Nazi plan for Carinthia to become part of the projected Nazi national redoubt, the ''
Alpenfestung The Alpine Fortress (german: Alpenfestung) or Alpine Redoubt was the World War II national redoubt planned by Heinrich Himmler in November and December 1943"Himmler started laying the plans for underground warfare in the last two months of 1943 ...
''; these efforts failed and the forces under Rainer's control surrendered to the forces of the
British Army The British Army is the principal land warfare force of the United Kingdom, a part of the British Armed Forces along with the Royal Navy and the Royal Air Force. , the British Army comprises 79,380 regular full-time personnel, 4,090 Gurk ...
. Once again as at the end of World War I, Yugoslav troops occupied parts of Carinthia, including the capital city of Klagenfurt, but were soon forced to withdraw by the British forces with the consent of the
Soviet Union The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, it was nominally a federal union of fifteen national ...
. Carinthia, East Tyrol, and Styria then formed the UK occupation zone of
Allied-administered Austria The Allied occupation of Austria started on 8 May 1945 with the fall of Nazi Germany and ended with the Austrian State Treaty on 27 July 1955. After the in 1938, Austria had generally been recognized as part of Nazi Germany. In 1943, however, ...
. The area was witness to the turnover of German-allied Cossacks to the Red Army in 1945. The Allied occupation was terminated in 1955 by the
Austrian State Treaty The Austrian State Treaty (german: Österreichischer Staatsvertrag ) or Austrian Independence Treaty re-established Austria as a sovereign state. It was signed on 15 May 1955 in Vienna, at the Schloss Belvedere among the Allied occupying p ...
, which restored Austria's sovereignty. The relations between the German- and the Slovene-speaking Carinthians remained somewhat problematic. Divergent views over the implementation of minority protection rights guaranteed by Article 7 of the Austrian State Treaty have created numerous tensions between the two groups in the past fifty years.


Demographics

The largest part of Carinthia's population settles in the Klagenfurt Basin between
Villach Villach (; sl, Beljak; it, Villaco; fur, Vilac) is the seventh-largest city in Austria and the second-largest in the federal state of Carinthia. It is an important traffic junction for southern Austria and the whole Alpe-Adria region. , the p ...
and
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 ...
. In 2008, the proportion of the population with a migration background in Carinthia was 9.3% of the total population, about half the Austrian figure of 17.5%. By 2020, the proportion of the population with a migration background in Carinthia had risen to 14.5%, yet this figure remains lower than the Austrian average, where close to a quarter of the population has a migration background. The majority of Carinthia's population is German-speaking. In the south of the province (mainly in the districts of
Villach-Land Bezirk Villach-Land is a district of the state of Carinthia in Austria. Municipalities Towns (''Städte'') are indicated in boldface; market towns (''Marktgemeinden'') in ''italics''; suburbs, hamlets and other subdivisions of a municipality a ...
,
Klagenfurt-Land Bezirk Klagenfurt-Land is a district of the state of Carinthia in Austria. :de:Bezirk Klagenfurt-Land Municipalities Towns (''Städte'') are indicated in boldface; market towns (''Marktgemeinden'') in ''italics''; suburbs, hamlets and other sub ...
and
Völkermarkt Völkermarkt (; sl, Velikovec) is a town of about 11,000 inhabitants in the Austrian state of Carinthia, the administrative capital of Völkermarkt District. It is located within the Drava valley east of the Carinthian capital Klagenfurt, north ...
), members of the Slovene-speaking ethnic group live as a recognized minority. The discussion about ethnic group rights (e.g. bilingual place-name signs) can be very emotional.


Population development

The historical population is given in the following chart: Colors= id:lightgrey value:gray(0.9) id:darkgrey value:gray(0.7) id:sfondo value:rgb(1,1,1) ImageSize = width:800 height:auto barincrement:28 PlotArea = left:40 bottom:40 top:20 right:20 DateFormat = x.y Period = from:0 till:600 TimeAxis = orientation:horizontal AlignBars = late ScaleMajor = gridcolor:darkgrey increment:50 start:0 ScaleMinor = gridcolor:lightgrey increment:10 start:0 BackgroundColors = canvas:sfondo PlotData= color:skyblue width:22 shift:(-60,-5) fontsize:M anchor:till bar:1880 from:0 till:325 text:324,857 bar:1890 from:0 till:337 text:337,013 bar:1900 from:0 till:344 text:343,531 bar:1910 from:0 till:371 text:371,372 bar:1923 from:0 till:371 text:371,227 bar:1934 from:0 till:405 text:405,129 bar:1939 from:0 till:416 text:416,268 bar:1951 from:0 till:475 text:474,764 bar:1961 from:0 till:495 text:495,226 bar:1971 from:0 till:527 text:526,759 bar:1981 from:0 till:536 text:536,179 bar:1991 from:0 till:548 text:547,798 bar:2001 from:0 till:559 text:559,404 bar:2011 from:0 till:558 text:558,271 bar:2021 from:0 till:562 text:562,089 TextData= fontsize:M pos:(35,20) text:"Source: Statistik Austria"


Administrative divisions

The state is divided into eight rural and two urban districts (''Bezirke''), the latter being the statutory cities (''Statutarstädte'') of Klagenfurt and Villach. There are 132
municipalities A municipality is usually a single administrative division having corporate status and powers of self-government or jurisdiction as granted by national and regional laws to which it is subordinate. The term ''municipality'' may also mean the go ...
, of which 17 are incorporated as
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 ...
s and 40 are of the lesser
market towns 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 ...
(''Marktgemeinden'') status.


