Villach (Slovenian: Beljak; Italian: Villacco) is a town in
southern Carinthia. Villach is the second largest city in Carinthia.
In Villach there is a very cosmopolitan climate due to its proximity
to Slovenia and Italy. Carinthia's largest river, the Drau, meanders
through the middle of Villach.
The city is particularly known
for the Villach Carnival and the Villacher Kirchtag. Villach turns
into a fool's stronghold during carnival and the television
recording of a meeting, the Villach Carnival Guild, is the
most-watched TV event in Austria every year. The rivalry with the
state capital Klagenfurt also becomes clear in the carnival season.
Because almost no one is more targeted at the carnival session than
the Klagenfurters. The residents of Villach therefore like to refer
to their city as the "secret capital of Carinthia" because of the
large public events in the Drau city.
The rivalry between
Villach and Klagenfurt is particularly evident at the Carinthian
derbies; these are the ice hockey games between the VSV and the KAC.
Ice hockey is much more important than football in Carinthia.
City parish church Sankt Jakob. The
Jakobskirche is located in the center of Villach, on the
Kirchenplatz. Inside the church, the high hall with the beautiful
ribbed vault contains many works of art, such as the Renaissance
pulpit, which comes from the Protestant era of the church, a rococo
high altar, the grave chapel and grave monuments of the Khevenhüller
family as well as a late Gothic fresco of Christopherus. The church
is also interesting because of its tower. In the style of the
Italian campanile, this was originally free and was only later
connected to the church. Those who want to climb the 240 steps to
climb the highest tower in Carinthia, at 94 meters, can enjoy the
wonderful view over the charming old town of Villach to the fullest.
You can visit the city parish tower from May to October. Open: May +
October: Mon - Sat 10 a.m. - 4 p.m., June - August: Mon - Sat 10
a.m. - 6 p.m., Sun 12 p.m. - 6 p.m. Price: Entry: 1.80 euros. The
church itself can be visited all year round and of course free of
charge.
Nikolaikirche. If you cross the Drau river over the city
bridge, you will reach Nikolaiplatz with inviting street cafes, a
display case with a miniature city model of Villach from around 1649
and the bronze sculpture of a fool - the symbol of the Villach
carnival, which is well known beyond the national borders. In front
of the neo-Gothic Nikolaikirche with the Franciscan monastery
founded in 1629, another statue of "St. Francis of Assisi" adorns
the forecourt.
Heiligenkreuz Church, Ossiacher line 41. The
Heiligenkreuz Church is the most important sacred baroque building
in Carinthia. The church can be visited all year round. It is only
reserved for church visitors during services (Sun 9:00 a.m.).
Evangelical Church in the Stadtpark, Hohenheimstrasse 3. This church
should be mentioned here because Villach has a high percentage of
Evangelical population. Evangelical churches are always kept a bit
simpler, but from the outside this church is also quite handsome.
Pilgrimage Church of Maria Gail
Landskron castle ruins info-edit
The Landskron castle ruins are
located on the west bay of the Ossiacher See in the Landskron
district. This castle is particularly popular because of the eagle
observatory. Flight demonstrations take place here daily in summer.
From the Landskron castle ruins, you can also start hiking in the
surrounding area. Air shows take place daily at 11 a.m. and 3 p.m.
in May, June and September and daily at 11 a.m., 3 p.m. and 6 p.m.
in July and August. Entry to the castle ruins is free. However, if
you want to drive to the castle, you have to pay a toll of 2 euros.
Main square
It is a spacious street square with an area ratio of
one to eight. The complex dates from the 12th century, with slightly
curved building lines and a closed square wall, interrupted by narrow
alleys, the latter partly with candle arches (Ankershofengasse and
Karlgasse). There are also two historically significant buildings on the
main square, on the one hand the house where the doctor and philosopher
Paracelsus lived for a while and on the other hand the house where Anton
Ghon was born. Both buildings are located on the west side of the
square.
Pillory
A stone post is erected on the lower main
square in front of what was then the town hall. As early as the 15th
century, the pillory stood roughly at this point, which was chosen so
centrally that almost everyone had to walk past it. It was removed
around 1800, walled into the bank protection wall of the Draulände and
was considered lost for around 150 years. Only when this wall was
demolished on October 12, 1959 did the six-sided crowning of the former
pillory come to light again, and it was given a place in the courtyard
of the museum on Widmanngasse. The pillory that can be seen on the main
square is a copy. Unique among the many surviving Austrian pillory is
the pictorial representation of the possible penalties for certain
offences. Carved in stone on the pyramidal top are four draconian
punishments as a drastic deterrent: caning (whipping), chopping off a
hand, gouging out eyes, and cutting off an ear. In addition to the four
representations of corporal punishment, two other fields show legal
symbols: the scales as a symbol of justice and the sword arm as an
expression of market justice and the law of peace.
The medieval
punishment of a delinquent should not fail to have its effect, since
standing in the pillory represented a severe punishment. The offender,
who was tied to this post, was to be given a plaque on which his offense
was written, and would therefore have been exposed to the insults and
ridicule of passers-by without any protection. It was particularly
common for adulterers and thieves to endure being pilloried. The threat
of punishment should not have failed to have a deterrent effect in
Villach, as there are no records or reports of such being carried out.
Lederergasse
The alley is located in the north-west of the former
city wall in downtown Villach. It belongs to the district west of the
main square. The small street got its name after the craftsmen who had
their manufactories here. Today it is part of the city's pedestrian
zone.
High water marks
The buildings on the outside of
Lederergasse have been flooded several times over the centuries. Boards
in the alley showing the respective flood water levels testify to this
in an impressive way. In particular, the high water mark from 1567 at
house number 12 is particularly worth seeing. The last two major surges
of water hit Villach in 1966 and 1967. However, one can look forward to
any future floods with confidence, because the construction of the
Villach run-of-river power plant means that there are better regulation
options today than in the past.
Gamekeeper house
The Hegerhaus
was built as a late Gothic craftsman's house next to the upper Tränktor,
including the former city wall (north side). After severe damage in
World War II, the house fell into disrepair almost to the point of
demolition. In the years 1977 to 1978 it was saved from decay by Hilda
Heger and the architect DI Peter H. Kulterer, repaired and revitalized
inside and out.
Gerbergasse
While it was the leatherworkers on
the west side, it was the tanners on the east side who were the
inspiration for the naming of the alley parallel to the Drau River.
art and commemoration
Villach was the center of the Villach
school, a workshop for painting and woodcarving that produced
artistically designed works in the 15th and 16th centuries, mainly
sacred art (winged altar, fresco) in the late Gothic style. Its most
important representatives were Friedrich von Villach and his pupil
Thomas von Villach.
Currently in the 2020s, colorful umbrellas
have been stretched over some streets and a large red welcome heart has
been placed at the bottom of the main square.
