Feldkirch, Vorarlberg

Infobox Ort in Österreich
Art = Stadt
Name = Feldkirch
Wappen = Wappen at Feldkirch.svg
lat_deg = 47 | lat_min = 14 | lat_sec = 17
lon_deg = 09 | lon_min = 35 | lon_sec = 54
Bundesland = Vorarlberg
Bezirk = Feldkirch
Höhe = 458
Fläche = 34.35
Einwohner = 32193
Stand = 2007-09-30
PLZ = 6800
Vorwahl = 05522
Kfz = FK
Gemeindekennziffer = 8 04 04
NUTS = AT342
Straße = Schmiedgasse 1-3
Website = [http://www.feldkirch.at www.feldkirch.at]
Bürgermeister = Wilfried Berchtold
Partei = ÖVP
Gemeinderatanzahl = 36
Gemeinderat = 24 ÖVP, 5 SPÖ, 5 Grüne,
2 FPÖ
Wahljahr = 2005

Feldkirch is a medieval city in the western Austrian state of Vorarlberg, at coord|47|15|N|9|35|E|region:AT_type:city(28,604), on the border with Switzerland and Liechtenstein. It has a population of 32,193 (2007), and is the administrative center of the district Feldkirch. After Dornbirn, it is the second largest town in Vorarlberg in terms of population, with slightly more inhabitants than the state capital Bregenz.

The beautiful medieval town, which remains well preserved to this day, was mentioned as a city for the first time in 1218, after Count Hugo von Montfort built the "Schattenburg", a castle which still is the major landmark of Feldkirch. Other landmarks of the town include the cathedral of St. Nikolaus from the late Gothic period. It was the birthplace of Rheticus. The town is the seat of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Feldkirch.

The writer James Joyce paid a visit to Feldkirch in 1932 to see his friend Eugene Jolas. He famously remarked to Jolas "Over there, on those tracks, the fate of "Ulysses" was decided in 1915". Joyce had travelled through Feldkirch by train in 1915, when he moved from Trieste to Zürich to avoid the complexities of living in Austria-Hungary during the first world war. The train was boarded and passengers inspected by officials; if Joyce had been arrested then, he would have been unable to write "Ulysses" in its present form. There is a passage in the town named after him, and a dedication to him at the train station.

In recent years Feldkirch has built a reputation of having a top ice hockey team. They won the European Cup in 1997/1998 with stars such as Gustafsson and Rundqvist.

Feldkirch is officially twinned with the Town of Whitby, Ontario, Canada.

Town districts

* Feldkirch (2964 inhabitants)
* Levis (2308 inhabitants)
* Altenstadt (4213 inhabitants)
* Gisingen (7956 inhabitants)
* Nofels (3538 inhabitants)
* Tosters (4944 inhabitants)
* Tisis (4808 inhabitants)

Economy and infrastructure

Transport

Feldkirch has had its own local bus network since 1993, which currently consists of 8 lines including buses to the north of neighbouring Liechtenstein.

Feldkirch lies on the main railway line through the Vorarlberg.

Companies

As of the 15h May 2001, 13,146 employees were employed by 1,464 companies in Feldkirch, including 5 large companies each employing more than 200 people.

The following companies are based in Feldkirch:
* Bachmann Electronic
* Vorarlberg Milch
* Lingenhöle Technologie
* Stadtwerke Feldkirch
* KSW Tankstellen- und Industrieanlagenbau
* Gebäudereinigung Bauer
* Landeskrankenhaus Feldkirch
* [http://www.xactdata.net xactdata software gmbh]

climate chart|Feldkirch, Vorarlberg
-3|3|68
-2|5|65
1|10|73
4|14|87
8|19|107
11|22|151
14|24|165
13|24|152
10|20|113
6|14|78
1|8|92
-2|4|80
float=right
clear=both
source= [http://www.zamg.ac.at/fix/klima/oe71-00/klima2000/daten/klimadaten/vbg/11110.htm ZAMG]

Schools

* Bundesgymnasium und Bundesrealgymnasium Feldkirch (founded in 1649)
* Bundeshandelsakademie und Bundeshandelsschule Feldkirch
* Bundesoberstufenrealgymnasium und Bundesrealgymnasium Schillerstrasse (GYS)
* Bundeshandelsakademie und Handelsschule Feldkirch
* Institut St. Josef
* Musikschule der Stadt Feldkirch
* Vorarlberger Landeskonservatorium
* Pädagogische Hochschule des Bundes in Vorarlberg

Famous sons and daughters of the town

* Bartholomäus Bernhardi (1487-1551), Lutheran theologian
* Wolf Huber (c. 1485-1553), painter (Danube school) and architect
* Georg Joachim Rheticus (1514-1574), mathematician and astronomer
* Karl Bleyle (1880-1969), musician and composer
* Elmar Fischer (* 1936), vicar general and bishop of the Feldkirch diocese
* Bernhard Leitner (* 1938), artist
* P. Georg Sporschill SJ (* 1946), pastor known for his social engagement for orphans and street children in Romania and Moldova and work with the homeless in Vienna.
* Wiltrud Drexel (* 1950), ski racer
* Günther Freitag (* 1952), novelist
* Herbert Bösch (* 1954), politician and MEP
* Natalie Uher (* 1968), Playmate (Playboy September 1984) and actress (Emmanuelle 6 (1988))
* Hans Weingartner (* 1970), author, director and film producer (famous for the international hit The Edukators starring Daniel Brühl and Julia Jentsch).

Sport clubs

*VEU Feldkirch
*TC ESV Feldkirch
* [http://www.tc-esv.at]
*Tennisclub Swietelsky Blau-Weiss Feldkirch
*TSV Altenstadt
*FC Blau-Weiß Feldkirch
* [http://www.cardinals.at Baseball- and Softballclub Feldkirch Cardinals]
* [http://www.baskets.at Metafund Baskets Feldkirch] (Basketball)
*HC Blau-Weiß Feldkirch
*Sportbillardclub Feldkirch
* [http://www.sv-tisis.at Schiverein Tisis]
*Volleyballclub SSK Feldkirch

External links

* [http://www.feldkirch.at Official website]