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, the business of attracting, accommodating, and entertaining tourists, and the business of operating tours. The World Tourism Organization defines tourism mor ...
,
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 principles to design and build machines, structures, and other items, including bridges, tunnels, roads, vehicles, and buildings. The discipline of engineering encompasses a broad range of more speciali ...
,
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. ...
, 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 t ...
.
Name
![Heiligenblut am Großglockner (1)](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/b7/Heiligenblut_am_Gro%C3%9Fglockner_%281%29.JPG)
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 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 unattested, reconstructed proto-language of all Slavic languages. It represents Slavic speech approximately from the 2nd millennium B.C. through the 6th ...
''*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
![Austria Carinthia relief location map](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/b7/Austria_Carinthia_relief_location_map.svg)
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) 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= Austro-Bavarian) is the fourth-largest city in Austria. In 2020, it had a population of 156,872.
The town is on the site of the Roman settlement of ''Iuvavum''. Salzburg was founded ...
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 are a major tourist attraction.
![Faaker See and Mittagskogel](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/c2/Faaker_See_and_Mittagskogel.png)
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,
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 ...
,
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 ...
. 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 some ...
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 wo ...
, 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 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 era. Archaeological findings of stone artifacts in a stalactite cave near
Griffen are older than 30,000 years; larger settlements in the
Lavanttal,
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. 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
![Anonymous Youth of Magdalensberg 03](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/08/Anonymous_Youth_of_Magdalensberg_03.JPG)
About 300 BC, several
Illyrian and
Celtic tribes joined together in the
Kingdom of Noricum, centered on the capital
Noreia, 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 Mediter ...
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) arose as centres of Roman culture. The Noricum
province
A province is almost always an administrative division within a country or state. The term derives from the ancient Roman '' provincia'', which was the major territorial and administrative unit of the Roman Empire's territorial possessions ou ...
remained strategically important as a mining area for iron, gold and lead and as an agricultural region. In the reign of the Emperor
Diocletian (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.
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 Sardinia was proclaimed King of Italy, until 1946, when civil discontent led to an institutional referendum to abandon the monarchy and f ...
in 476 and of the
Ostrogothic Kingdom
The Ostrogothic Kingdom, officially the Kingdom of Italy (), existed under the control of the Germanic Ostrogoths in Italy and neighbouring areas from 493 to 553.
In Italy, the Ostrogoths led by Theodoric the Great killed and replaced Odoacer, ...
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 ''renova ...
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 for the second time by missionaries from the
Salzburg diocese. Bishop
Vergilius 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 ...
, 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 ...
. 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 political entity in Western, Central, and Southern Europe that developed during the Early Middle Ages and continued until its dissolution in 1806 during the Napoleonic Wars.
From the accession of Otto I in 962 ...
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 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
![Obermillstatt 16 2006](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/c3/Obermillstatt_16_2006.JPG)
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". 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 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
![Koettmannsdorf Unterschlossberg Stausee und Strassenbruecke 03032015 0234](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/f0/Koettmannsdorf_Unterschlossberg_Stausee_und_Strassenbruecke_03032015_0234.jpg)
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 ...
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 at the
Paris Peace Conference.
An Allied Commission headed by U.S. Lt.Col.
Sherman Miles 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 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 i ...
—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 and Central Europe that existed from 1918 until 1941. From 1918 ...
): 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 ...
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
![Flag of Carinthia (state)](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/84/Flag_of_Carinthia_%28state%29.svg)
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, Swi ...
through the
Austrian Alpine Club in the 1920s. It was, however, hard hit by the
Great Depression 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 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 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 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 List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, ...
.
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 ...
•
Ossiach •
Reichenau •
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:
Ebenthal •
Feistritz 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:
Brückl •
Eberstein •
Gurk •
Guttaring •
Hüttenberg •
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 Gu ...
*
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 ...
(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 ...