Statutory cities

*
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 ...
( licence plate code: K) *
Villach Villach (; sl, Beljak; it, Villaco; fur, Vilac) is the seventh-largest city in Austria and the second-largest in the federal state of Carinthia. It is an important traffic junction for southern Austria and the whole Alpe-Adria region. , the p ...
(VI)


Rural districts

* Feldkirchen (FE) ** Administrative seat: Feldkirchen ** Municipalities: Albeck
Glanegg Glanegg ( sl, Klanek ) is a town in the district of Feldkirchen in Carinthia 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 ...
Gnesau Gnesau is a town in the district of Feldkirchen in the Austrian state of Carinthia Carinthia (german: Kärnten ; sl, Koroška ) is the southernmost Austrian state, in the Eastern Alps, and is noted for its mountains and lakes. The main l ...
Himmelberg Himmelberg ( sl, Sokolovo ) is a municipality with 2273 inhabitants in the district of Feldkirchen in the Austrian state of Carinthia in Austria Austria, , bar, Östareich officially the Republic of Austria, is a country in the south ...
OssiachReichenau
Sankt Urban Sankt Urban ( sl, Sveti Urban ) is a town in the district of Feldkirchen in the Austrian state of Carinthia Carinthia (german: Kärnten ; sl, Koroška ) is the southernmost Austrian state, in the Eastern Alps, and is noted for its mountai ...
Steindorf am Ossiacher See Steindorf am Ossiacher See ( sl, Kamna vas) is a municipality in the district of Feldkirchen in the Austrian state of Carinthia. It is the home of the Teuffenbach royal family. Geography The municipality lies on the east side of Lake Ossiach L ...
Steuerberg Steuerberg ( sl, Šterska Gora) is a town in the district of Feldkirchen in the Austrian state of Carinthia Carinthia (german: Kärnten ; sl, Koroška ) is the southernmost Austrian state, in the Eastern Alps, and is noted for its mountai ...
* Hermagor (HE) ** Administrative seat:
Hermagor-Pressegger See Hermagor-Pressegger See ( sl, Šmohor-Preseško jezero) is a town in the Austrian state of Carinthia. It is the administrative centre of the Hermagor District.The town is named after Saint Hermagoras of Aquileia, the first bishop of Aquileia. Geo ...
** Market towns: Kirchbach
Kötschach-Mauthen Kötschach-Mauthen ( sl, Koča-Muta) is a market town in the district of Hermagor in Carinthia in Austria. Geography The municipality lies in the west of Hermagor at the transition of the upper Gail Valley into the Lesachtal, between the Gai ...
** Municipalities:
Dellach Dellach ( sl, Dole) is a municipality in the district of Hermagor, in the Austrian state of Carinthia. Geography The municipal area lies in the upper Gail valley, between the neighbouring municipalities of Kötschach-Mauthen in the west and ...
Gitschtal Gitschtal ( Slovene: ''Višprijska dolina'') is a town in the district of Hermagor in the Austrian state of Carinthia Carinthia (german: Kärnten ; sl, Koroška ) is the southernmost Austrian state, in the Eastern Alps, and is noted for i ...
Lesachtal Lesachtal ( sl, Lesna dolina) is a municipality in Hermagor District, in the Austrian state of Carinthia. It comprises the western part of the eponymous valley formed by the upper Gail River, and stretches from the Carinthian border with East Tyr ...
Sankt Stefan im Gailtal Sankt Stefan im Gailtal ( Slovene: ''Štefan na Zilji'') is a small municipality in the district of Hermagor in the Austrian state of Carinthia Carinthia (german: Kärnten ; sl, Koroška ) is the southernmost Austrian state, in the Easter ...
*
Klagenfurt-Land Bezirk Klagenfurt-Land is a district of the state of Carinthia in Austria. :de:Bezirk Klagenfurt-Land Municipalities Towns (''Städte'') are indicated in boldface; market towns (''Marktgemeinden'') in ''italics''; suburbs, hamlets and other sub ...
(KL) ** Administrative seat:
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 ...
(not part of the district) ** Town:
Ferlach Ferlach ( sl, Borovlje) in the district of Klagenfurt-Land in Carinthia is the southernmost town in Austria. It is known for its centuries-old gunsmith tradition, part of the Austrian intangible cultural heritage since 2010. Geography It is situa ...
** Market towns: EbenthalFeistritz im Rosental
Grafenstein Grafenstein ( sl, Grabštajn) is a town in the district of Klagenfurt-Land in the Austrian state of Carinthia. Geography Grafenstein lies in the basin of Klagenfurt Klagenfurt am WörtherseeLandesgesetzblatt 2008 vom 16. Jänner 2008, Stück 1 ...
Magdalensberg Magdalensberg ( Slovene: ''Štalenska gora'') is a market town in the district of Klagenfurt-Land in Carinthia in Austria. Geography Magdalensberg lies at the foot of the Magdalensberg in the Klagenfurt basin in the lower Gurk valley. The Gurk an ...
Maria Saal Maria Saal ( sl, Gospa Sveta) is a market town in the district of Klagenfurt-Land in the Austrian state of Carinthia. It is located in the east of the historic Zollfeld plain (''Gosposvetsko polje''), the wide valley of the Glan river. The muni ...
Moosburg Moosburg an der Isar (Central Bavarian: ''Mooschbuag on da Isa'') is a town in the ''Landkreis'' Freising of Bavaria, Germany. The oldest town between Regensburg and Italy, it lies on the river Isar at an altitude of 421 m (1381 ft). ...
Poggersdorf Poggersdorf (Slovenian: Pokrče in dialect ''Poča ves'') is a municipality, since 2013 a so-called ''Market Municipality'' (German: ''Marktgemeinde'') in the district of Klagenfurt-Land in the Austrian federal state of Carinthia. Geography Geo ...
Schiefling am See ** Municipalities:
Keutschach am See Keutschach am See ( sl, Hodiše ob jezeru) is a municipality in the district of Klagenfurt-Land in the Austrian state of Carinthia. Geography The municipality lies in a glacial valley between the Wörthersee Lake and Mt. Pyramidenkogel on the n ...
Köttmannsdorf
Krumpendorf Krumpendorf am Wörthersee ( sl, Kriva Vrba) is a municipality in Klagenfurt-Land District, in Carinthia, Austria. It is situated on the Wörthersee. Geography Krumpendorf stretches along the northern shore of Wörthersee, Carinthia's largest ...
Ludmannsdorf Ludmannsdorf ( Slovene: ''Bilčovs'') is a town in the district of Klagenfurt-Land in the Austrian state of Carinthia. Geography It is located on the left bank of the Drava river. Population According to the 2001 census, 28.3% of the population ...
Maria Rain Maria Rain ( sl, Žihpolje) is a town in the district of Klagenfurt-Land in the Austrian state of Carinthia, known for its Baroque parish and pilgrimage church (rebuilt between 1700 and 1729). Geography Maria Rain lies in the Rosental, 8 km ...
