Steinfeld is a market town with 2039 inhabitants (as of January
1, 2020) in the Spittal an der Drau district in Carinthia. The
parish church in Radlach and the name of today's main town were
first mentioned in the ducal deed in 1267/68. This register of
properties also shows the relatively low agricultural usability of
today's municipal area. Steinfeld was also at a disadvantage
compared to the neighboring traffic hubs Greifenburg and Sachsenburg
in terms of traffic and thus trade.
From the 15th century
onwards, the mining industry - initially the mining of washed gold
and precious metals, and later also iron processing - was decisive
for the economic development of Steinfeld. From the late Middle Ages
onwards, mining led to the settlement of trades whose buildings
still determine the appearance of the market today (Singerhof,
Neustein Castle, the Porcia family's caretaker's house on
Hauptstrasse). However, mining activity suffered setbacks as early
as 1600. As a result, the place lost its market infrastructure over
the centuries and sank again into a village. At the time of the
First World War, mining finally stopped completely.
In 1924
the Steinfeld am Grabach power plant was built by a cooperative from
Steinfeld and four other communities. This was destroyed by a
landslide in 1935, but the successor building built in 1936 is still
in operation today.
The construction of the railway
(Drautalbahn) from the late 19th century and the associated
settlement of woodworking companies brought the community back to
life, which culminated in the AVE furniture factory, which existed
from 1932 to 1986 and employed up to 270 people. In the course of
the 20th century, summer tourism and gastronomy also developed into
important economic sectors in the municipality.
The present
parish was formed in 1850. Apart from the assignment of smaller
parts of the area to Greifenburg in 1973, its expansion has not
changed since then. Steinfeld was granted fair privileges as early
as 1680, and an official survey as a market town took place in 1930.
The parish church in Radlach and the name of today's main town of
the community were first mentioned in documents in 1267/68 in the
ducal Urbar. This inventory also shows the relatively low
agricultural usability of today's municipal area. Steinfeld was also
at a disadvantage for traffic and thus trade compared to the
neighboring traffic junctions of Greifenburg and Sachsenburg.
From the 15th century onwards, the mining industry – initially
the mining of white gold and precious metals, and later also iron
processing – was decisive for the economic development of Steinfeld.
From the late Middle Ages, mining led to the settlement of trades
whose buildings still determine the appearance of the market today
(Singerhof, Neustein Castle, the Porcia family administration house
on the main street). However, mining activity suffered setbacks as
early as 1600. As a result, the place lost its market infrastructure
over the centuries and sank back into a village. By the time of the
First World War, mining finally ceased completely.
In 1924,
the Steinfeld am Grabach power plant was built by a cooperative from
Steinfeld and four other communities. This was destroyed by a
landslide in 1935, and a successor building was erected in 1936.
The railway construction (Drautalbahn) from the late 19th
century and the associated settlement of wood processing companies
brought the community an upswing, which culminated with the
furniture factory AVE, which existed from 1932 to 1986 and employed
up to 270 people. In the course of the 20th century, summer tourism
and gastronomy also developed into important economic sectors in the
community.
Today's parish was formed in 1850. Apart from the
cession of smaller parts of the territory to Greifenburg in 1973, it
has not changed since then. Steinfeld was granted annual fair
privileges as early as 1680, and an official elevation to the status
of a market town took place in 1930.
Gerlamoos church with frescoes by Thomas von Villach
Parish
Church of Saint John the Baptist in Steinfeld
Filial church of
Saint Martin in Radlach
Gerlamooser gorge with waterfall
Renaissance Neustein Castle
Rottenstein castle ruins
Raggnitz Castle is a building first mentioned in documents in 1254 in the municipality of Steinfeld in Carinthia. The castle complex with the associated farm buildings is located about 500 meters southwest of the village of Lind on the valley floor of the upper Drautal. Politically, it belongs to the Steinfeld community.