The Villach Art
Museum is located in Leiningengasse. There are also a variety of art
galleries.
In the inner city area, many statues refer to
important personalities with a connection to Villach. The well-known
information boards used throughout Austria refer to monuments and
plaques on many buildings to the place of residence or the work of
important personalities.
Trinity Column. The Trinity Column is in the upper
third of the slightly rising main square and dates from 1739, from
which the city of Villach hoped for heavenly protection. Later, in
memory of the plague, the statues of Mary, St. Florian and St.
Rochus, the plague patron saint, were added.
Detour to the old
city wall. Widmanngasse, the former market center of the city, flows
up into Hans Gasser Platz, which has a monument by the Austrian
sculptor Hans Gasser and several magnificent houses from the turn of
the century (19th / 20th century). The old city wall is a special
piece of Villach's history. The old curtain wall could not withstand
the earthquake in 1348. It was later renovated until it was almost
completely demolished under French suzerainty. The part of the old
city wall that is still well preserved after the redesign of the
square is the massive bastion tower. You can reach the gate over a
small bridge. Here are some flak bullets behind a grille and a
memorial plaque and exhibits from the Museum of the City of Villach.
Via the Schanzgasse going off to the right you get back to
Widmanngasse.
Museum of the City of Villach,
Widmanngasse 38. Tel .: +43 (0) 4242 2053535. Exhibits dealing with
the history and art of Villach are shown here. Open: May 2 to
October 31: Tue - Sun 10 a.m. - 4.30 p.m.
Vehicle museum,
Ferdinand-Wedenig-Straße 9, 9500 Villach-Zauchen. Tel .: +43 (0) 676
4007125. There are 260 everyday vehicles built between 1927 and
1990. Open: daily 10 a.m. - 12 p.m. + 2 p.m. - 4 p.m.
Doll Museum
at Schlosspension Landskron, Schlossbergweg 1, A-9523
Villach-Landskron. Tel .: +43 (0) 4242 41704. Artfully designed
dolls are exhibited here. Open: May 1 - September 30, Sun - Fri 1
p.m. - 6 p.m., Sat closed.
Villach Clock Museum,
Ferdinand-Wedenig-Straße 9, 9500 Villach-Zauchen. Tel .: +43 (0) 676
4007125. The watchmaker, Mr. Rudolf Pirker senior, guides you
through the exhibition "Watches through the Centuries". Watches and
chronometers from centuries past are exhibited here. Expensive
one-offs, such as the pocket watch from Gutkaes and Lange - founders
of the Glashütte watch manufactures, Glashütte aviator chronographs,
column clocks and rare three-quarter striking mechanisms. Ship
chronometers, compasses and sextants for navigation on the high seas
can also be viewed.
Villach Radio Museum,
Ferdinand-Wedenig-Straße 9, 9500 Villach-Zauchen. Tel .: +43 (0) 676
4007125. Here you will find everything that makes a transistor heart
beat faster. From the detector receiver of the 1920s, the first tube
radios with loudspeakers to VHF and transistor radios. Furthermore,
the development of the hobby film camera through the decades is
presented with exclusive individual pieces.
TAF-TIMER car and
motorcycle museum, Udinestraße 43, 9500 Villach. Tel .: +43 (0) 664
7806600. An insider tip for all technology and car fans. Mercedes
Evo2, ChevroletC10, rare oldtimers / youngtimers, around 250
historical and current cars can be admired on an area of more than
4000 m².
Dinzlschloss, Schlossgasse 11, 9500 Villach-St.Martin.
Tel .: +43 (0) 205-3400. edit info
Main square. The Villach main square dominates the center. The main square has been the city's lifeline since the middle of the 12th century; Fairs and markets were held here. The war has left visible traces, as some post-war buildings are now closing the gaps between the historical facades. The Hauptlatz has been a pedestrian zone since 1988, which brought a lot of quality of life and the inviting street cafes fill up here on warm sunny days. Nobody here can escape the southern flair "Italianita" on the main square. It's a very long place. There are numerous castle houses on the main square. A highlight is house number 18, the Paracelsushof with a plaque commemorating the famous doctor, alchemist and philosopher Paracelus. Here father and son - Wilhem and Theophrastus von Hohenheim are immortalized on the east side in marble medallions.
Villacher Alpe. The Villacher Alpe (Dobratsch) as a whole is a beautiful nature park. Some time ago the ski lifts were removed and since then the mountain has been left to nature again. The Villach people use this nearby destination for relaxing walks in summer and for cross-country skiing in winter. edit info
Maibachl: These natural spring pools surrounded by greenery are 10 to
15 m higher than the thermal springs of Warmbad Villach, which have a
constant flow of water. It therefore needs the pressure of meltwater to
let the higher springs bubble up. Bathers can enjoy the Maibachl even
when there is prolonged, intense rainfall. In 2003 it was declared a
natural monument.
Hungerbach: A creek that flows very rarely and is
then also fed by thermal springs near the Maibachl.
Warmbach/Zillerbach: The Warmbach near Villach is the outflow of the
Warmbad thermal facility and is constantly at a temperature of around 24
°C. It is now the habitat of numerous fish from the tropics and
subtropics, which have been released there illegally for several
decades. In 2015, the University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences
was able to document around 50 different species of fish that currently
live in the river, including more than ten species of cichlids, as part
of a master's thesis.
In addition, cold water comes to light in
several places in Warmbad Villach. This occurs in the form of so-called
perennial sources (Roman source) and in the form of so-called periodic
sources (Studenza source).
Drobollacher Moor: Verlandungsmoor on the
western shore of Lake Faak in a moraine landscape.
Bösenmoos: flat
moor in Gratschach.
Buchenloch (Helenengrotte) near Warmbad.
Eggerloch: It is one of the largest caves in the limestone rock of the
Villacher Alpe (Dobratsch or here Tscheltschnigkogel) and is located
near Warmbad Villach.
Villach's natural shafts on the Dobratsch.
Landskron Castle Ruins Monkey Park. The monkey park is
right next to the Landskron castle ruins. The Japanese macaques live
in an outdoor enclosure. This park became famous shortly after its
opening when all the monkeys managed to escape. The whole of
Carinthia was then on the move and wanted to see the monkeys "in the
wild". However, we managed to recapture all the monkeys.
Adler
Arena castle ruins Landskron. Tel .: +43 4242 42888, +43 664 35 76
34 1 (mobile). The bird of prey observatory on the Landskron castle
ruins is a summer destination. In a 40-minute demonstration, you
will experience birds of prey flying freely in the sky - eagles,
buzzards, kites, hawks, sparrowhawks and old-world vultures - in the
ascent of the famous castle. After breathtaking flights, the birds
return to the falconer. The behavior and habits of these animals,
some of which are threatened, are explained in detail here. Open:
Air show times: April 21 - June 30, Mon - Fri 11 a.m. + 2.30 p.m.,
Sun + public holidays 11 a.m., 2.30 p.m. + 4.30 p.m. Price: € 6.50
for children (6-14); Adults € 13 or discounts on request.