Maria Wörth Maria Wörth is a municipality in the district of Klagenfurt-Land in the Austrian state of Carinthia (state), Carinthia. The centre of the resort town is situated on a peninsula at the southern shore of the Wörthersee. In the east, the municipal ...
Pörtschach
Sankt Margareten im Rosental Sankt Margareten im Rosental ( Slovene: Šmarjeta v Rožu) is a town in the district of Klagenfurt-Land in the Austrian state of Carinthia. Geography The municipality lies in the southeast Rosental at the foot of the Hochobir. On the north, the D ...
Techelsberg Techelsberg ( Slovene: ''Teholica'') is a municipality in the district of Klagenfurt-Land in the Austrian state of Carinthia Carinthia (german: Kärnten ; sl, Koroška ) is the southernmost Austrian state, in the Eastern Alps, and is noted ...
Zell Zell may refer to: Places Austria * Zell am See, in Salzburg state * Zell am Ziller, in Tyrol * Zell, Carinthia, in Carinthia * in Upper Austria: ** Bad Zell ** Zell am Moos ** Zell an der Pram ** Zell am Pettenfirst Germany * Zell im Fichtelg ...
* Sankt Veit an der Glan (SV) ** Administrative seat: Sankt Veit an der Glan ** Towns:
Althofen Althofen ( sl, Stari Dvor) is a town in the district of Sankt Veit an der Glan in the Austrian state of Carinthia. Geography The town is located about north of Sankt Veit an der Glan and north of the state capital Klagenfurt in the Krappfeld ...
Friesach Friesach ( sl, Breže) is a historic town in the Sankt Veit an der Glan (district), Sankt Veit an der Glan district of Carinthia (state), Carinthia, Austria. First mentioned in an 860 deed, it is known as the oldest town in Carinthia. Geography ...
Straßburg Strasbourg (, , ; german: Straßburg ; gsw, label=Bas Rhin Alsatian, Strossburi , gsw, label= Haut Rhin Alsatian, Strossburig ) is the prefecture and largest city of the Grand Est region of eastern France and the official seat of the Eu ...
** Market towns: BrücklEbersteinGurk
Guttaring Guttaring ( sl, Kotarče) is a town in the district of Sankt Veit an der Glan in the Austria Austria, , bar, Östareich officially the Republic of Austria, is a country in the southern part of Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Al ...
Hüttenberg Hüttenberg is a municipality in the Lahn-Dill-Kreis in Hesse, Germany. Geography Location Hüttenberg lies about 6 km southeast of Wetzlar and 10 km southwest of Giessen south of the river Lahn. Neighbouring communities Hüttenberg b ...
Klein Sankt Paul Klein Sankt Paul ( sl, Mali Šentpavel ) is a town in the district of Sankt Veit an der Glan in the Austrian state of Carinthia. Geography Klein Sankt Paul lies in the central Görtschitz valley about 36 km northeast of Klagenfurt Klagenf ...
Liebenfels Liebenfels ( sl, Lepo Polje) is a market town in the district of Sankt Veit an der Glan in the Austrian state of Carinthia. Geography The municipal area is situated on the southern slopes of the Gurktal Alps. It lies about west of the district ...
Metnitz Metnitz ( sl, Metnica ) is a town in the district of Sankt Veit an der Glan in the Austrian state of Carinthia. Geography Metnitz lies in the north of Carinthia and includes most of the Metnitz valley and the surrounding Gurktal Alps The Gurkta ...
Weitensfeld im Gurktal Weitensfeld im Gurktal ( sl, Prečpolje ob Krki ) is a market town in the district of Sankt Veit an der Glan in the Austrian state of Carinthia. First settlemenets were established when the Romans built a connecting road through the Gurk valley t ...
** Municipalities:
Deutsch-Griffen Deutsch-Griffen ( sl, Slovenj Grebinj) is a municipality in the district of Sankt Veit an der Glan in Austrian state of Carinthia. Geography Deutsch-Griffen lies in the north of Carinthia, about northwest of the state capital Klagenfurt. It is si ...
Frauenstein
Glödnitz Glödnitz ( sl, Glodnica) is a municipality in the district of Sankt Veit an der Glan in the Austrian state of Carinthia. Geography The municipal area stretches along the densely forested valley of the Glödnitz river, a tributary of the Gurk, ...
Kappel am Krappfeld Kappel am Krappfeld ( sl, Kapela na Grobniškem polju) is a town in the district of Sankt Veit an der Glan in the Austrian state of Carinthia. It is the birthplace of Maria Lassnig. Geography Kappel lies about 25 km northeast of Klagenfurt ...
Micheldorf Micheldorf ( sl, Mihaelova vas) is a municipality in the district of Sankt Veit an der Glan in the Austrian state of Carinthia. History First mentioned in 1074 deed, it consists of the '' Katastralgemeinden'' Micheldorf and Lorenzenberg, which ...
Mölbling Mölbling ( sl, Molnek ) is a municipality on the Gurk River in the district of Sankt Veit an der Glan in the Austrian state of Carinthia. Geography Mölbling lies about 27 km northeast of Klagenfurt. The Gurk runs through the eastern ed ...
Sankt Georgen am Längsee Sankt Georgen am Längsee ( sl, Šentjurij ob Dolgem jezeru) is a municipality in the district of Sankt Veit an der Glan in Carinthia, Austria. Geography Sankt Georgen is located at the Längsee north of the Zollfeld Valley. In the east, the ...
*
Spittal an der Drau Spittal an der Drau is a town in the western part of the Austrian federal state of Carinthia. It is the administrative centre of Spittal an der Drau District, Austria's second largest district (''Bezirk'') by area. Geography The town is located o ...
(SP) ** Administrative seat:
Spittal an der Drau Spittal an der Drau is a town in the western part of the Austrian federal state of Carinthia. It is the administrative centre of Spittal an der Drau District, Austria's second largest district (''Bezirk'') by area. Geography The town is located o ...
** Towns: Gmünd
Radenthein Radenthein ( sl, Radenče ) is a town in Spittal an der Drau District, in the Austrian state of Carinthia. Geography The town is situated in the Gegend valley (''Gegendtal'') of the Nock Mountains range (part of the Gurktal Alps), stretching to ...
** Market towns:
Greifenburg Greifenburg is a market town in the district of Spittal an der Drau in the Austrian state of Carinthia. Geography The settlement stretches in the upper Drava Valley (''Drautal'') between the Kreuzeck mountain range in the north, part of the High ...
Lurnfeld Lurnfeld is a market town in the district of Spittal an der Drau in the Austrian state of Carinthia. The municipality consists of the two Katastralgemeinden: Möllbrücke and Pusarnitz, comprising several small villages. It is located within t ...