** 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 ...
•
Großkirchheim •
Heiligenblut am Großglockner •
Irschen •
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 •
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 •
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 ...
•
Hohenthurn •
Stockenboi •
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 •
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 Bleiburg •
Griffen
** 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 •
Globasnitz •
Neuhaus •
Ruden •
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 •
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 •
Lavamünd •
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
** Municipalities:
Preitenegg •
Sankt Georgen im Lavanttal
Politics
![Klagenfurt Landhaus 25042009 31](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/5f/Klagenfurt_Landhaus_25042009_31.jpg)
The state assembly ''Kärntner
Landtag
A Landtag (State Diet) is generally the legislative assembly or parliament of a federated state or other subnational self-governing entity in German-speaking nations. It is usually a unicameral assembly exercising legislative competence in non ...
'', ("Carinthian State Diet"), is a
unicameral
Unicameralism (from ''uni''- "one" + Latin ''camera'' "chamber") is a type of legislature, which consists of one house or assembly, that legislates and votes as one.
Unicameral legislatures exist when there is no widely perceived need for multi ...
legislature
A legislature is an assembly with the authority to make law
Law is a set of rules that are created and are enforceable by social or governmental institutions to regulate behavior,Robertson, ''Crimes against humanity'', 90. with its p ...
. Its 36 members are elected from
party lists according to the principle of
proportional representation
Proportional representation (PR) refers to a type of electoral system under which subgroups of an electorate are reflected proportionately in the elected body. The concept applies mainly to geographical (e.g. states, regions) and political divis ...
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
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
SPÖ
The Social Democratic Party of Austria (german: Sozialdemokratische Partei Österreichs , SPÖ), founded and known as the Social Democratic Workers' Party of Austria (german: link=no, Sozialdemokratische Arbeiterpartei Österreichs, SDAPÖ) unti ...
, the party of the incumbent governor
Peter Kaiser
Peter Kaiser (born 4 December 1958) is an Austrian politician of the Social Democratic Party. Since March 2013 he is governor of Carinthia and since March 2010 also chairman of the SPÖ Carinthia.
Education
From 1978 to 1987 Kaiser worked as ...
, 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
A minister-president or minister president is the head of government in a number of European countries or subnational governments with a parliamentary or semi-presidential system of government where they preside over the council of ministers. I ...
, whose ancient title is ''
Landeshauptmann'' ("State Captain"), his two deputies and further four ''Landesräte'' ministers. The members of the
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
Gross domestic product (GDP) is a monetary measure of the market value of all the final goods and services produced and sold (not resold) in a specific time period by countries. Due to its complex and subjective nature this measure is oft ...
(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
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 ...
dialect
The term dialect (from Latin , , from the Ancient Greek word , 'discourse', from , 'through' and , 'I speak') can refer to either of two distinctly different types of linguistic phenomena:
One usage refers to a variety of a language that is a ...
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
Carinthian Slovenes or Carinthian Slovenians ( sl, Koroški Slovenci; german: Kärntner Slowenen) are the indigenous minority of Slovene ethnicity, living within borders of the Austrian state of Carinthia, neighboring Slovenia. Their status of ...
, 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
![Gurk Cathedral](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/c1/Gurk_Cathedral.jpg)
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
Gurk Cathedral (german: Dom zu Gurk, officially ''Pfarr- und ehemalige Domkirche Mariae Himmelfahrt'', sl, Bazilika v Krki) is a Romanesque pillar basilica in Gurk, in the Austrian state of Carinthia. The former cathedral and current co-cathed ...
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
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 ...
, the abbeys of
St. Paul's,
Ossiach,
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 ...
, and
Viktring as well as castles and palaces like large-scale
Hochosterwitz,
Griffen, or
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 ...