Hike
The Dobratsch at 2166 m above sea level is
ideal for hiking, but other mountains and hills in the area are also
ideal for hiking. The Carinthian lakes, over 300 mountain peaks,
above all the Großglockner and perhaps the Adriatic Sea can be
admired from the summit when the weather is clear. The Dobratsch
Nature Park is 7,250 hectares in size and is a model region for
near-natural tourism, sustainable development, protection,
communication of nature and increasing regional added value. These
are the 4 pillars on which the nature park is built. Unique in
Europe, the former ski area was dismantled in 2002 and the mountain
returned to nature. To protect the flora and fauna as well as the
drinking water of the nature park communities. Since then, "Winter
in the Dobratsch Nature Park" has been inspiring with gentle,
natural use, such as ski tours and winter hiking. Peace and quiet
and enjoyment of nature instead of technology and artificial snow!
The nature park communities Arnoldstein, Bad Bleiberg, Nötsch im
Gailtal and the stately town of Villach are connected by the
Dobratsch circular hiking trail. A long-distance hiking trail that
brings hikers closer to the unique wealth of the region in four
daily stages. The vantage points are: the Sky Walk viewing platform
at the Rote Wand at parking lot 6 (1483 m) and the chamois and
summit view over the Rosstratte (1732 m) with relaxation loungers.
The modern info point in the 10er hut at (1956 m) offers great views
and insights into today's nature reserve. The Dobratsch is the basis
of the drinking water supply for the four surrounding nature park
communities. Nature is here for everyone and is therefore
particularly protected. In 1942 the Dobratsch was the first nature
reserve in Carinthia.
Cross-country skiing
On the
Dobratsch there is a wonderful natural trail that is groomed when
there is enough snow. At the ski jump in Villach there is a
cross-country ski run where, if there is a lack of snow, artificial
snow can be used.
Ice skating
Around Villach there are
some small lakes that are suitable for ice skating (for example the
Vassacher See). There is also a small artificial ice rink on
Rathausplatz that can be used free of charge.
Ice Hockey
If you want to play ice hockey actively, you can do so at Lake
Vassach, for example. If you would like to watch an ice hockey game,
you can do so in the Villach town hall on Tiroler Straße. This is
where Villacher SV plays its home games. In the case of derbies
against Klagenfurt, you should get your tickets in good time. Info:
EC VSV
Shopping
In Villach, the area around the main
square, Postgasse and Italienerstrasse are particularly suitable for
shopping. You can find everything you need in Villach. There are
sufficient food markets and shops in all parts of the city.
1
Atrio, Kärntner Strasse 34. The largest shopping center is located
at the intersection of the federal highways B 83 (Kärntner Straße)
and B 86 (Villacher Straße) with plenty of free parking on the
southern edge of the city, near the motorway exit Villach Warmbad,
towards Italy.
2 NEUKAUF Villach, Bruno-Kreisky-Straße 25.
NEUKAUF Villach is a shopping center with 500 free parking spaces.
There are 23 shops there and offer maximum selection. Open: Mon -
Fri 9 a.m. - 7.30 p.m., Sat 9 a.m. - 6 p.m.
Villach is one of the most important transport hubs in Austria.
This is where motorways and trains from Vienna, Italy, Slovenia,
Germany and western Austria meet.
By plane
You can arrive
by plane via Klagenfurt Airport. Trains to Villach run regularly
from Klagenfurt.
Another travel option is the airport in
Ljubljana, from where you can also reach Villach by train.
Both airports have only a small number of scheduled flights, so many
Carinthians avoid flights to Salzburg, Munich and Vienna.
By
train
Trains from Germany, Italy, Slovenia, Salzburg and Vienna
stop at Villach Central Station. With regional trains, Villach is
also well connected with the state capital Klagenfurt. The main
train station in Villach is very close to the center. The bus
station is opposite. Buses run within the city in the immediate
vicinity.
By bus
The bus station in Villach is located
opposite the main train station. The ÖBB Intercitybus runs daily
between Venice - Udine - Villach - Klagenfurt and between Trieste
and Villach. The comfortable double-decker bus takes you directly to
Austria. In Villach, the ÖBB Intercitybus stops right in front of
the main train station.
https://www.obb-italia.com/ab-italien/oebb-intercitybus.html
There you have connections to the trains to Vienna and Salzburg.
It is possible to travel to Villach by bus from Vienna - Klagenfurt
- Lienz.
With the ÖBB Intercity you can travel every 2 hours from
Vienna via Klagenfurt to Villach and back.
The ÖBB Railjet covers
the distance between Vienna Central Station and Klagenfurt in 3
hours 55 minutes.
By road
In Villach the Tauern Autobahn
(A10), from Salzburg, the Südautobahn (A2), from Vienna and Graz or
Italy Tarvis, Udine and the Karawanken Autobahn (A11) from Slovenia
meet. If you want to go to the center, you either take the Villach -
Ossiacher See (A10) exit or the Villach - Faaker See (A2) exit. If
you come from the A11, change briefly to the A10 or A2 (towards
Italy) and then take one of the two exits.
By boat
Shipping in Villach auf der Drau will be discontinued from September
2019. At the nearby Ossiachersee, a boat trip at the 1st boat
station in St.Andrä, Süduferstraße 65 in 9523 Landskron is highly
recommended. The timetable for the Ossiachersee shipping can be
found at
https://www.ossiachersee-schifffahrt.at/fahrplan
By
bicycle
Villach is the station of the Drauradweg;
https://www.routeyou.com/de-at/location/bike/47294370/fahrradfahren-in-villach-stadt-ubersicht-aller-fahrradrouten
Driving a car in Villach can be very nerve-wracking. Especially in the morning and in the late afternoon, progress in the center is very slow. In addition, all parking spaces in the center are short-term parking zones, subject to charges. However, there are several parking spaces where you can park longer. These are expensive. A good alternative is the Park & Ride - the Willroider car park on Drauboden - above the train station. You can park for free here. If you want to go to this parking lot, coming from the Ossiacher line you drive up to the right after the train station. If you come from the northern bypass, you have to turn left in front of the train station. From here you can walk to the center in about 15 minutes. In Villach you can get around publicly with line 10, which leaves the old town every half hour. You can commute between the main station and the Westbahnhof by train.
In Villach, the area around the main square, Postgasse and Italian
Street is particularly suitable for shopping. You can find everything
you need in Villach. Grocery markets and shops are plentiful in all
parts of the city.