Millstatt Millstatt am See is a market town of the Spittal an der Drau District in Carinthia, Austria. The traditional health resort and spa town on Lake Millstatt is known for former Benedictine Millstatt Abbey, founded about 1070. Geography It is situ ...
Oberdrauburg
Obervellach Obervellach ( sl, Zgornja Bela) is a market town in the district of Spittal an der Drau, in the Austrian state of Carinthia. Geography The town is situated in the valley of the Möll river, on the southern slope of the High Tauern mountain ran ...
Rennweg am Katschberg Rennweg am Katschberg is a market town in the district of Spittal an der Drau in Carinthia, Austria. Geography Rennweg is located in the Katsch Valley (''Katschtal'') between the Hohe Tauern range in the west and the Gurktal Alps (Nock Mountai ...
Sachsenburg Sachsenburg is a market town in the district of Spittal an der Drau in Carinthia, Austria. Geography The municipal area stretches along the valley of the Drava river, where it enters the Lurnfeld plain between the Kreuzeck group of the Hohe Tau ...
Seeboden Seeboden am Millstätter See ( sl, Jezernica ) is a market town in Spittal an der Drau District in Carinthia, Austria. Geography The municipal area stretches from the western shore of Millstätter See to the town boundary of the district capit ...
Steinfeld
Winklern Winklern is a town in the district of Spittal an der Drau in the Austrian state of Carinthia. Geography The municipality lies at the foot of the Großglockner massif between the Schober, Goldberg, and Kreuzeck groups in the upper Möll valley ...
** Municipalities:
Bad Kleinkirchheim Bad Kleinkirchheim is a municipality and spa town in the district of Spittal an der Drau, in Carinthia, Austria. Until the middle of the 20th century, agriculture was the dominant focus, but it is now a renowned spa and ski resort. Although recor ...
Baldramsdorf
Berg im Drautal Berg im Drautal is a village and municipality in the district of Spittal an der Drau in the Austrian state of Carinthia. Geography It is situated in Drava Valley forty kilometers western from Spittal. The municipality is situated between the ...
Dellach im Drautal
Flattach Flattach ( sl, Blato) is a municipality in Spittal an der Drau District in the Austrian state of Carinthia. Geography It is located in the valley of the Möll, a left tributary to the Drava, between the Goldberg and the Kreuzeck groups of the ...
GroßkirchheimHeiligenblut am GroßglocknerIrschen
Kleblach-Lind Kleblach-Lind is a town in the district of Spittal an der Drau in the Austrian state of Carinthia. Geography Kleblach-Lind lies on the east end of the upper Drau valley, about 10 km as the crow flies from Spittal an der Drau Spittal an der ...
Krems
Lendorf Lendorf is a municipality in the district of Spittal an der Drau in the Austrian state of Carinthia. Geography It consists of the '' Katastralgemeinden'' Lendorf and Hühnersberg. History Situated in the Drava valley west of Spittal an der Drau ...
Mallnitz Mallnitz is a municipality in the Spittal an der Drau District in Carinthia, Austria. Geography It is situated in a high valley of the Hohe Tauern mountain range stretching southwards down to Obervellach on the Möll river and separating the ...
Malta Malta ( , , ), officially the Republic of Malta ( mt, Repubblika ta' Malta ), is an island country in the Mediterranean Sea. It consists of an archipelago, between Italy and Libya, and is often considered a part of Southern Europe. It lies ...
Mörtschach
Mühldorf Mühldorf am Inn (Central Bavarian: ''Muihdorf am Inn'') is a town in Bavaria, Germany, and the capital of the district Mühldorf on the river Inn. It is located at , and had a population of about 17,808 in 2005. History During the Middle Ages, ...
Rangersdorf
Reißeck Reißeck is a municipality in the district of Spittal an der Drau in Carinthia, Austria. Geography Situated within the valley of the Möll river, a tributary to the Drava, Reißeck is located about northwest of the district capital Spittal an ...
Stall
Trebesing Trebesing is a town in the district of Spittal an der Drau (district), Spittal an der Drau in the Austrian state of Carinthia (state), Carinthia. Geography Trebesing lies within the valley of the Lieser river in upper Carinthia not far from the n ...
Weissensee *
Villach-Land Bezirk Villach-Land is a district of the state of Carinthia in Austria. Municipalities Towns (''Städte'') are indicated in boldface; market towns (''Marktgemeinden'') in ''italics''; suburbs, hamlets and other subdivisions of a municipality a ...
(VL) ** Administrative seat:
Villach Villach (; sl, Beljak; it, Villaco; fur, Vilac) is the seventh-largest city in Austria and the second-largest in the federal state of Carinthia. It is an important traffic junction for southern Austria and the whole Alpe-Adria region. , the p ...
(not part of the district) ** Market towns:
Arnoldstein Arnoldstein ( sl, Podklošter, it, Oristagno) is a market town in the district of Villach-Land in the Austrian state of Carinthia. Geography Location Arnoldstein is located at Austria's southern border between the Carnic Alps and the Karawan ...
Bad Bleiberg Bad Bleiberg ( sl, Plajberk pri Beljaku) is a market town in the district of Villach-Land, in Carinthia, Austria. Originally a mining area, especially for lead (german: Blei), Bad Bleiberg today due to its hot springs is a spa town. Geography B ...
Finkenstein am Faaker See Finkenstein am Faaker See ( sl, Bekštanj) is a market town in the district of Villach-Land in Carinthia (state), Carinthia, Austria. Geography It is located south of Villach and the Drava River, on the northern slope of the Karawanks with Mt. Mi ...
Nötsch im Gailtal Nötsch im Gailtal ( sl, Čajna) is a market town in the district of Villach-Land in the Austrian state of Carinthia. Geography Located west of Villach, the municipal area stretches along the lower Gail valley in southern Carinthia at the foot ...
Paternion Paternion ( sl, Špaterjan) is a market town in the district of Villach-Land in the Austrian state of Carinthia. It is located within the Drava valley about in the north-west of the city of Villach. Geography Paternion is subdivided into six Ka ...
Rosegg Rosegg ( sl, Rožek) is a town in the district of Villach-Land in Carinthia in Austria. Neighboring municipalities Personalities It is the birthplace of the painter Peter Markovič, after whom the local Slovene cultural association is named. L ...
