Sachsenburg is a
market town
A market town is a settlement most common in Europe that obtained by custom or royal charter, in the Middle Ages, a market right, which allowed it to host a regular market; this distinguished it from a village or city. In Britain, small rural ...
in the district of
Spittal an der Drau
Spittal an der Drau is a town in the western part of the Austrian federal state of Carinthia. It is the administrative centre of Spittal an der Drau District, Austria's second largest district (''Bezirk'') by area.
Geography
The town is located o ...
in
Carinthia
Carinthia (german: Kärnten ; sl, Koroška ) is the southernmost States of Austria, Austrian state, in the Eastern Alps, and is noted for its mountains and lakes. The main language is German language, German. Its regional dialects belong to t ...
,
Austria
Austria, , bar, Östareich officially the Republic of Austria, is a country in the southern part of Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine states, one of which is the capital, Vienna, the most populous ...
.
Geography
![Drau bei Sachsenburg2](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/6c/Drau_bei_Sachsenburg2.JPG)
The municipal area stretches along the valley of the
river, where it enters the
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 ...
plain between the
Kreuzeck group
The Kreuzeck Group is a mountain range of the Central Eastern Alps. It may be considered either a separate range or part of the larger Hohe Tauern, High Tauern chain. Administratively, the range belongs to the Austrian States of Austria, states of ...
of the
Hohe Tauern
The High Tauern (plural, pl.; german: Hohe Tauern, it, Alti Tauri) are a mountain range on the Main chain of the Alps, main chain of the Central Eastern Alps, comprising the highest peaks east of the Brenner Pass. The crest forms the southern bor ...
mountain range in the north and
Gailtal Alps , ''Drauzug''
, photo=Grosse Sandspitze 1.jpg
, photo_size=
, photo_caption=Große Sandspitze, the highest peak in the range
, country= Austria
, subdivision1_type= States
, subdivision1=
, parent=
, geology= Limestone
, orogeny=Alpine o ...
in the south. The municipality comprises the
cadastral communities
A cadastral community or cadastral municipality, is a cadastral subdivision of municipalities in the nations of Austria,Cadastral Template for Austria, web-pageCT-AT Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, the Czech Republic, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, ...
of Sachsenburg and Obergottesfeld.
History
The origin of the name is uncertain: an affiliation with the far apart mediæval
Duchy of Saxony
The Duchy of Saxony ( nds, Hartogdom Sassen, german: Herzogtum Sachsen) was originally the area settled by the Saxons in the late Early Middle Ages, when they were subdued by Charlemagne during the Saxon Wars from 772 and incorporated into the C ...
has never been established; however the coat of arms probably awarded in the 16th century shows a ''Saxe'', a kind of pan formerly used for
gold prospecting
Gold prospecting is the act of searching for new gold deposits. Methods used vary with the type of deposit sought and the resources of the prospector. Although traditionally a commercial activity, in some developed countries placer gold prospe ...
within the nearby Hohe Tauern range. The strategically important narrow place of the Drava valley (''Sachsenburger Klause'') probably was guarded already in
Roman
Roman or Romans most often refers to:
*Rome, the capital city of Italy
*Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD
*Roman people, the people of ancient Rome
*''Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a letter ...
times, when the area was part of the ''
Noricum
Noricum () is the Latin name for the Celts, Celtic kingdom or federation of tribes that included most of modern Austria and part of Slovenia. In the first century AD, it became a Roman province, province of the Roman Empire. Its borders were th ...
'' province.
![Saxenburg Valvasor](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/b0/Saxenburg_Valvasor.jpg)
Two fortresses blocking the passage along the river were first mentioned in a 1213 deed. Sachsenburg is documented as an administrative seat of the
Archbishops of Salzburg in 1292, who held large possessions within the
Duchy of Carinthia
The Duchy of Carinthia (german: Herzogtum Kärnten; sl, Vojvodina Koroška) was a duchy located in southern Austria and parts of northern Slovenia. It was separated from the Duchy of Bavaria in 976, and was the first newly created Imperial Sta ...