1 Atrio, Kärntner Strasse 34. The largest
shopping center is located at the intersection of the federal roads B 83
(Kärntner Strasse) and B 86 (Villacher Strasse) with sufficient free
parking spaces on the southern edge of the city, near the Villach
Warmbad motorway exit in the direction of Italy.
2 NEUKAUF Villach,
Bruno-Kreisky-Straße 25. NEUKAUF Villach is a shopping center with 500
free parking spaces. There are 23 shops there and offer maximum
selection. Open: Mon - Fri 9am - 7.30pm, Sat 9am - 6pm.
3 case
Campingwelt Villach, Maria-Gailer-Strasse 59, 9500 Villach. Specialist
shop for camping, diving and fishing accessories. Camper and caravan
rental. Specialist workshop for campers. Open: Mon - Fri 9:00 - 18:00,
Sat 9:00 - 17:00.
The Villacher cake is decorated with the coat of arms of the city of
Villach, the eagle's claw. It consists of an almond-chocolate mass with
marzipan, sour cherries and various liqueurs.
Cheap
1 Der
Josef, Treffnerstrasse 100, 9500 Villach. Phone: +43 (0)4242 27 833,
fax: +43 (0)4242 27 833 8, e-mail: wirtshaus@josef-villach.at. It is the
rustic and cozy inn in Villach.
Middle
2 Villacher Brauhof,
Bahnhofstraße 8. Tel.: +43 (0)4242 242220. Good regional specialties are
offered in the Brauhof. You can also get the Villach beer here directly
from the brewery.
3 Stadtwirt Kramer, Italienerstraße 14. Tel.: +43
(0)4242 24619. The Kramer offers regional and Austrian dishes. The food
here is excellent and at a reasonable price.
4 Restaurant Delphi,
Lederergasse 5. Tel.: +43 (0)4242 287857. Greek restaurant right in the
center... A loving family business since 1996, where the lamb is
especially recommended.
5 star, Kaiser-Josef-Platz 5, 9500 Villach.
Phone: +43 4242-24755. Open: Mon – Thu 7 a.m. – 12 a.m., Fri 7 a.m. – 2
a.m., Sat 9 a.m. – 2 a.m.
Upscale
6 Restaurant & Bar LAGANA,
Europaplatz 2, 9500 Villach. Phone: +43 4242 22522, email:
info@hi-villach.at. The 2 toque gourmet restaurant in Villach, in the
Holiday Inn. Open: Wed – Sat 11.30 a.m. – 1.30 p.m. + 6.00 p.m. – 10.00
p.m.
7 Steakhouse Oxerei, Widmanngasse 30, 9500 Villach. Tel.: +43
(0)4242 215665. Steak & Burger meet Pasta & Pesce. Open: Tue – Fri 5
p.m. – 12 a.m. + Sat 12 p.m. – 12 a.m., kitchen: always until 11 p.m.
Villach is probably the best city for going out in Carinthia. Most of
it happens in the area around the main square (with all its side
streets). There are a particularly large number of bars on Lederergasse.
V-Club Villach, Bruno-Kreisky-Strasse 33, 9500 Villach. Consists of
the areas: Asia Club Dacefloor, Tanzarena Colosseum (Schlager, Foxtrot),
Bowling, Lounge (After Work Bar).
LOCO Sound Club, Lederergasse 15,
9500 Villach.
Havana Bar, Lederergasse 11, 9500 Villach.
Irish Bar
Villach, Lederergasse 22, 9500 Villach. one is not greeted in English,
but in the Carinthian dialect.
Middle
Café Per Du,
Rathausplatz 1. Tel.: +43 (0)4242 219900. The Per Du is mainly suitable
for drinking. There is a wide range of alcoholic beverages and delicious
cocktails are also available. Open: Mon – Sat 8.30 a.m. – 2 a.m., Sun 6
p.m. – midnight.
Upscale
Soho Bar, Freihausgasse 13. The Soho
Bar is a cocktail bar. The bar is very comfortably furnished and there
is a good selection of cocktails. Prices are reasonable for a cocktail
bar.
Hotel Goldenes Lamm Mag. Spendier GmbH, Hauptplatz No. 1, 9500
Villach. Phone: +43 4242 24105, fax: +43 4242 24105-56, email:
office@goldeneslamm.at. Feature: ★★★.
voco Villach, Europaplatz 1 -
2, 9500 Villach. Phone: +43 (0)4242-22522, email:
info@villach.vocohotels.com. Feature: ★★★★.
Hotel-Gasthof Kramer,
Italiener Strasse 14, 9500 Villach. Phone: +43 4242 24953, Fax: +43 4242
24953-3, Email: info@hotel-kramer.com.
Hotel Karnerhof, A-9580 Egg am
Faakersee. Phone: +43 4254-2188, fax: +43 4254-3650, email:
hotel@karnerhof.com.
3 Hotel eduCARE, Eichrainweg 7-9, 9521 Meeting
near Villach. Tel: +43 4248 29777. Feature: ★★★★. Check-in: 3:00 p.m.
Check out: 11:00 am.
Camping Gerli, Badstrasse 23, 9500 Villach.
Phone: +43 (0)424257402. l
Seecamping Mentl - Lauritsch family,
Ossiachersee Süduferstraße 265/267, 9523 Villach. Phone: +43
(0)424241886.
Excellent language courses are offered by: the Vocational Training
Institute (bfi) in the Parkhotel
https://www.bfi-kaernten.at/aut_de_html-5-standorte.php?pageId=bfi-villach-40
or the Villach Adult Education Center (VHS) in the Chamber of Labour.
Info: VHS Carinthia.
You can acquire special knowledge of Italian at
the Dante Alighieri Society in Villach at Postgasse 8/2.
http://www.dante-villach.at/
General information
Villach is a very safe city. If you talk to
older people, you are often warned not to go to Lederergasse at night.
But this seems to be more of a myth from days gone by. Of course, if you
mess with drunk people, something can happen, but that doesn't only
apply to Lederergasse.
Villach State Hospital, Nikolaigasse 43, 9500 Villach. Phone: +43 4242 2080, email: lkh.villach@kabeg.at . In the district of Villach-Warmad is the Warmbad Villach spa resort, the SKA, the special hospital rehabilitation Thermenhof and the SKA orthopedics; http://www.med-warmbad.at/Kurzentrum/
Tourist Information Villach, Bahnhofstrasse 3, 9500 Villach. Tel.:
+43 (0)4242 39993, e-mail:
tourismus.stadt@visitvillach.info They will also help you with
finding accommodation.
Tourist Information Drobollach,
Seeblickstrasse 80, 9580 Villach-Drobollach. Tel.: +43 (0)4254 2185,
e-mail:
tourismusinformation.drobollach@villach.at
All Austrian cell
phone networks work excellently in Villach. The main post office is
right next to Villach's main train station. The post office is also in
Postgasse, near the Parkhotel, during opening hours. From here you can
make phone calls and send faxes.
