Austria / Carinthia Villach – Lake Faak – Lake Ossiach Region / Villach:
Villach – a joy for the heart and more!
Villach is the Carinthian town that displays the greatest Mediterranean influence. This is not only true of the climate but also primarily of the architecture and people’s mentality. Hardly surprising when the town surrounded by lakes and mountains is only a few minutes’ drive from the Italian border. But it is also only a stone’s throw from Slovenia. Indeed, the town on the Drau is a perfect example of an Alpine-Adriatic centre.
The people in Villach are really fun loving and however hard they may work are not averse to a good laugh. They prove this every year at their cabaret shows, which have earned the town a reputation as Austria’s carnival stronghold. It’s not just a lively place in the carnival season – there are many events and street festivals that make Villach a popular destination all year round, especially among the Italians. And they in turn increase the proverbial Mediterranean influence. The biggest event on the calendar is the annual Villach folklore week (30 July to 6 August 2017) with the summer fair as its highlight. It turns the whole town centre into one big fair ground. The bars and restaurants start serving outdoors and many of the locals leave their loved ones on Thursday evening often not returning home until Sunday slightly the worse for wear.
Villach Congress Centre
The Villach Congress Centre (CCV) was built in 1971 and completely renovated some years ago. Now housed in a bright red cube, the whole stage area stands out and can be seen from far and wide. The CCV is located right in the town centre, on the river bank only a short distance from the main Drau road bridge.
Congress organisation: if you require support in arranging events or conferences, including the agreement with the CCV, accommodation at the hotels of your choice or in providing a social programme, contact Region Villach Tourismus marketing organisation on +43 / 4242 / 42000 - 53. A one stop shop for congresses – that is its motto.
Through the centuries
Our ancestors in the Stone Age were the first to settle in the area around today’s Villach. About 400 BC it was populated by Illyrians and Celts, the latter founding the first true state on Austrian soil, the kingdom of Noricum. Then, around the time of Christ’s birth, the Romans took control of the region without however using force and absorbed it into the Roman Empire as the province of Noricum. It was also the Romans who built a road from Aquileia to the north via Villach, which was called Santicum at that time. Remains of this old trade route with chariot tracks in the stone can still be seen in Warmbad-Villach today. Like all Roman settlements in Carinthia, Santicum was also destroyed when barbarian tribes invaded and soon forgotten. A Drau bridge “Uillah” is first mentioned in a deed of gift in 878 AD. The actual name of “Villach” is found for the first time on a document dated 1240, the year when it was granted the privileges of a town. As a gateway to the south, it had its heyday from trade and commerce in the 15th and 16th centuries, profiting from Venice’s free trade and from mining.
Ups and downs. Villach’s fortunes started to wane about 1600 during the Counter-Reformation. In the middle of the 18th century, Empress Maria Theresa nevertheless succeeded in buying back the Bamberg lands for the Habsburgs. Later Napoleon annexed the small town to his Illyrian provinces before his empire finally also collapsed. When Villach was connected up to the southern railway network, however, it was given a new lease of life and soon known as “the town of railway employees” – which has remained to this day. Two world wars also left their mark on Villach, especially as it was an important junction and as such a frequent target for the allied forces. After 1945, it was then occupied by the British. Villach, often called the “secret capital”, has now become Carinthia’s liveliest town thanks to its central location at the focus of tourism where trade, industry and high tech also boom.
Tour of the town. The best place to start a stroll through the town is the Drau bridge, a strategically important crossing over the river for centuries. From it you can also see the embankments with paths built on both sides of the river that have become very popular among walkers, cyclists and inline skaters. Once you have crossed the Drau, you are right in the middle of the old town, which was closed to traffic and turned into a pedestrian zone years ago. Here you can also stop off at one of the many inviting bars and restaurants.
The main square, a medieval crossroads, gently curves up to the late Gothic parish church of St. Jacob’s, which is the town’s most important historic building. Worth seeing are the high altar with rich Rococo carvings, a larger than life St. Christopher fresco and a rare stone pulpit dating back to 1555 during Villach’s Protestant epoch. At 94 metres, the tower is the highest church steeple in the province and after climbing up 239 steps, you will be rewarded with fantastic views at the top.
On both sides of the square there are tastefully restored middle class houses from various centuries. The square was laid out in the mid-12th century, although it did not initially consist of complete rows of houses. It was only in the course of time that the buildings grew closer together forming the narrow alley ways, some supported with arches, some built over, that are now one of the town centre’s distinctive features.
Post and Paracelsus. Still standing on the main square with a beautiful Renaissance bay is today’s Hotel Post, which was built around 1500. The most famous person in history to stay there was Emperor Charles V. In 1552 he took refuge from his Protestant adversary, Prince Moritz of Saxony, in what was then Christoph Khevenhüller’s town house. One of Villach’s most attractive courtyards, Paracelsushof, is named after the famous physician and naturalist, who spent part of his youth here and later always enjoyed returning to Carinthia.
Villach at the turn of the last century. Also worth walking through is Villach of the late 1800s, which grew up in the area where the town walls were knocked down to extend the old centre. The most notable building during this period was the former Park Hotel, which was the best hotel in town for a long time. Much to the locals’ delight, it was completely renovated and refurbished a few years ago and is now restored to its former glory. Today the building houses a café and offices. The old villas in 10.-Oktober-Strasse that were built in the late 19th and early 20th centuries or the ones in late historicism and art nouveau styles in Peraustrasse are also very attractive. Here – in the middle of the Schiller Park – there is a special attraction: Europe’s largest indoor relief map. It shows the province as a model on a scale of 1:10,000. New since September 2016: the landscape sculpture, opened in 1913, is now highly modern. Spectacular sound, image and light effects offer a completely new, exciting 3-D experience, combining 100 years of tradition with high-tech!
On Burgplatz, where farmers’ markets are held every Wednesday and Saturday morning, you pass the beautifully renovated old Bamberg castle with a Renaissance courtyard housing a historic exhibition room.
And there’s another market: the Alpine-Adriatic organic farmers’ market is held every Friday.
Museums and exhibitions. A stroll through the town would not be complete without taking in a museum. The town museum’s very well presented and wide-ranging collections preserve the memories of the past and document the history, art and culture of the Villach area. Exhibits include findings from Roman times, remains of the former town wall, works of art from the late Gothic period and a large carved plaque commemorating the death of Carinthian governor Christoph Khevenhüller in 1557. Famous is the medieval Villach pillory stone found in the Drau during bridge renovation work in 1959. Contemporary art is chiefly to be seen in several modern galleries, above all at the Städtische Galerie in Freihausgasse.
Apart from the various events, the cultural highlight of the year in Villach is definitely the Carinthian Summer Festival. This classical music festival has been in existence for more than 45 years and alongside Salzburg and Bregenz has gained an excellent reputation in Austria. During the months of July and August the modern Congress Centre in Villach hosts major symphonies, music theatre for children and literary gems, while in the splendid Baroque abbey church in Ossiach there are concerts and in particular performances of what has become the festival’s hallmark: church opera.
Information and bookings:
Region Villach Tourismus GmbH
Töbringer Str. 1 • 9523 Villach-Landskron, Austria
Tel.: +43 4242 42000–0 • Fax ext: 42
E-mail: • www.region-villach.at
You can find our digital picture archive at www.region-villach.at!
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