,
Ossiacher See and
Faaker See as well as a variety of smaller lakes and ponds. In winter Carinthia offers
ski resort
A ski resort is a resort developed for skiing, snowboarding, and other winter sports. In Europe, most ski resorts are towns or villages in or adjacent to a ski area – a mountainous area with pistes (ski trails) and a ski lift system. In Nort ...
s 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
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 ...
and
Nock Mountains
The Nock Mountains (german: Nockberge or ''Nockgebirge'') are the westernmost and highest mountain range of the Gurktal Alps in Austria, spread over parts of the federal states of Carinthia, Salzburg and Styria. Their appearance is characterised ...
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
, established_title = Founded
, established_date = 753 BC
, founder = King Romulus (legendary)
, image_map = Map of comune of Rome (metropolitan city of Capital Rome, region Lazio, Italy).svg
, map_caption ...
.
* Saint
Hemma of Gurk
Hemma of Gurk (german: Hemma von Gurk; 27 June 1045),29 June according t also called Emma of Gurk ( sl, Ema Krška), was a noblewoman and founder of several churches and monasteries in the Duchy of Carinthia. Buried at Gurk Cathedral since 1174 ...
, 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.
*
Heinrich von dem Tuerlin Heinrich may refer to:
People
* Heinrich (given name), a given name (including a list of people with the name)
* Heinrich (surname), a surname (including a list of people with the name)
*Hetty (given name), a given name (including a list of peo ...
,
minstrel
A minstrel was an entertainer, initially in medieval Europe. It originally described any type of entertainer such as a musician, juggler, acrobat, singer or fool; later, from the sixteenth century, it came to mean a specialist entertainer ...
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 of Carinthia
Henry of Gorizia (german: Heinrich, cs, Jindřich; – 2 April 1335), a member of the House of Gorizia, was Duke of Carinthia and Landgrave of Carniola (as Henry VI) and Count of Tyrol from 1295 until his death, as well as King of Bohemia, Ma ...
, king of
Bohemia ''(Jindřich Korutanský)'' and titular king of
Poland
Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It is divided into 16 administrative provinces called voivodeships, covering an area of . Poland has a population of over 38 million and is the fifth-most populou ...
, born about 1265, died April 2, 1335 at
Castle Tyrol
Tyrol Castle, less commonly Tirol Castle (german: Schloss Tirol, it, Castel Tirolo) is a castle in the ''comune'' (municipality) of Tirol near Merano, in the Burggrafenamt district of South Tyrol, Italy. It was the ancestral seat of the Counts ...
.
*
Josef Stefan
Josef Stefan ( sl, Jožef Štefan; 24 March 1835 – 7 January 1893) was an ethnic Carinthian Slovene physicist, mathematician, and poet of the Austrian Empire.
Life and work
Stefan was born in an outskirt village of St. Peter (Slovene: ; to ...
, 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
en, Viennese
, iso_code = AT-9
, registration_plate = W
, postal_code_type = Postal code
, postal_code =
, timezone = CET
, utc_offset = +1
, timezone_DST ...
.
*
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
, neighboring_municipalities= Carouge, Chêne-Bougeries, Cologny, Lancy, Grand-Saconnex, Pregny-Chambésy, Vernier, Veyrier
, website = https://www.geneve.ch/
Geneva ( ; french: Genève ) frp, Genèva ; german: link=no, Genf ; it, Ginevr ...
.
* 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
Heinrich Harrer (; 6 July 1912 – 7 January 2006) was an Austrian mountaineer, sportsman, geographer, ''Oberscharführer'' in the ''Schutzstaffel'' (SS), and author. He was a member of the four-man climbing team that made the first ascent of th ...
, mountaineer and ethnographer, born July 6, 1912, at Obergossen,
Hüttenberg, 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
Christine Lavant (born Christine Thonhauser, mar. Christine Habernig; 4 July 1915 – 7 June 1973) was an Austrian poet and novelist.
Life
Lavant was born in the hamlet of Großedling (today part of Wolfsberg) in the Lavant Valley, Cari ...
, poet, born July 4, 1915, in Großedling,
Wolfsberg, died June 7, 1973, at Wolfsberg.