Geographical location
The urban area lies on the western edge of
the Klagenfurt Basin at the confluence of the Drau and the Gail. The
municipal area of Villach borders on or encloses several lakes,
including Ossiacher See, Faaker See, Silbersee, Vassacher See, Grünsee,
Magdalensee and Leonharder See.
Outline
The political district
of Villach (Stadt) is the administrative area of the statutory city at
district level.
Mountains and ridges
Dobratsch (2166 m above
sea level), Mittagskogel (2145 m above sea level), Dobrova (612 m above
sea level), Genottehöhe (567 m above sea level), Gerlitzen (1909 m above
sea level), Graschelitzen (728 m above sea level), Kumberg (774 m above
sea level), Kumitzberg (658 m above sea level), Landskron (6th 76 m
above sea level), Nieschach (733 m above sea level), Oswaldiberg (963 m
above sea level), Polana (660 m above sea level), Tscheltschnigkogel
(696 m above sea level), Wollanigberg (1174 m above sea level), Buchberg
(779 m above sea level).
The oldest finds of human traces in the Villach area date from the
late Neolithic period. Various finds come from Roman times (from 15 BC),
in which there was a place called Santicum near today's Villach. He is
believed to be near the thermal springs of Warmbad in the south. On the
other hand, a Roman customs station called Bilachinium, which was also
thought to be near Villach, was actually in the Kanaltal/Val Canale near
Camporosso/Saifnitz. Around the year 600, Slavic tribes immigrated and
founded the Slavic Principality of Carantania.
Around the year
740, Borouth, Duke of Carantania, appealed to Duke Odilo of Bavaria for
help against the Avars. This was also granted to him, but only against
the recognition of the Bavarian or Franconian suzerainty in Carantania.
In 878, the Carolingian King Carloman gave the royal court of Treffen to
the Bavarian monastery of Öttingen. The Villach Bridge and the name
Villach, which also comes from pre-Roman times, were first mentioned in
documents as ad pontem Uillach.
In 979 Emperor Otto II gave the
royal court of Villach as a fief to Bishop Albuin of Säben/Brixen. From
1007 to 1759, Villach was owned by the Bishopric of Bamberg.
In 1060 Villach received market rights, in the following time the
market settlement grew into a fully developed city; Villach has been
documented as such since 1240 at the latest. The city suffered severe
damage from earthquakes on January 25, 1348 and December 4, 1690. A
battle near Villach is said to have been fought against the invading
Turks in 1492, which is not historically documented. After the
Reformation came to Carinthia around 1526, Villach became the Carinthian
center of Protestantism. During the Counter-Reformation around 1600,
many Protestants from Villach emigrated. This led to a temporary
economic decline in the city.
In 1759, Empress Maria Theresa of
Austria bought Villach along with all other Bamberg possessions in
Carinthia. The purchase price agreed with the Prince-Bishopric of
Bamberg was 1 million guilders. Contrary to a widespread misconception,
the assessment and payment of the purchase price has been carried out
accurately. In the course of the Theresian reforms, Villach became the
seat of a district administration along with Klagenfurt and Völkermarkt.
During the Napoleonic period (1809 to 1813), Villach was a district
town within the French Illyrian provinces. During this time the medieval
city fortifications were demolished. The city was reconquered by Austria
in the summer of 1813, causing serious damage to the city's buildings.
In 1852, the rest of the former municipal military organization was
dissolved with the Citizens' Guard.
In 1880 the municipality of
Villach had 6104 inhabitants. Of these, 5,475 spoke German (90%) and 30
spoke Slovenian (0.5%).
During the First World War, Villach had the character of a frontline
town due to its proximity to hostile Italy; from 1915 to 1917 the
headquarters of the command of the 10th k.u.k. Army.
On January
1, 1932, Villach became an autonomous city with its own statute. At the
same time, Villach took over the tasks of the district administration.
After the annexation of Austria, Jewish property was destroyed,
expropriated, expelled and physically attacked in Villach during the
Night of Broken Glass. The Villach resistance fighters against the Nazi
regime Heinrich Brunner, Valentin Clementin, Rosa Eberhard, Milan Jelic,
Margarete Jessernig, Maria Peskoller, Erich Ranacher and Josef Ribitsch
were sentenced to death on December 18, 1944 by Roland Freisler, the
President of the People's Court, and executed with a guillotine on
December 23, 1944 in Graz.
During World War II, the Allies flew
37 air raids on Villach. About 42,500 bombs were dropped, damaging 85%
of the city's buildings. After Wiener Neustadt, Villach was one of the
most damaged cities in Austria.
As part of the Alpine Convention,
Villach was named the first Alpine Town of the Year in 1997 and received
a Europe-wide award in 2014 for its commitment to environmental
protection and renewable energies.
In 2014, Villach was awarded
the honorary title of Reformation City in Europe by the Community of
Evangelical Churches in Europe.
In 1905 part of the municipality of St. Martin was incorporated. In 1973, the urban area grew again through the incorporation of the villages of Landskron, Maria Gail and Fellach and has thus reached its current size.
On January 1, 2009, 58,949 people lived in Villach, of whom 6,961 or
11.8% were foreigners. A total of 8898 people or 15.1% were born abroad.
The majority of foreign-born people came from the countries of the
former Yugoslavia (3940 people or 6.7% of the total population), the
next largest group were Germans (1642 people or 2.8% of the total
population).
The population of the city of Villach is growing and
reached 60,004 inhabitants on January 1, 2014. Around 10,000 people or
around 17% of the Villach population did not have Austrian citizenship
as of January 1, 2018. A total of 12,648 people (that is 20.4% of the
Villach population) were not born in Austria (note: “population with a
migration background” without children born in Austria).
As of
January 1, 2019, 62,243 people lived in Villach, of which 11,942
residents did not have Austrian citizenship (corresponding to 19.2%) and
13,050 Villachers were born abroad (corresponding to 21% of the Villach
population).
According to data from the Villach registration office, the following
figures on religious affiliation resulted as of December 31, 2016, based
on voluntary information provided by 55,591 residents (population
according to ZMR of October 31, 2016: 61,833):
Roman Catholic: 28,877
(51.9% of respondents)
Evangelical Church A. & H. B.: 6,681 (12.0% of
A.)
Islam: 4,656 (8.4% of date)
Without confession: 15,377 (27.7%
of the year)
In January 2017, according to the Carinthian State
School Board, 49% of compulsory school children in Villach were Roman
Catholic, 20% Muslim and 15.1% Protestant.
In Villach there are around 80 sports clubs where over 60 sports can
be practiced. The sports facilities in Villach include the Villach town
hall, the Landskron sports center, the Lind stadium, the St. Martin
sports hall, the Lind ball game hall, the Villach climbing hall and
seven other sports and special halls. In addition, there are currently
four other sports and soccer fields, nine trend sports facilities and 21
tennis courts.