Sankt Jakob im Rosental Sankt Jakob im Rosental ( sl, Šentjakob v Rožu) is a town in the district of Villach-Land in the Austrian state of Carinthia. Geography The municipality borders on Slovenia in the south, and the northern boundary is formed by the Drau River. I ...
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 ...
Velden am Wörther See Velden am Wörthersee ( Slovene: ''Vrba na Koroškem'') is a market town in Villach-Land District, in the Austrian state of Carinthia. Situated on the western shore of the Wörthersee lake, it is one of the country's most popular holiday resorts. ...
Weißenstein ** Municipalities:
Afritz am See Afritz am See ( sl, Zobrce) is a municipality in Villach-Land District in the Austrian state of Carinthia. Name The name ''Afritz'' is ultimately derived from the Slovene prepositional phrase ''za brdce'' 'behind the small hill'. The Slovene phra ...
Arriach Arriach ( sl, Arjoh) is a municipality in the district of Villach-Land in the Austrian state of Carinthia. Geography Situated within the Nock Mountains range of the Gurktal Alps, about north of the city of Villach, Arriach houses the geographica ...
Feistritz an der Gail Feistritz an der Gail ( sl, Bistrica na Zilji), often referred to as simply Feistritz (), is a town in the district of Villach-Land in Carinthia (state), Carinthia in Austria. It is close to the borders with both Italy and Slovenia. The Black Fore ...
Feld am See Feld is a surname of German origin. The name means "field" in English. * Feld Entertainment, entertainment company formed by Israel and Irvin Feld People * A. Spencer Feld (1891–1987), New York politician * Bernard T. Feld (1919–1993), Amer ...
Ferndorf
Fresach Fresach ( sl, Brežnje) is a municipality in Villach-Land District, in the Austrian state of Carinthia. Geography The municipal area lies within the Nock Mountains (Mirnock massif) north of the Drava Valley. In the southwest, the Drava River f ...
HohenthurnStockenboi
Wernberg Wernberg ( sl, Vernberk) is a municipality in the district of Villach-Land in the Austrian state of Carinthia. Geography Wernberg lies on the Drava River at the foot of the Ossiach Tauern range, east of Villach, and between Lake Ossiach on the no ...
*
Völkermarkt Völkermarkt (; sl, Velikovec) is a town of about 11,000 inhabitants in the Austrian state of Carinthia, the administrative capital of Völkermarkt District. It is located within the Drava valley east of the Carinthian capital Klagenfurt, north ...
(VK) ** Administrative seat:
Völkermarkt Völkermarkt (; sl, Velikovec) is a town of about 11,000 inhabitants in the Austrian state of Carinthia, the administrative capital of Völkermarkt District. It is located within the Drava valley east of the Carinthian capital Klagenfurt, north ...
** Town:
Bleiburg Bleiburg ( sl, Pliberk) is a small town in the south Austrian state of Carinthia (''Koroška''), south-east of Klagenfurt, in the district of Völkermarkt, some four kilometres (2.5 miles) from the border with Slovenia. The municipality consists ...
** Market towns:
Eberndorf Eberndorf ( sl, Dobrla vas, archaically ''Dobrla ves'') is a market town of the Völkermarkt District in Carinthia, Austria. Geography It is the main settlement in the Jaun (''Podjuna'') Valley of the Drava River, east of the Carinthian capita ...
Eisenkappel-Vellach Eisenkappel-Vellach ( sl, Železna Kapla-Bela) is a market town in the Völkermarkt District in the Austrian state of Carinthia. The spa town is the southernmost municipality of Austria, close to the border with Slovenia. Geography The municipal ...
Feistritz ob BleiburgGriffen ** Municipalities:
Diex Diex (; sl, Djekše) is a town in the district of Völkermarkt in Austrian state of Carinthia Carinthia (german: Kärnten ; sl, Koroška ) is the southernmost Austrian state, in the Eastern Alps, and is noted for its mountains and lakes. ...
Gallizien Gallizien (; sl, Galicija) is a town in the district of Völkermarkt in the 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 i ...
Globasnitz Globasnitz ( Slovene: ''Globasnica'') is a town in the district of Völkermarkt in the Austrian state of Carinthia. Population A considerable percentage (42.1%) of the population are Carinthian Slovenes, and Slovene is a second official language ...
NeuhausRuden
Sankt Kanzian am Klopeiner See Sankt Kanzian am Klopeiner See ( sl, Škocjan v Podjuni) is a municipality in the district of Völkermarkt in the Austrian state of Carinthia. Geography Sankt Kanzian lies in the Jaun valley south of the Völkermarkt Reservoir about 7 km fro ...
Sittersdorf Sittersdorf ( sl, Žitara vas) is a town in the district of Völkermarkt in Carinthia in south-central Austria. Geography Sittersdorf lies about 10 km as the crow flies from the Slovenian border. The Vellach and the Suchabach flow through it. The ...
* Wolfsberg (WO) ** Administrative seat: Wolfsberg ** Towns:
Bad Sankt Leonhard im Lavanttal Bad Sankt Leonhard im Lavanttal ( sl, Sveti Lenart v Labotu) is a spa town in the district of Wolfsberg in the Austrian state of Carinthia. Geography The municipality lies in the upper Lavant valley (''Lavanttal'') north of the district capita ...
Sankt Andrä ) is a town in the district of Wolfsberg in Carinthia in Austria. It is named after Saint Andrew. Landmarks The main church is the former Saint Andrew's Cathedral, until 1829 the bishop's seat of the Diocese of Lavant The Diocese of Lavant(tal) ...
** Market towns:
Frantschach-Sankt Gertraud Frantschach-Sankt Gertraud is a town in the district of Wolfsberg in the 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 ...
Lavamünd Lavamünd ( sl, Labot) is a market town in the district of Wolfsberg in the Austrian state of Carinthia. The Lavamünd hydroelectric power plant on the Drava River and the Koralpe power plant are located in or near Lavamünd. Geography Lavam ...
Reichenfels Reichenfels is a town in the district of Wolfsberg in the Austrian state of Carinthia. Geography Reichenfels lies in the upper Lavant River valley between the Packalp and the Seetal Alps on the boundary with Styria. Neighbouring municipalities ...
Sankt Paul im Lavanttal Sankt Paul im Lavanttal ( or ''Šentpavel'') is a municipality of the Wolfsberg district in the Austrian state of Carinthia. Geography Sankt Paul lies in the Lavant River valley. A large part of the municipality lies in the Granitz River va ...
** Municipalities: Preitenegg • Sankt Georgen im Lavanttal