*
Maria Lassnig
Maria Lassnig (8 September 1919 – 6 May 2014) was an Austrian artist known for her painted self-portraits and her theory of "body awareness".Attias, Lauri''Maria Lassnig'', ''Frieze'', May 1996. She was the first female artist to win the Gran ...
, 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
Paul Watzlawick (July 25, 1921 – March 31, 2007) was an Austrian-American family therapist, psychologist, communication theorist, and philosopher. A theoretician in communication theory and radical constructivism, he commented in the fields ...
,
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
Palo Alto (; Spanish for "tall stick") is a charter city in the northwestern corner of Santa Clara County, California, United States, in the San Francisco Bay Area, named after a coastal redwood tree known as El Palo Alto.
The city was es ...
.
*
Felix Ermacora
Felix Ermacora (13 October 1923 – 24 February 1995) was a leading human rights expert of Austria and a member of the Austrian People's Party.
Biography
In his youth, Ermacora served in the army of Nazi Germany at the rank of private.
He wa ...
, 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
en, Viennese
, iso_code = AT-9
, registration_plate = W
, postal_code_type = Postal code
, postal_code =
, timezone = CET
, utc_offset = +1
, timezone_DST ...
.
*
Ingeborg Bachmann
Ingeborg Bachmann (25 June 1926 – 17 October 1973) was an Austrian poet and author.
Biography
Bachmann was born in Klagenfurt, in the Austrian state of Carinthia, the daughter of Olga (née Haas) and Matthias Bachmann, a schoolteacher. Her f ...
, 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
Günther Domenig (6 July 1934 – 15 June 2012) was an Austrian architect.
Domenig was born in Klagenfurt, and studied architecture at the Graz University of Technology (1953–1959). After working as an architectural assistant, he set u ...
, architect, born July 6, 1934, in Klagenfurt, died 15 June 2012.
*
Udo Jürgens
Udo Jürgens (born Jürgen Udo Bockelmann; 30 September 1934 – 21 December 2014) was an Austrian composer and singer of popular music whose career spanned over 50 years. He won the Eurovision Song Contest 1966 for Austria, composed close ...
, 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
Dagmar Koller (born 26 August 1939) is an Austrian actress and singer.
Born in Klagenfurt, she is recognized as the leading German language musical star of her time. She married Austrian journalist and politician, Helmut Zilk, in 1978, and bec ...
, actress and singer, born August 26, 1939, in Klagenfurt.
*
Peter Handke
Peter Handke (; born 6 December 1942) is an Austrian novelist, playwright, translator, poet, film director, and screenwriter. He was awarded the 2019 Nobel Prize in Literature "for an influential work that with linguistic ingenuity has explored t ...
, playwright and writer, born December 6, 1942, at
Griffen.
* Arnulf Komposch, mirror artist, born 1942 in Klagenfurt.
*
Peter Turrini
Peter Turrini (born 26 September 1944 in Wolfsberg, Carinthia) is an Austrian playwright known for his socio-critical work and earlier folk-dramas.
Born in Carinthia, Turrini has been writing since 1971, when his play ''Rozznjogd'' premiered at ...
, playwright, born September 26, 1944, at St. Margarethen im Lavanttal,
Wolfsberg.
*
Gert Jonke
Gert Jonke (8 February 1946 – 4 January 2009) was an Austrian poet, playwright and novelist.
Life
Jonke was born and educated in Klagenfurt, Austria. He attended the Gymnasium (university preparatory school) and the Conservatory. After h ...
, 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
Erik Schinegger (born 19 June 1948) is an Austrian intersex skier. He was the women's downhill ski world champion in 1966, at which time he was recognized as female and known as Erika Schinegger.
Biography
Schinegger was born in Agsdorf, Carint ...
, 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
Wolfgang Johannes Puck (born July 8, 1949) is an Austrian-American chef and restaurateur.