The Villach section is one of the largest sections
of the Austrian Alpine Club.
The Salzsteigweg, an Austrian
long-distance hiking trail, runs through Villach. With the Drau Cycle
Path R1, the Ossiacher See Cycle Path R2 and the Carnic Cycle Path R3,
several national cycle paths lead through the city area.
The sporting figurehead of the city is the ice hockey club EC VSV,
which has been playing in the highest Austrian league, the multinational
ICE Hockey League, since 1977 and has won the title of Austrian champion
six times, most recently in 2006. The Carinthian ice hockey derby with
the EC KAC from Klagenfurt is considered the oldest and the most famous
duel in Austrian ice hockey. The VSV plays its home games in the
Stadthalle Villach.
Other sports clubs that are currently
represented in the respective Bundesliga are the table tennis club TTC
CarinthiaWinds (1st Bundesliga), the basketball club of the Panaceo
Raiders (2nd Bundesliga) and the floorball club VSV Unihockey (1st
Bundesliga).
The Villach Alpenarena, a ski jump and cross-country ski run at the foot of the Dobratsch, is a sports center that was built to practice Nordic skiing sports. In addition to cross-country skiing, Nordic combined and special jumping can be actively practiced there. The Alpenarena has already been the venue for a World Cup ski jumping competition seven times. In addition, there will be a competition in the Ski Jumping Continental Cup. The ski jumping facility includes four ski jumps from K15-K90.
Road Cycling World Championships 1987
Waterski World Championship
1991 (Silver Lake)
Kickboxing World Championship 2009 (WAKO,
Stadthalle)
XVI International fire brigade competitions 2017, which
are held every four years by the world fire brigade association CTIF in
one city (Lind sports stadium, park of the Old Park Hotel).
The bike
course of the annual Ironman Austria leads through the city of Villach.
Crux Run Villach since 2018. Obstacle course through the center of
Villach.
As of May 15, 2001, 3234 companies employed 32,133 people in Villach.
15 companies with more than 200 employees each are large companies.
The register census of Statistics Austria from October 31, 2011
shows a strong increase in the number of companies and employees in
Villach. Accordingly, as of October 31, 2011, there were 4,687
workplaces (companies) in the city of Villach with a total of 36,884
employees (of which 33,831 are dependent employees).
8825 Villach
commute to work. In return, 18,225 commuters from outside of Villach
come to work every day.
Villach is traditionally the most important industrial location in
Carinthia and has a number of large industrial companies.
In
1970, Siemens AG started producing diodes in Villach. In 1979 the first
wafer production started and the development center for microelectronics
was founded. A steady expansion of the location in Villach followed, so
that Siemens has become one of the largest employers in Villach. Since
the year 2000, Infineon Technologies AG, which emerged from the Siemens
semiconductor division, has managed the Villach location as a competence
center for automotive and industrial electronics and as the main
location of Infineon Technologies Austria AG. Infineon announced in 2018
that it intends to further upgrade the site with another plant that is
scheduled to go into operation in 2021 for 1.6 billion euros. On
September 19, 2021 this plant was opened.
The decline of the
Magdalen pulp mill at the end of the 1980s was accompanied by a scandal
that deeply shook Carinthian state politics at the time.
The tpv
Technologiepark Villach is considered to be a kind of high-tech hub in
the Alps-Adriatic region. The settlement was carried out with the
strategic objective of bundling teaching, research and development at
one location. The content of the park focuses on the areas of
(micro)electronics, renewable energy, geoinformation, information and
communication technology. Central institutions of the park are u. a. the
Carinthia University of Applied Sciences, one of three locations of
Silicon Austria Labs (formerly Carinthian Tech Research) and Micronas
Villach Semiconductor Development GmbH.
With the takeover of the
SEZ company by the American group Lam Research in 2008, Villach also has
a branch of an American high-tech group.
With the Vereinigte
Kärntner Brauereien AG, which sells beer brands such as Villacher beer
and the traditional Klagenfurt brand Haul beer, a traditional company
known beyond Carinthia is based in Villach.
Imerys Fused Minerals Villach (formerly Treibacher Schleifmittel),
production of synthetic corundum, including a separate research center
Imerys Technology Center Austria in Villach.
3M Villach (formerly
Rappold Winterthur), production of grinding and cutting wheels
Flowserve Villach, manufacture of control valves for pipelines and other
pipelines
Henelit, production of lacquers
ABC contract
manufacturing, contract manufacturer in the areas of machining,
plastics, mechatronics, assembly and textiles
Ressmann Vehicle
Construction
Sto Villach, production of reinforcement and filler, as
well as facade adhesive
Ortner clean room technology, furnishing and
equipment of clean rooms
Villach is one of 24 municipalities in Austria (as of March 2019)
that have received the highest award from the e5 municipality energy
project. The e5 community project aims to promote the implementation of
a modern energy and climate policy at the community level.
The
Villach power plant is located in Villach. Originally built by ÖDK, it
is now operated by Verbund and, together with the Paternion power plant
and the Kellerberg power plant, is part of the Obere Drau power plant
chain. In addition, the backwater from the Rosegg power plant extends
into the municipal area. Although the Schütt power plant is located
entirely in the municipality of Arnoldstein, it routes its water around
the upper section of the Gail in Villach.
Due to Villach's geographical proximity to Italy, where state-controlled brothels are banned, prostitution in Villach has long been a lucrative industry. In the meantime, up to 200 women were working in a dozen brothels in the city. In order to be able to prevent this, the so-called Prostitution Restriction Ordinance was passed by the city administration in April 2014. It provides for a 300-meter protection zone around kindergartens, schools, churches and cemeteries for brothels in the old town. In these zones, the business licenses already granted to brothels were not renewed. From 2014 to January 2019, this measure by the city administration reduced the number of establishments in Villach from twelve to two.
The city of Villach has been an important traffic junction in Carinthia since its beginnings. This is also proven by the well-preserved remains of the so-called Roman route in the Warmbad district.
Villach is one of the most important railway junctions in Austria.
Several railway lines converge here: the Drautalbahn from San
Candido-Innichen in South Tyrol via Lienz, Spittal, Villach main
station, Klagenfurt main station to Marburg an der Drau (Maribor) in
Slovenia, the Rudolfsbahn from Amstetten or Sankt Valentin and Bruck an
der Mur via Sankt Veit an der Glan, Feldkirchen in Carinthia to Tarvisio
(Italy) and the Karawankenbahn to Jesenice (Aßling) in Slovenia.
In local transport, Villach is a central hub for the Carinthian S-Bahn.
Since December 12, 2010, line S1 has run every half hour to Klagenfurt
and every hour to Spittal an der Drau on weekdays. Since December 2011,
Villach has been served hourly by line S2, which runs from Feldkirchen
via Villach to Rosenbach.