Politics

The state assembly ''Kärntner Landtag'', ("Carinthian State Diet"), is a unicameralism, unicameral legislature. Its 36 members are elected from Party-list proportional representation, party lists according to the principle of proportional representation and serve five-year terms, with elections held every five years. Austrian nationals over the age of 16 residing in Carinthia are eligible to vote. The ''Landtag'' has a Election threshold, threshold of 5%. The current legislative period is the 30th since the first Carinthian elections on 6 April 1861. The most recent election, the 2018 Carinthian state election, were held on 5 March 2018. The Social Democratic Party of Austria, SPÖ, the party of the incumbent governor Peter Kaiser, almost reached the absolute majority of seats in the state assembly. This makes Carinthia one of Austria's most left-leaning regions. The legislature also elects the state government, composed of a minister-president, whose ancient title is ''Landeshauptmann'' ("State Captain"), his two deputies and further four ''Landesräte'' ministers. The members of the Cabinet (government), cabinet form an all-party government elected under a system of proportional representation based on the number of representatives of the political parties in the ''Landtag''. The incumbent ''Landeshauptmann'' is Peter Kaiser (SPÖ).


Economy

The Gross domestic product (GDP) of the state was 20.9 billion € in 2018, accounting for 5.4% of the Austria's economic output. GDP per capita adjusted for purchasing power was 33,000 € or 110% of the EU27 average in the same year.


Language

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) ** Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ge ...
is the official language. The people are predominantly German-speaking with a unique (and easily recognizable) Southern Austro-Bavarian dialect typical of which is that all short German vowels before double consonants have been lengthened ("Carinthian vowel stretching"). A Slovene-speaking minority, known as the Carinthian Slovenes, is concentrated in the southern and southeastern parts of the state. Its size cannot be determined precisely because the representatives of the ethnic group reject a count. Recommendations for a boycott of the 2001 census, which asked for the language used in everyday communication, reduced the count of Slovene speakers to 12,554 people, 2.38% of a total population of 527,333.