History
Raggnitz was first mentioned in documents in 1254,
when the archbishop of Salzburg, Philipp von Spanheim, assigned his
archer Heinrich, known as Swaeroubte, a court with the associated
land in Racknitz. These lands were part of the possessions that
Count Albert III had acquired two years earlier. of Tyrol had to be
ceded to Duke Bernhard of Carinthia and his son, Elekt Philipp. But
as early as 1304, Raggnitz and Lind were added to the County of
Gorizia. In 1429 Siegmund von Lind was enfeoffed with the rule of
Lind (and with it the lands of Raggnitz). After the castles of Ober-
and Unterlind had fallen into disrepair, the Lords of Lind chose the
more conveniently located Hof von Raggnitz as their new seat, which
they had expanded like a castle. Around 1789 the castle was sold to
Paul Matthias von Tschabuschnigg, who made major changes to the
complex. The chapel, for example, was built by him. After several
changes of ownership, the building finally came into the possession
of the current owners, the Wernisch family, in 1872.
Architecture
Raggnitz Castle is a two-storey building with an
attic storey in the middle. Part of the complex is a wall that
encompasses the area and is reinforced by a tower in the
north-western part. The building got its current appearance towards
the end of the 18th century when it was rebuilt using older parts
from the 15th century.
The building, which was erected on an
almost square floor plan, has two protruding corner projections on
the northeast side, each covered by a tent roof and a small lantern
sitting on it. The eight-axis facade is horizontally banded on the
ground floor, but on the upper floor it is structured by delicate
pilasters with Ionic plaited capitals. The stucco framing of the
windows with their early Classicist roofs are pulled up to the
cornice. The stone-framed round arch portal on the front side dates
from the end of the 18th century.
The central ground floor
corridor is barrel vaulted, in the second, north-facing corridor
there is a lancet barrel vault with a stucco burr network - both
date from the 16th century. The hall on the upper floor has a flat
ceiling and a rococo oven. At the south-western end of the hall is a
chapel with an inscription plaque with the year 1795 above the
entrance door. Another plaque was put up on the occasion of the
permission given in 1797 to celebrate masses here. The chapel is
decorated with illusionistic wall paintings, which depict scenes
from the Old Testament in rich classical architecture. The early
classical altar shows a representation of Mary in the altarpiece.
Steinfeld is located at an average of 617 m above sea level in the
Upper Drau Valley at the foot of the Kreuzeck Group.
The
community is divided into the five cadastral communities of Fellbach,
Gerlamoos, Radlach, Rottenstein and Steinfeld.
According to the 2001 census, Steinfeld has 2,291 inhabitants, of whom 95.6% have Austrian and 2.6% Turkish citizenship. 88.3% of the population profess to be Roman Catholic, 4.5% to the Evangelical Church and 3.9% are of the Islamic faith. 2.4% have no religious affiliation.
Economic sectors
Of the 120 farms in 2010, 31 were run as a main
occupation and 73 as a sideline, two by partnerships and 14 by legal
entities. These 14 farmed over thirty percent of the land, the main
commercial farmers over forty percent. Although the number of
establishments in the manufacturing sector increased from 2001 to 2011,
the number of workers decreased. This mainly affected the manufacturing
segment. The largest employers in the service sector were social and
public services and trade.
Commuter
Of the approximately 860
employed people who lived in Steinfeld in 2011, one third worked in the
community and two thirds commuted out. 160 people from the bypass came
to work in Steinfeld.
Traffic
The Drautal Straße (B 100) and
the Drautalbahn (train station "Steinfeld im Drautal") run through the
municipal area.
The municipal council of Steinfeld has 19 members and has been
composed as follows since the 2015 municipal council election:
10 SPÖ
4 team upwind
2 FPÖ
3 ÖVP
The directly elected mayor is Ewald
Tschabitscher (SPÖ).
The coat of arms shows "a shield split by an ascending red tip of gold and silver. The miners' emblems cross each other at the top: a silver mallet over a silver iron with golden handles. Coat of arms and flag, the latter showing the colors white and red with an integrated coat of arms, were awarded to Steinfeld on the occasion of the market survey on December 14, 1931.
Alois Brandstetter describes the church in Gerlamoos with its frescoes in his novel "Here the landlord cooks".
Josef Mayer (1806–1891), land and factory owner and politician
Franz Feldner (1818–1879), Austrian notary and lawyer and politician
Friedrich Marx (1830–1905, born in Steinfeld), writer and k.u.k.
Officer, there's a street named after him here
Bernhard Egger
(1866–1950, born in Radlach), politician
Fritz Strobl (* 1972),
former ski racer and Olympic champion, grew up in Gerlamoos