The city has the following train
stations and stops:
Villach main station S-Bahn Carinthia S-Bahn
Carinthia S-Bahn Carinthia
Villach Westbahnhof S-Bahn Carinthia
S-Bahn Carinthia
Villach Hauptbahnhof-Ostbahnhof car loading point
(for car trains to south-eastern Europe and Germany)
Villach Warmbad
S-Bahn Carinthia S-Bahn Carinthia
Villach Seebach S-Bahn Carinthia
Villach St. Ruprecht S-Bahn Carinthia
Villach Landskron S-Bahn
Carinthia
Villach St. Magdalen (planned)
The main station in
Villach is the most frequented, the other stations and stops are
important stations for local transport. From the car loading station at
Ostbahnhof, there are mainly connections to Southeast Europe (e.g. the
Optima Express to Edirne in Turkey or car trains[60] to other European
countries, especially to Germany).
The large Villach-Süd
marshalling yard is in the Fürnitz area. This is the second largest
marshalling yard in Austria after the central marshalling yard in
Vienna-Kledering. Traditionally, a not inconsiderable proportion of the
Villach population is employed by the Austrian Federal Railways (ÖBB).
The central railway office for southern Austria is located in Villach.
In addition, the new operations management center for Carinthia and
Styria, which has been in operation since spring 2012, is located in
Villach. This is used to remotely control the ÖBB main network in both
federal states (around 870 kilometers of track).
At the Villach junction, the A2 south autobahn, which runs from
Vienna via Graz and Klagenfurt to Italy, crosses the A10 Tauern autobahn
and the A11 Karawanken autobahn. The Tauern Autobahn connects Villach
with Salzburg and Germany. The Karawanken Autobahn connects Villach with
Slovenia.
Motorway exits
Villach Ossiacher See (North) - leads
to the northern bypass or to the Ossiacherzeile
Villach West - leads
via the Drautal Straße (B 100) to the northern bypass
Villach Faaker
See (south-east) - leads via Mariagailer Straße to Ossiacher Zeile
Villach Warmbad (south) - leads via the Kärntner Straße (B 83) to the
center or to the western bypass
The Kärntner Straße (B 83), which
leads from Klagenfurt to Italy, runs south-east outside the city center
through Villach and is one of the main access roads to Villach. In the
eastern part of the city, Ossiacher Strasse (B 94) branches off from B
83 and continues into the Sankt Veit district to Friesacher Strasse (B
317). In the north, Drautal Straße (B 100) branches off from Ossiacher
Straße, which then runs west to Villacher Straße (B 86). The B 100 then
leads to Spittal an der Drau, East Tyrol and on to Italy. As a western
bypass, Villacher Strasse connects the Drautal Strasse B 100 and the
Kärntner Strasse B 83. The B 86 and B 83 intersect in a well-developed
plan-free junction. These streets form a ring road around the center of
Villach. Finally, Faakersee Straße (B 84) connects Lake Faaker See with
Villach.
There are currently around 4,480 parking spaces in Villach, of
which 2,490 are private, metered parking spaces and 840 metered
public parking spaces, 790 metered public parking spaces in
short-term parking zones and 360 free parking spaces in short-term
parking zones. There is a twenty-minute parking time throughout the
city center, which can be used free of charge. Since January 2019,
you can park for free in the short-term parking zones in the city
center on Saturdays from 09:00 a.m. In addition, the loading zones
can also be used as parking spaces from 10:00 a.m.
As a
supplement to the 45 parking ticket machines set up in the
short-term parking zone, it has been possible since 2011 to buy
parking tickets using a mobile phone (mobile phone parking). Another
option is the CityBonus system. After every purchase, points can be
loaded onto a key fob or card in around 100 shops in the city center
and converted into parking time at any parking ticket machine in the
city centre. The system was used by 15,000 people in 2018.
The regular bus service in the city area is operated by the Villach
transport company Kowatsch. The city buses also connect the city center
and the main train station with the outskirts of Villach. The main
station is the hub of national and international train connections and
the rapid transit lines S1, S2 and S4 and the regional bus lines in the
directions of Drautal, Gegental, Gailtal, Rosental, to Lake Wörthersee,
to the area around Villach and to Italy. The S1 runs every 30 minutes
from Spittal an der Drau via Klagenfurt to Sankt Veit an der Glan and
then every hour to Friesach. The S2 runs every hour via Faak am See to
Rosenbach and every hour via Feldkirchen in Carinthia to St. Veit an der
Glan. The S4 runs via Arnoldstein to Hermagor.
The Kowatsch bus
lines serve the following lines:
Line 1: Hochfeldstraße -
Hauptbahnhof - KTS/SKA (via Therme Warmbad)
Line 2: Vassach -
Hauptbahnhof - Völkendorf - Infineon
Line 3: Central Station - State
Hospital - Central Cemetery - Technology Park - Ortisei
Line 4:
Central Station - ATRIO - Auen
Line 5A: Main station - St. Martin -
Untere Fellach - VEZ
Line 5B: Main station - Stadthalle - Neue
Fellach - Goritschach - St.Georgen - Pogöriach - Fellach - VEZ
Line
6: Central Station - State Hospital - Central Cemetery (KELAG
settlement) - Maria-Gailer-Straße - Infineon - KTS/SKA
Line 7:
Vassach - Hauptbahnhof - Infineon
Line 8: Technology Park - BHF
Seebach - Hauptbahnhof - Infineon - Tschinowitsch
Line 9: main
station - Judendorf - Möltschach
Line 18: Central Station - Federaun
- Unterschütt - Oberschütt
Line 50: October 10th Street - Central
Station - Annenheim - Sattendorf am Ossiachersee
In Villach, cycling is possible throughout the city, including in the
pedestrian zones of the old town. The city's cycle path network already
covers more than 120 km and includes several national cycle paths. For
example, the R1 Drau cycle path with a length of around twelve
kilometers leads through the city, the R2 cycle path from Seebach to
Heiligengestade with around eight kilometers and the Carnic cycle path
R3 starting at the R1 at the Seebach estuary to Unterschütt. In 2016,
the "areaone" mountain bike practice area was opened on the Kumitzberg.
There, mountain bikers can choose from six different mountain bike
practice trails and a practice area for riding technique courses with
different obstacles and different levels of difficulty.
The city
has had a bicycle coordinator since 2017, whose responsibilities include
finding solutions to make the bike lanes more cyclist-friendly and
optimizing the network of cycle paths. By April 2018, 800 parking spaces
with bicycle racks had already been created.
In addition to the existing promotion of electromobility, such as
free parking, the city has also been supporting the purchase of electric
vehicles, electric scooters and e-bikes since September 2016. In 2015,
Tesla Motors Austria GmbH and Kelag opened Austria's largest e-charging
station on Maria-Gailer-Straße.