Early life and career
Puck was born in Sankt Veit an der Glan, Austria. He learned cooking from his mother, who was a pastry chef. He took the surname ...
, celebrity chef, born July 8, 1949, in
Sankt Veit an der Glan.
*
Josef Winkler, writer, born March 3, 1953, in Kamering.
*
Franz Klammer
Franz Klammer (born 3 December 1953) is a former champion alpine ski racer from Austria. Klammer dominated the downhill event for four consecutive World Cup seasons (1975– 78). He was the gold medalist at the 1976 Winter Olympics in Innsb ...
, 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, pharmacologist and rector of the
Medical University of Vienna, born August 23, 1967, in Klagenfurt.
*
Patrick Friesacher
Patrick Friesacher (born 26 September 1980) is an Austrian racing driver. He is the longest-serving Red Bull driver, and also drove for the Minardi Formula One team during the first half of the 2005 season.
After his departure from Formula One, ...
, Formula one driver, born September 26, 1980 in
Wolfsberg.
Died in Carinthia
*
Modestus, missionary, born about 720 in
Ireland
Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel (Grea ...
, 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
Poland
Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It is divided into 16 administrative provinces called voivodeships, covering an area of . Poland has a population of over 38 million and is the fifth-most populou ...
, born about 1042; according to legend, died in
Ossiach March 22, 1081 (?).
*
Carl Auer von Welsbach
Carl Auer von Welsbach (1 September 1858 – 4 August 1929), who received the Austrian noble title of Freiherr Auer von Welsbach in 1901, was an Austrian scientist and inventor, who separated didymium into the elements neodymium and praseo ...
, 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
Nový Jičín (; german: Neutitschein) is a town in the Moravian-Silesian Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 23,000 inhabitants. The historic centre of Nový Jičín is well preserved and is protected by law as an Cultural monument (Czech R ...
, Czech Republic), died May 17, 1950, in Nötsch im Gailtal.
* Werner Berg, painter, born April 4, 1911, in
Elberfeld
Elberfeld is a municipal subdivision of the German city of Wuppertal; it was an independent town until 1929.
History
The first official mentioning of the geographic area on the banks of today's Wupper River as "''elverfelde''" was in a doc ...
, now
Wuppertal
Wuppertal (; "''Wupper Dale''") is, with a population of approximately 355,000, the seventh-largest city in North Rhine-Westphalia as well as the 17th-largest city of Germany. It was founded in 1929 by the merger of the cities and tow ...
, 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
Đuro Milivoj Ašner (21 April 1913 – 14 June 2011) was a police chief in the Independent State of Croatia who was accused of enforcing racist laws under the Nazi-allied Ustaše regime and expulsion and deportation of hundreds of Serbs, Jews a ...
, born April 21, 1913, in
Daruvar
Daruvar ( cz, Daruvar, german: Daruwar, hu, Daruvár, sr, Дарувар, la, Aquae Balissae) is a spa town and municipality in Slavonia, northeastern Croatia with a population of 8,567. The area including the surrounding villages (Dar. Vino ...
, Croatia, died 14 June 2011, accused
Ustaše
The Ustaše (), also known by anglicised versions Ustasha or Ustashe, was a Croatian fascist and ultranationalist organization active, as one organization, between 1929 and 1945, formally known as the Ustaša – Croatian Revolutionary Move ...
war criminal.
See also
*
Slovenian Carinthia
Carinthia ( sl, Koroška ; german: Kärnten), also Slovene Carinthia or Slovenian Carinthia (''Slovenska Koroška''), is a traditional region in northern Slovenia. The term refers to the small southeasternmost area of the former Duchy of Carinthi ...
*
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
Carinthian Slovenes or Carinthian Slovenians ( sl, Koroški Slovenci; german: Kärntner Slowenen) are the indigenous minority of Slovene ethnicity, living within borders of the Austrian state of Carinthia, neighboring Slovenia. Their status of ...
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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
NUTS 2 statistical regions of the European Union