Villach

Infobox Ort in Österreich
image_photo = Villach (view towards the south).jpeg
imagesize =300px
Art = Stadt
Name = Villach
Wappen = Villach CoA.svg
Wappengröße =
lat_deg = 46 | lat_min = 36 | lat_sec = 53
lon_deg = 13 | lon_min = 50 | lon_sec = 46
Lageplan = Oesterreich kaernten-VI.pngLageplanbeschreibung = Location of Villach within Carinthia
Bundesland = Kärnten
Bezirk = Statutarstadt
Höhe = 501
Fläche = 134.89
Einwohner = 58480
pop_ref =
Stand = 2006-12-31
PLZ = 9500
Vorwahl = 04242
Kfz = VI
Gemeindekennziffer = 20 201
Website = [http://www.villach.at www.villach.at]
Bürgermeister = Helmut Manzenreiter
Partei = SPÖ

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.cite web
url = http://www.statistik.at/blickgem/pr1/g20201.pdf
title = Einwohnerzahl und Komponenten der Bevölkerungsentwicklung ("Population and Components of Population Growth")
publisher = [http://www.statistik.at/web_de/english/index.html Statistik Österreich (English Version)]
date = 2007-11-29
accessdate = 2007-12-27
language = German
format = pdf]

History

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. [Lisa Rettl, Werner Koroschitz, "Ein korrekter Nazi: Oskar Kraus, ns-oberbürgermeister von Villach", Drava (2006), ISBN 3-85435-501-7] 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. [ORF Kärnten, [http://kaernten.orf.at/magazin/panorama/musik/stories/147074/ "Oskar Kraus - ein korrekter Nazi"] de icon]

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. [cite web
url = http://www.airpower.at/news03/0813_luftkrieg_ostmark/statistik.htm
title = Luftkrieg ("aerial warfare") "Ostmark"
work = [http://www.airpower.at www.airpower.at]
publisher = Martin Rosenkranz
date = 2003-08-13
accessdate = 2007-12-18
language = German]

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

Geography

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.

climate chart|Villach
-6|1|47
-5|5|47
-1|11|66
3|15|83
8|20|96
11|23|121
13|26|134
13|25|111
9|21|102
5|15|106
-1|7|102
-5|2|61
float=right
clear=both
source= [http://www.zamg.ac.at/fix/klima/oe71-00/klima2000/daten/klimadaten/kae/20120.htm ZAMG]

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

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.

Politics

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

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" Karl-Heinz Evers, 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

Twin towns

Villach is twinned with:

* Bamberg (Germany)
* Udine (Italy)
* Suresnes (France)
* Springfield, Illinois (USA)

Festivals

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

Notable citizens

*Alex Antonitsch, tennis player (retired)
*Peter Brabeck-Letmathe, current CEO of the Nestlé Group
*Kurt Diemberger, mountaineer and author
*Bruno Gironcoli, modern artist
*Michael Grabner, ice hockey player (active)
*Herbert Hohenberger, ice hockey player (active)
*Martin Koch, ski jumper (active)
*Peter Löscher, current CEO of Siemens AG
*Paul Watzlawick, a communication scientist, psychotherapist, psychoanalyst, sociologist, philosopher, and author (deceased)

References

External links

* [http://www.villach.at/inhalt/englisch/7682.htm Villach - official web site] (English version)

Gallery