Albeck is a municipality in the district of Feldkirchen in the

Austria Austria, formally the Republic of Austria, is a landlocked country in Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine Federal states of Austria, states, of which the capital Vienna is the List of largest cities in Aust ...

n state of

Carinthia Carinthia ( ; ; ) is the southernmost and least densely populated States of Austria, Austrian state, in the Eastern Alps, and is noted for its mountains and lakes. The Lake Wolayer is a mountain lake on the Carinthian side of the Carnic Main ...

Geography

The municipal area stretches along the valley of the Sirnitzbach creek, a tributary of the Gurk river, within the Gurktal Alps. In the northwest, Albeck borders on the state of

Styria Styria ( ; ; ; ) is an Austrian Federal states of Austria, state in the southeast of the country. With an area of approximately , Styria is Austria's second largest state, after Lower Austria. It is bordered to the south by Slovenia, and cloc ...

near Mt Eisenhut and Turracher Höhe Pass. In the west, the road leads from Sirnitz to Reichenau via Hochrindl Pass. The upper Gurk valley and its sources, two small

cirque A (; from the Latin word ) is an amphitheatre-like valley formed by Glacier#Erosion, glacial erosion. Alternative names for this landform are corrie (from , meaning a pot or cauldron) and ; ). A cirque may also be a similarly shaped landform a ...

lakes (Gurksee and Torersee), are a

protected area Protected areas or conservation areas are locations which receive protection because of their recognized natural or cultural values. Protected areas are those areas in which human presence or the exploitation of natural resources (e.g. firewood ...

since 1981. Albeck comprises the cadastral communities of Albeck proper, Großreichenau, Sankt Leonhard, and Sirnitz. The main settlement is the village of Sirnitz.

Neighbouring municipalities

History

Sirnitz Burgruine Alt-Albeck 16072013 943

Albeck is a settlement area since the 10th century, when the surrounding estates were held by the Counts of Friesach, ancestors of Saint

Hemma of Gurk Hemma of Gurk (; 27 June 1045),29 June according t also called Emma of Gurk (), was a noblewoman and founder of several churches and monasteries in the Duchy of Carinthia. Buried at Gurk Cathedral since 1174, she was beatified on 21 November 12 ...

. In 1043 Hemma granted the Lordship of Albeck to the short-lived

Benedictine The Benedictines, officially the Order of Saint Benedict (, abbreviated as O.S.B. or OSB), are a mainly contemplative monastic order of the Catholic Church for men and for women who follow the Rule of Saint Benedict. Initiated in 529, th ...

nunnery of Gurk. When Archbishop Gebhard of Salzburg had the abbey dissolved in 1072, he ceded the estates to the newly established Diocese of 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, 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- 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 Western Style (visual arts), style of Baroque architecture, architecture, Baroque music, music, Baroque dance, dance, Baroque painting, painting, Baroque sculpture, sculpture, poetry, and other arts that flourished from ...

castle was erected on the road to Sirnitz.

Politics

Albeck Sirnitz 1 Gemeindeamt NO-Ansicht 22062007 01

Seats in the municipal assembly (''Gemeinderat'') as of 2015 local elections: *

Freedom Party of Austria The Freedom Party of Austria (, FPÖ) is a political party in Austria, variously described as far-right, right-wing populist, national-conservative, and Eurosceptic. It has been led by Herbert Kickl since 2021. It is the largest of five part ...

(FPÖ): 7 *

Austrian People's Party The Austrian People's Party ( , ÖVP ) is a Christian-democratic and liberal-conservative political party in Austria. Since January 2025, the party has been led by Christian Stocker (as an acting leader). It is currently the second-largest p ...

(ÖVP): 6 *

Social Democratic Party of Austria The Social Democratic Party of Austria ( , SPÖ) is a social democratic political party in Austria. Founded in 1889 as the Social Democratic Workers' Party of Austria (, SDAPÖ) and later known as the Socialist Party of Austria () from 1945 unt ...

(SPÖ): 2

Twin towns

Albeck is twinned with: * Langenau, Germany * Fiume Veneto, Italy

References

External links

Municipal website

Tourist site
Cities and towns in Feldkirchen District {{Carinthia-geo-stub