Tourist attractions

Major sights include the cities of
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 ...
and
Villach Villach (; sl, Beljak; it, Villaco; fur, Vilac) is the seventh-largest city in Austria and the second-largest in the federal state of Carinthia. It is an important traffic junction for southern Austria and the whole Alpe-Adria region. , the p ...
and medieval towns like
Friesach Friesach ( sl, Breže) is a historic town in the Sankt Veit an der Glan (district), Sankt Veit an der Glan district of Carinthia (state), Carinthia, Austria. First mentioned in an 860 deed, it is known as the oldest town in Carinthia. Geography ...
or Gmünd. Carinthia features numerous monasteries and churches such as the Romanesque Gurk Cathedral or
Maria Saal Maria Saal ( sl, Gospa Sveta) is a market town in the district of Klagenfurt-Land in the Austrian state of Carinthia. It is located in the east of the historic Zollfeld plain (''Gosposvetsko polje''), the wide valley of the Glan river. The muni ...
in the Zollfeld plain, the abbeys of St. Paul's Abbey in the Lavanttal, St. Paul's, Ossiach Abbey, Ossiach, Millstatt Abbey, Millstatt, and Viktring Abbey, Viktring as well as castles and palaces like large-scale Hochosterwitz Castle, Hochosterwitz, Burgruine Griffen, Griffen, or Schloss Porcia, Porcia. Scenic highlights are the main bathing lakes
Wörthersee Wörthersee (; Slovene: ''Vrbsko jezero'', en, Lake WörthTesch, F. W. 1977. ''The Eel: Biology and Management of Anguillid Eels''. Transl. Jennifer Greenwood. London: Chapman and Hall, p. 195.) is a lake in the southern Austrian state of Carin ...
,
Millstätter See Lake Millstatt (german: Millstätter See, sometimes written "Millstättersee") is a lake in Carinthia, Austria. Geography It is situated at 588 metres above the Adriatic (1,929 ft), north of the Drava Valley within the Gurktal Alps (Nock Moun ...
, Lake Ossiach, Ossiacher See and Faaker See as well as a variety of smaller lakes and ponds. In winter Carinthia offers ski resorts such as the Nassfeld near Hermagor, Gerlitzen mountain,
Bad Kleinkirchheim Bad Kleinkirchheim is a municipality and spa town in the district of Spittal an der Drau, in Carinthia, Austria. Until the middle of the 20th century, agriculture was the dominant focus, but it is now a renowned spa and ski resort. Although recor ...
,
Flattach Flattach ( sl, Blato) is a municipality in Spittal an der Drau District in the Austrian state of Carinthia. Geography It is located in the valley of the Möll, a left tributary to the Drava, between the Goldberg and the Kreuzeck groups of the ...
, and Heiligenblut at Austria's highest mountain, the
Grossglockner The Grossglockner (german: Großglockner ; or just ''Glockner'') is, at 3,798 metres above the Adriatic (12,461 ft), the highest mountain in Austria and the highest mountain in the Alps east of the Brenner Pass. It is part of the larger Glo ...
as well as the Hohe Tauern and Nock Mountains national parks for all kind of alpine sports and mountaineering.


