Albeck ( sl, Št. Rupert ) is a municipality in the district of
Feldkirchen in the
Austria
Austria, , bar, Östareich officially the Republic of Austria, is a country in the southern part of Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine states, one of which is the capital, Vienna, the most populous ...
n state of
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 ...
.
Geography
The municipal area stretches along the valley of the Sirnitzbach creek, a tributary of the
Gurk river, within the
Gurktal Alps
The Gurktal Alps (german: Gurktaler Alpen, sl, Krške Alpe) is a mountain range located in the Central Eastern Alps in Austria, named after the valley of the Gurk river. The range stretches west to Lake Millstatt and east to Neumarkter Sattel ( ...
. In the northwest, Albeck borders on the state of
Styria
Styria (german: Steiermark ; Serbo-Croatian and sl, ; hu, Stájerország) is a state (''Bundesland'') in the southeast of Austria. With an area of , Styria is the second largest state of Austria, after Lower Austria. Styria is bordered to ...
near Mt
Eisenhut and
Turracher Höhe Pass
Turracher Höhe, also called Turracherhöhe, refers to a village, a pass across the Alps, and a countryside in the Gurktal Alps in Austria. The village and the Turracher Lake at the pass, which both share the same name, are separated by the bord ...
. In the west, the road leads from Sirnitz to
Reichenau via
Hochrindl
Hochrindl (1561 m) is a mountain pass and alpine ski resort in the Austrian Alps
The Central Eastern Alps (german: Zentralalpen or Zentrale Ostalpen), also referred to as Austrian Central Alps (german: Österreichische Zentralalpen) or just Ce ...
Pass. The upper Gurk valley and its sources, two small
cirque
A (; from the Latin word ') is an amphitheatre-like valley formed by glacial erosion. Alternative names for this landform are corrie (from Scottish Gaelic , meaning a pot or cauldron) and (; ). A cirque may also be a similarly shaped landform ...
lakes (Gurksee and Torersee), are a
protected area
Protected areas or conservation areas are locations which receive protection because of their recognized natural, ecological or cultural values. There are several kinds of protected areas, which vary by level of protection depending on the ena ...
since 1981.
Albeck 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 Albeck proper, Großreichenau, Sankt Leonhard, and Sirnitz. The main settlement is the village of Sirnitz.
Neighbouring municipalities
History
Albeck is a settlement area since the 10th century, when the surrounding estates were held by the Counts of
Friesach
Friesach ( sl, Breže) is a historic town in the Sankt Veit an der Glan district of Carinthia, Austria. First mentioned in an 860 deed, it is known as the oldest town in Carinthia.
Geography
Location
Friesach covers an area of 120.83 km2 a ...
, ancestors of 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, ...
. In 1043 Hemma granted the Lordship of Albeck to the short-lived
Benedictine
, image = Medalla San Benito.PNG
, caption = Design on the obverse side of the Saint Benedict Medal
, abbreviation = OSB
, formation =
, motto = (English: 'Pray and Work')
, foun ...
nunnery of
Gurk. When Archbishop
Gebhard of Salzburg
Blessed Gebhard von Salzburg ( 101015 June 1088), also occasionally known as Gebhard of Sussex, was Archbishop of Salzburg from 1060 until his death. He was one of the fiercest opponents of King Henry IV of Germany during the Investiture Controver ...
had the abbey dissolved in 1072, he ceded the estates to the newly established
Diocese of Gurk
The Roman Catholic Diocese of Gurk-Klagenfurt (german: Diözese Gurk-Klagenfurt, sl, Krška škofija) is a Catholic diocese covering the Austrian state of Carinthia. It is part of the ecclesiastical province of Salzburg. Though named after Gurk ...
.
Albeck Castle (present-day Alt-Abeck) was first mentioned in 1155. Located high above the narrow Gurk valley, it was the residence of the local landlords; one Dietrich of Albeck, a canon at
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 ...
, was even appointed bishop by Archbishop
Conrad III of Salzburg in 1179. When the line became extinct in 1194, protracted inheritance disputes arose with the
Styrian counts of
Peggau
Peggau is a municipality in the district of Graz-Umgebung in the Austrian state of Styria
Styria (german: Steiermark ; Serbo-Croatian and sl, ; hu, Stájerország) is a state (''Bundesland'') in the southeast of Austria. With an area of ...
-
Pfannberg. Nevertheless, from 1264 the area was again held by the Gurk bishops, represented by local ''
ministeriales''. In the late 17th century, Alt-Abeck was demolished and a new
Baroque
The Baroque (, ; ) is a style of architecture, music, dance, painting, sculpture, poetry, and other arts that flourished in Europe from the early 17th century until the 1750s. In the territories of the Spanish and Portuguese empires including t ...
castle was erected on the road to Sirnitz.
Politics
Seats in the municipal assembly (''Gemeinderat'') as of 2015 local elections:
*
Freedom Party of Austria (FPÖ): 7
*
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): 6
*
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): 2
Twin towns
Albeck is
twinned with:
*
Langenau, Germany
*
Fiume Veneto
Fiume Veneto ( vec, Fiume; Standard Friulian: ;
Western Friulian: or ) is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Province of Pordenone in the Italian region Friuli-Venezia Giulia, located about northwest of Trieste and about southeast of Pordenone ...
, Italy
References
External links
Municipal websiteTourist site
Cities and towns in Feldkirchen District
{{Carinthia-geo-stub