. As a Salzburg stronghold, it was a thorn in the flesh of both the Carinthian dukes and the
Counts of Gorizia
The County of Gorizia ( it, Contea di Gorizia, german: Grafschaft Görz, sl, Goriška grofija, fur, Contee di Gurize), from 1365 Princely County of Gorizia, was a State of the Holy Roman Empire. Originally mediate ''Vogts'' of the Patriarchs of ...
at
Lienz
Lienz (; Southern Bavarian: ''Lianz'') is a Town privileges, medieval town in the Austrian state of Tyrol (state), Tyrol. It is the administrative centre of the Lienz (district), Lienz district, which covers all of East Tyrol. The municipality a ...
, therefore often under attack by their forces. In 1252, Count
Meinhard III of Gorizia allied with his father-in-law Count
Albert IV of Tyrol laid siege to the fortress, though to no avail. The Salzburg archbishops granted the settlement market rights in 1326 and had further
ramparts and town walls erected.
Not until 1803 the Salzburg possessions were finally
mediatised. The fortifications were razed in 1813, when Upper Carinthia formed the northernmost part of the
French-occupied
Illyrian Provinces
The Illyrian Provinces sl, Ilirske province hr, Ilirske provincije sr, Илирске провинције it, Province illirichegerman: Illyrische Provinzen, group=note were an Autonomous administrative division, autonomous province of France d ...
. During the
Revolutions of 1848
The Revolutions of 1848, known in some countries as the Springtime of the Peoples or the Springtime of Nations, were a series of political upheavals throughout Europe starting in 1848. It remains the most widespread revolutionary wave in Europea ...
, several citizens on March 20 proclaimed an independent "Republic of Sachsenburg", they were however immediately suppressed by the
Austrian
Austrian may refer to:
* Austrians, someone from Austria or of Austrian descent
** Someone who is considered an Austrian citizen, see Austrian nationality law
* Austrian German dialect
* Something associated with the country Austria, for example: ...
military. The Sachsenburg municipality originated in 1850, it was merged with neighbouring Möllbrücke and Pusarnitz into the market town of
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 ...
, but regained independence in 1992.
Politics
![Sachsenburg Marktplatz 12 Marktgemeindeamt 23092011 333](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/c6/Sachsenburg_Marktplatz_12_Marktgemeindeamt_23092011_333.jpg)
Seats in the municipal assembly (''Gemeinderat'') as of 2015 local elections:
* ''Aktionsgemeinschaft'' (
Independent
Independent or Independents may refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media Artist groups
* Independents (artist group), a group of modernist painters based in the New Hope, Pennsylvania, area of the United States during the early 1930s
* Independ ...
): 7
*
Social Democratic Party of Austria
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 ...
(SPÖ): 5
*
Austrian People's Party
The Austrian People's Party (german: Österreichische Volkspartei , ÖVP ) is a Christian-democratic and liberal-conservative political party in Austria.
Since December 2021, the party has been led provisionally by Karl Nehammer. It is currentl ...
(ÖVP): 3
Twin towns
Sachsenburg is
twinned with:
*
Spilimbergo
Spilimbergo (german: Spengenberg; fur, Spilimberc or ) is a ''comune'' with a population of 11,961, located in the Friuli-Venezia Giulia region, in northern Italy, on the right side of the Tagliamento river. The town is notable as the home of the ...
,
Italy
Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical re ...
* Sachsenburg,
Frankenberg, Saxony
Frankenberg (also: Frankenberg/Sa.) is a town in the district of Mittelsachsen, in Saxony, Germany. It is situated on the river Zschopau, northeast of Chemnitz, and some north of the border to the Czech Republic.
It was the site of the Nazi con ...
,
Germany
Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...
References
{{Authority control
Cities and towns in Spittal an der Drau District