Notable people


Born in Carinthia

* Arnulf of Carinthia, Holy Roman Emperor, born about 850, grew up in
Moosburg Moosburg an der Isar (Central Bavarian: ''Mooschbuag on da Isa'') is a town in the ''Landkreis'' Freising of Bavaria, Germany. The oldest town between Regensburg and Italy, it lies on the river Isar at an altitude of 421 m (1381 ft). ...
, died December 8, 899 in Regensburg. * Pope Gregory V (né Bruno of Carinthia), born about 972, place unknown, died February 18, 999, in Rome. * Saint Hemma of Gurk, born about 980, probably at Zeltschach,
Friesach Friesach ( sl, Breže) is a historic town in the Sankt Veit an der Glan (district), Sankt Veit an der Glan district of Carinthia (state), Carinthia, Austria. First mentioned in an 860 deed, it is known as the oldest town in Carinthia. Geography ...
, died June 27, 1045, in Gurk (town), Gurk. * Heinrich von dem Tuerlin, minstrel and epic poet, early 13th century, probably born at Sankt Veit an der Glan. * Ulrich von dem Türlin, 13th century epic poet, probably born at St. Veit an der Glan. * Henry I of Bohemia, Henry of Carinthia, king of Kingdom of Bohemia, Bohemia ''(Jindřich Korutanský)'' and titular king of Kingdom of Poland (1025–1385), Poland, born about 1265, died April 2, 1335 at Castle Tyrol. * Josef Stefan, physicist, born March 24, 1835, in the vicinity of
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 ...
, died January 7, 1893, in Vienna. * Thomas Koschat, composer and bass singer, born August 8, 1845, in
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 ...
. * Robert Musil, author, born November 6, 1880, in Klagenfurt, died April 15, 1942, in Geneva. * Anton Wiegele, painter, born February 23, 1887, at
Nötsch im Gailtal Nötsch im Gailtal ( sl, Čajna) is a market town in the district of Villach-Land in the Austrian state of Carinthia. Geography Located west of Villach, the municipal area stretches along the lower Gail valley in southern Carinthia at the foot ...
, died December 17, 1944, at Nötsch im Gailtal. * Herbert Boeckl, painter, born June 3, 1894, in Klagenfurt, died January 20, 1966, in Vienna. * Rudolf Kattnigg, composer, born April 9, 1895, in
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 ...
, died September 2, 1955, in Vienna. * Josef Klaus, politician, born August 15, 1910, at
Kötschach-Mauthen Kötschach-Mauthen ( sl, Koča-Muta) is a market town in the district of Hermagor in Carinthia in Austria. Geography The municipality lies in the west of Hermagor at the transition of the upper Gail Valley into the Lesachtal, between the Gai ...
, died July 25, 2001, in Vienna. * Heinrich Harrer, mountaineer and ethnographer, born July 6, 1912, at Obergossen,
Hüttenberg Hüttenberg is a municipality in the Lahn-Dill-Kreis in Hesse, Germany. Geography Location Hüttenberg lies about 6 km southeast of Wetzlar and 10 km southwest of Giessen south of the river Lahn. Neighbouring communities Hüttenberg b ...
, died January 7, 2006, at
Friesach Friesach ( sl, Breže) is a historic town in the Sankt Veit an der Glan (district), Sankt Veit an der Glan district of Carinthia (state), Carinthia, Austria. First mentioned in an 860 deed, it is known as the oldest town in Carinthia. Geography ...
. * Christine Lavant, poet, born July 4, 1915, in Großedling, Wolfsberg, died June 7, 1973, at Wolfsberg. * Maria Lassnig, painter, born September 9, 1919, in
Kappel am Krappfeld Kappel am Krappfeld ( sl, Kapela na Grobniškem polju) is a town in the district of Sankt Veit an der Glan in the Austrian state of Carinthia. It is the birthplace of Maria Lassnig. Geography Kappel lies about 25 km northeast of Klagenfurt ...
. *Kathrin Glock, entrepreneur, born November 26, 1980, in Carinthia. * Paul Watzlawick, psychologist, born July 25, 1921, in
Villach Villach (; sl, Beljak; it, Villaco; fur, Vilac) is the seventh-largest city in Austria and the second-largest in the federal state of Carinthia. It is an important traffic junction for southern Austria and the whole Alpe-Adria region. , the p ...
, died March 31, 2007, in Palo Alto. * Felix Ermacora, specialist in international law, born October 13, 1923, in
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 ...
, died February 24, 1995, in Vienna. * Ingeborg Bachmann, poet and writer, born June 25, 1926, in Klagenfurt, died October 17, 1973, in Rome. * Gerhard Lampersberg, composer, born July 5, 1928, at Hermagor, died May 29, 2002, in Klagenfurt. * Günther Domenig, architect, born July 6, 1934, in Klagenfurt, died 15 June 2012. * Udo Jürgens, singer and composer, born September 30, 1934, in Klagenfurt, died December 21, 2014 in Münsterlingen, Switzerland. * Kiki Kogelnik, painter, born January 22, 1935, at
Bleiburg Bleiburg ( sl, Pliberk) is a small town in the south Austrian state of Carinthia (''Koroška''), south-east of Klagenfurt, in the district of Völkermarkt, some four kilometres (2.5 miles) from the border with Slovenia. The municipality consists ...
, died February 1, 1997, in Vienna. * Bruno Gironcoli, sculptor, born September 27, 1936, at
Villach Villach (; sl, Beljak; it, Villaco; fur, Vilac) is the seventh-largest city in Austria and the second-largest in the federal state of Carinthia. It is an important traffic junction for southern Austria and the whole Alpe-Adria region. , the p ...
, died February 19, 2010, in Vienna. * Engelbert Obernosterer, writer, born December 28, 1936, at Sankt Lorenzen,
Lesachtal Lesachtal ( sl, Lesna dolina) is a municipality in Hermagor District, in the Austrian state of Carinthia. It comprises the western part of the eponymous valley formed by the upper Gail River, and stretches from the Carinthian border with East Tyr ...
. * Dagmar Koller, actress and singer, born August 26, 1939, in Klagenfurt. * Peter Handke, playwright and writer, born December 6, 1942, at Griffen. * Arnulf Komposch, mirror artist, born 1942 in Klagenfurt. * Peter Turrini, playwright, born September 26, 1944, at St. Margarethen im Lavanttal, Wolfsberg, Austria, Wolfsberg. * Gert Jonke, playwright, born February 8, 1946 in Klagenfurt, died January 4, 2009. * Werner Kofler, writer, born July 23, 1947, in Villach. * Wolfgang Petritsch, diplomat, born August 26, 1947, in Klagenfurt. * Erik Schinegger, intersexed alpine skier, born June 19, 1948, at Agsdorf,
Sankt Urban Sankt Urban ( sl, Sveti Urban ) is a town in the district of Feldkirchen in the Austrian state of Carinthia Carinthia (german: Kärnten ; sl, Koroška ) is the southernmost Austrian state, in the Eastern Alps, and is noted for its mountai ...
. * Wolfgang Puck, celebrity chef, born July 8, 1949, in Sankt Veit an der Glan. * Josef Winkler (writer), Josef Winkler, writer, born March 3, 1953, in Kamering. * Franz Klammer, alpine skier, born December 3, 1953, at Mooswald,
Fresach Fresach ( sl, Brežnje) is a municipality in Villach-Land District, in the Austrian state of Carinthia. Geography The municipal area lies within the Nock Mountains (Mirnock massif) north of the Drava Valley. In the southwest, the Drava River f ...
. * Markus Müller (physician), Markus Müller, pharmacologist and rector of the Medical University of Vienna, born August 23, 1967, in Klagenfurt. * Patrick Friesacher, Formula one driver, born September 26, 1980 in Wolfsberg.


Died in Carinthia

* Modestus, missionary, born about 720 in Ireland, died about 772 probably in
Maria Saal Maria Saal ( sl, Gospa Sveta) is a market town in the district of Klagenfurt-Land in the Austrian state of Carinthia. It is located in the east of the historic Zollfeld plain (''Gosposvetsko polje''), the wide valley of the Glan river. The muni ...
. * Bolesław II the Bold, king of Kingdom of Poland (1025–1385), Poland, born about 1042; according to legend, died in Ossiach March 22, 1081 (?). * Carl Auer von Welsbach, chemist and inventor, born September 1, 1858, in Vienna, died August 4, 1929, in Möbling. * Anton Kolig, painter, born July 1, 1886, at Neutitschein (today Nový Jičín, Czech Republic), died May 17, 1950, in Nötsch im Gailtal. * Werner Berg, painter, born April 4, 1911, in Elberfeld, now Wuppertal, Germany, died September 7, 1981, in Sankt Veit im Jauntal,
Sankt Kanzian am Klopeiner See Sankt Kanzian am Klopeiner See ( sl, Škocjan v Podjuni) is a municipality in the district of Völkermarkt in the Austrian state of Carinthia. Geography Sankt Kanzian lies in the Jaun valley south of the Völkermarkt Reservoir about 7 km fro ...
. * Milivoj Ašner, born April 21, 1913, in Daruvar, Croatia, died 14 June 2011, accused Ustaše war criminal.


See also

* Slovenian Carinthia * Carinthia (statistical region in Slovenia) *
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 ...
* Carinthian Slovenes *Slovene field and house names in Carinthia


References


Notes


External links


Official website of the Carinthian government (in German)

Carinthia Travel Guide

Kaernten.at, Tourism information, 360° Panoramas, Webcams and much more (in English, German, Italian, Dutch, and other languages)



Carinthia Events
{{DEFAULTSORT:Carinthia (State) States of Austria Carinthia (state), NUTS 2 statistical regions of the European Union