Feldbach (; sl, Vrbna) is a town in the southeast of 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

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 the

Slovenia Slovenia ( ; sl, Slovenija ), officially the Republic of Slovenia (Slovene: , abbr.: ''RS''), is a country in Central Europe. It is bordered by Italy to the west, Austria to the north, Hungary to the northeast, Croatia to the southeast, and ...

n and Hungarian border. It is located in the valley around the river Raab.

History

Findings from the

Neolithic The Neolithic period, or New Stone Age, is an Old World archaeological period and the final division of the Stone Age. It saw the Neolithic Revolution, a wide-ranging set of developments that appear to have arisen independently in several part ...

period prove the early existence of a settlement in the area where Feldbach is now located. The name "Feldbach" was first mentioned in 1188 as "Velwinbach". A

parish A parish is a territorial entity in many Christian denominations, constituting a division within a diocese. A parish is under the pastoral care and clerical jurisdiction of a priest, often termed a parish priest, who might be assisted by one or ...

exists since 1232. In 1469, Feldbach was devastated by rebellious troops. This is probably the reason why the , a medieval

fortress A fortification is a military construction or building designed for the defense of territories in warfare, and is also used to establish rule in a region during peacetime. The term is derived from Latin ''fortis'' ("strong") and ''facere'' ...

, was built. In the 15th century, Feldbach was the setting of many conflicts between rival

aristocratic Aristocracy (, ) is a form of government that places strength in the hands of a small, privileged ruling class, the aristocrats. The term derives from the el, αριστοκρατία (), meaning 'rule of the best'. At the time of the word's ...

families which caused destruction and pillages in the town. Finally, after the

Hajduk A hajduk ( hu, hajdúk, plural of ) is a type of irregular infantry found in Central and parts of Southeast Europe from the late 16th to mid 19th centuries. They have reputations ranging from bandits to freedom fighters depending on time ...

s (which accompanied the attacking

Ottoman Turks The Ottoman Turks ( tr, Osmanlı Türkleri), were the Turkic founding and sociopolitically the most dominant ethnic group of the Ottoman Empire ( 1299/1302–1922). Reliable information about the early history of Ottoman Turks remains scarce, ...

) destroyed the whole town, except the Tabor hill, a closed fortification with several gates was built. Feldbach experienced a major economic upswing after the Hungarian Western railroad was opened in 1873. At the same time the nearby

spa A spa is a location where mineral-rich spring water (and sometimes seawater) is used to give medicinal baths. Spa towns or spa resorts (including hot springs resorts) typically offer various health treatments, which are also known as balneothe ...

Bad Gleichenberg Bad Gleichenberg is a municipality in the district of Südoststeiermark in the Austrian state of Styria Styria (german: Steiermark ; Serbo-Croatian and sl, ; hu, Stájerország) is a state (''Bundesland'') in the southeast of Austria. Wi ...

became well known. During

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was List of wars and anthropogenic disasters by death toll, one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, ...

prisoner-of-war camp A prisoner-of-war camp (often abbreviated as POW camp) is a site for the containment of enemy fighters captured by a belligerent power in time of war. There are significant differences among POW camps, internment camps, and military priso ...

existed in Feldbach.

Population

Sights

* Parish church Holy Leonhard: The first church was connected to the tabor building which still exists today. Building works for the new church in renaissance style started in 1898 which was planned by Hans Pascher. The original church tower was destroyed in 1945, which was then replaced by a free-standing tower painted in multiple flecks of colour. * Steinener Metzen: The town's landmark is estimated to have been erected in the 15th century. This goblet-like measure of quantity was used as a standard measure for wooden containers for crops and is the only one of its type in Austria. * Marian column: First built in 1717, it was later destroyed during the Second World War and rebuilt in 1949. It is located in the main square. * Tabor museum: The tabor was built as a fortification during the Middle Ages and now houses a museum dedicated to life in the region from the Stone Ages up until the recent past. Exhibitions include the first Austrian fishing museum, the first Austrian tailoring museum and documents from World War I and World War II. * Villa Hold: This neo-Gothic villa is situated next to the parish church Holy Leonhard and houses the music school, the city choir, the registrar's office as well as the citizenship office. * Villa Julian Burkert: this gothic villa is located in the city centre, next to the music school and between church. It was built during the 19th century. * Various chapels in the area

References

External links

* Cities and towns in Südoststeiermark District {{Styria-geo-stub