Villach

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Location of Villach within Carinthia
Villach

Coat of arms	Location

Administration
Country	Austria
State	Carinthia
District	Statutory city
Mayor	Helmut Manzenreiter (SPÖ)
Basic statistics
Area	134.89 km² (52.1 sq mi)
Elevation	501 m (1644 ft)
Population	58,480 (31/12/2006)^[1]
- Density	434 /km² (1,123 /sq mi)
Other information
Time zone	CET/CEST (UTC+1/+2)
Licence plate	VI
Postal code	9500
Area code	04242
Website	www.villach.at
Coordinates: 46°36′53″N 13°50′46″E / 46.61472, 13.84611

Villach (pronounced [ˈfɪlax]; Slovenian Beljak) is the second largest city in Carinthia in the south of Austria, at the Drau River (Slovenian Drava) and represents an important traffic junction for Austria and the whole Alpe-Adria region. As of December 2006, the population is 58,480.^[1]

1 Geography
- 1.1 Geographical position
- 1.2 Structure
2 History
- 2.1 Incorporations
3 Politics
4 Festivals
5 Notable citizens
6 References
7 External links
8 Gallery

[edit] Geography

[edit] Geographical position

The city is located west of the Klagenfurt Basin at the confluence of the Drau and the Gail Rivers. Nearby countries are Slovenia with a direct line to the border of 11 km (6.8 mi) and Italy with a distance of 14.5 km (9 mi) respectively. Slovenia could be accessed via the Karawanken Autobahn (A11) and the Karawanken Tunnel, Italy by the Süd Autobahn (A2).

The municipal area borders on or surrounds several lakes, including Lake Ossiach, Lake Faak, Silbersee, Vassacher See, Magdalensee, and St. Leonharder See.

Villach is surrounded by mountains of the Alps which are used for skiing in winter and hiking in summer.

[edit] Structure

The following sections belong to Villach:

Bogenfeld, Dobrova, Drautschen, Drobollach am Faaker See, Duel, Egg am Faaker See, Goritschach, Graschitz, Gratschach, Greuth, Gritschach, Großsattel, Großvassach, Heiligen Gestade, Heiligengeist, Kleinsattel, Kleinvassach, Kratschach, Kumitz, Landskron, Maria Gail, Mittewald ober dem Faaker See, Mittewald ob Villach, Neufellach, Neulandskron, Obere Fellach, Oberfederaun, Oberschütt, Oberwollanig, Pogöriach, Prossowitsch, Rennstein, Serai, St. Andrä, St. Georgen, St. Leonhard, St. Magdalen, St. Michael, St. Niklas an der Drau, St. Ruprecht, St. Ulrich, Tschinowitsch, Turdanitsch, Untere Fellach, Unterfederaun, Unterschütt, Unterwollanig, Urlaken, Villach-Auen, Villach-Innere Stadt, Villach-Lind, Villach-Seebach-Wasenboden, Villach-St. Agathen und Perau, Villach-St. Martin, Villach-Völkendorf, Villach-Warmbad-Judendorf, Weißenbach, Zauchen

[edit] History

Near the center of Villach

The oldest human traces found in Villach date back to 3500 BC. A lot of Roman artifacts were found there, as it was close to an important Roman road called the Römerweg. A document mentions a bridge in what is today Villach in 878, and the settlement across the bridge was given market town status in 1060, though Villach is first mentioned in records in 1240. It got its first mayor in the 16th century.

On January 25, 1348 an earthquake destroyed a big part of Villach followed by another earthquake in 1690. There were also several fires in Villach which destroyed a lot of buildings.

In 1759 Empress Maria Theresa of Austria formally purchased Villach, as well as much of Carinthia. During the Napoleonic Wars, Villach was part of the Illyrian provinces of the French Empire from 1809 until 1813.

The Südbahn railway finally reached Villach in 1864, providing growth and expansion.

During the period of the German Anschluss (1938-45) when Austria was annexed to Nazi Germany, the mayor of Villach was Oskar Kraus, an enthusiastic Nazi.^[2] A memorial for the 1919 border conflict caused controversy when it was inaugurated in 2002, as Kraus, who had not been especially prominent in the conflict, was the only person named.^[3]

During World War II, the town was bombed 37 times by the Allies. About 42,500 bombs killed 300 people and damaged 85% of the buildings, nevertheless the city quickly recovered.^[4]

Today, Villach is a bustling city with commerce and recreation, yet it retains its historic background.

[edit] Incorporations

In 1905 a part of the municipal area St. Martin was incorporated. In 1973 the city area was further enlarged through the incorporation of Landskron, Maria Gail and Fellach.

[edit] Politics

[edit] Municipal council

The municipal council (Gemeinderat) consists of 45 members, with the mayor as president, and—as of 2003—is composed of:

SPÖ: 28 seats
FPÖ: 8 seats
ÖVP: 6 seats
Die Grünen: 2 seats
Ferdinand Truppe (Independent): 1 seat

[edit] City government

The city government of Villach (Stadtsenat) consists of seven members. It is chaired by the mayor, who is directly elected by the people. The other members—two vice-mayors and four town councillors—are appointed by the municipal council, with party affiliations according to the election results.

Mayor Helmut Manzenreiter, SPÖ
First vice-mayor Richard Pfeiler, SPÖ
Second vice-mayor Mag. Gerda Sandriesser, SPÖ
Councillor Mag. Hilde Schaumberger, SPÖ
Councillor Harald Sobe, SPÖ
Councillor Walter Lang, FPÖ
Councillor LAbg. KR Helmut Hinterleitner, ÖVP

[edit] Twin towns

Villach is twinned with:

[edit] Festivals

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You can help by converting this section to prose, if appropriate. Editing help is available. (December 2007)

There are several festivals throughout the year:

The carnival in Villach (which starts on November 11 and ends on March 4)
The arts and crafts festival (with self made goods)
The New Orleans festival
The streets-art festival (displays performances of artists and singers)
The "Villacher Kirchtag" (a kermis spanning a whole week in summer and ends on August's first Saturday with a notorious fireworks show)
Performances on a stage beside the Drau