There are currently two car
sharing offers in Villach. On the one hand as part of the ÖBB Rail&Drive
program directly at the main station. On the other hand from Motor
Mayerhofer at the locations Hans-Gasser-Platz, Westbahnhof and
Hauptbahnhof.
Since June 15, 2019, there has also been an
e-scooter rental system in Villach from the provider TIER, who chose
Villach as the first non-state capital for their rental system. There
are currently 90 electric scooters between 7 a.m. and 10 p.m. at 30
locations in Villach. After a one-time registration with the provider's
app, the locations of the scooters can be used for a fee. At night, the
scooters are collected and recharged.
As an important traffic junction, Villach already had a stone bridge
over the Drau during Roman times and was first documented as a bridge
location in 878. During the High Middle Ages, the so-called "oblique
passage" from Vienna to Venice, as one of the most important transit
routes in Central Europe, led through Villach. The Villach Drau Bridge
was also topographed in 1649 in the Topographia Germaniae by Matthäus
Merian.
The city of Villach is responsible for 127 bridge
structures with a total area of 26 km², which together span around 3.3
km.
The Villach bridge maintenance department (BMV) looks after
the only stock of temporary bridge equipment for disaster control in
Carinthia. All temporary bridge material is owned by the state of
Carinthia and is installed at the place of use by the army or the staff
of the Villach bridge maintenance department, if necessary.
The
red Friedensbrücke is one of Villach's landmarks and was built in 2004
as part of the commercial and industrial development in Villach (GAV).
It connects the St. Magdalen district with the southern autobahn and was
awarded the state building prize in 2005.
The Villach waterworks is a municipal company and obtains around 80%
of its drinking water from the karst massif of the Dobratsch, where the
water comes to the surface at more than 400 liters per second via the
Union and Thomas springs. The remaining 20 percent comes from the
Urlaken groundwater field, the gravelly aquifer of the neighboring
valley. With the groundwater well in the St. Magdalen district, there
are also sufficient reserves for the emergency water supply. In
addition, around 450,000 m³ of drinking water are fed in every year to
maintain the bathing water quality in Lake Vassach and Lake St.
Leonhard.
The municipal network consists of around 315 km of
pipelines and an additional 177 km of connection lines. 14 elevated
tanks with a total capacity of around 24,000 m³ ensure the balance
between the so-called water supply and the water requirement. In
addition, over 800 hydrants are available for extinguishing water
purposes. The per capita consumption in Villach is around 130 liters of
water (household and commercial). Around 10,000 water meters are
installed to record water consumption in households. All drinking water
supply systems are automatically monitored centrally from the control
room in the waterworks' operations building.
Subsequent treatment
of the city's drinking water is not necessary due to its high quality.
In principle, it could be delivered to its customers without any
chemical treatment. However, for reasons of prevention, disinfection has
been carried out by a UV system in the "Obere Fellach" headwaters since
1992. This physical disinfection process for drinking water, which has
been officially recognized since 1989, made the city of Villach a
pioneer in Austria with regard to this environmentally friendly method
of treating drinking water.
In addition, as part of the
implementation of the drinking water emergency supply concept for the
city of Villach, a mobile drinking water packaging system, two mobile
drinking water tanks each with a capacity of 400 liters, two group taps
and two power generators were purchased. In view of the fact that there
are only four drinking water packaging machines of the same type in
Austria, in addition to the so-called storage support for the Villach
population, this also has national importance in terms of disaster
control.
For many centuries, Villach's historical water supply
was based on the use of the city's groundwater. In addition to numerous
public wells and domestic wells, there was a network of underground
wooden pipes, first attested in 1452, which carried water from a spring
into the city. This system lasted until the 19th century, when the pipe
network was replaced by lead and later cast iron pipes. In 1874, a
pressure line with a pipe network was created in the streets of the city
and increased outlets with hydrants.
Due to the sharp increase in
water consumption, the sources of the Fellacher Bach were tapped for
water supply from 1909. However, the older supply lines and springs in
the St. Martin district were still used until 1990. Due to the increased
water demand in the St. Leonhard district, deep wells were built, which
were connected to the supply network in 1942.
Since 1964 there
has been a permit under water law to use the entire Union and Thomas
springs in Villach. However, protected areas have been established in an
area around the springs. The Thomas spring was tapped with several
drilled wells and introduced into the source room of the Union spring.
From December 1966, the water from the Unionquelle was fed into the
supply network. The supply of water to the districts of Landskron and
Fellach was taken over by the city of Villach in the course of the
merger of the municipalities in Carinthia from 1973. In the period from
1989 to 1992, a new fountain was built in the district of Urlaken and in
1993 the Kern, Esel and Schlossbrunnen springs were closed.
In
1997, the Reßmann spring and the Oswaldiberg spring were removed from
the city's drinking water supply network. The water supply for the
Wollanig district was taken over by the city's waterworks in 1997. In
the years that followed, the district of Wollanig was integrated into
the supply area of the Union and Thomas springs. Since that time, the
so-called water resources of the former Ober- and Unterwollanig water
cooperative (Mashowen, Dorf, Anger, Zertitz, Kapritzl and
Holzwandlquelle) have no longer been used for the constant supply of
drinking water. The water supply for the village of Mittewald, with the
source of the Barbara spring, also went to the waterworks in 1998.
After a construction period of 15 months, the 16 km long district heating transport line from the waste incineration plant in Arnoldstein to Villach was put into operation in September 2018. This line transports around 100 million kWh of heat to Villach per year, which corresponds to around half of the city's district heating requirements. This means that around 90% of the heating requirement in Villach can now be covered from renewable energy sources. Conventional energy sources such as natural gas are only used to cover peak periods and as a reserve. Kelag has invested around 16 million euros in the district heating transmission line, in the heat transfer station in the Warmbad district and in network adjustments. Other primary energy sources for district heating in Villach are the Kelag biomass heating plant in the St. Agathen district, the waste heat from Omya in Weißenstein, the waste heat from a private biomass power plant in the Untere Fellach district and, to a lesser extent, landfill gas from Finkenstein and solar energy.
More than 99% of Villach's construction projects are connected to the
city's approximately 400 km long sewer network, which transports the
sewage to the biological treatment plant in the St. Agathen district.
The sewerage area is operated by the city of Villach (Innere Stadt,
Fellach) and the water associations Faaker See (Maria Gail) and
Ossiacher See (Landskron).
The Civil Engineering Department of
the Villach Municipality is responsible for the expansion, general
renovation and maintenance of the sewage system. In 2018/19, a
comprehensive status report was prepared for the canal and thousands of
manholes. This was last done in 1996/97. From 1998 to 2018, around 15
million euros were invested in the renovation of the sewer network.
In the fully biological sewage treatment plant in the St. Agathen
district, which has been in operation since 1997 and has a purification
rate of more than 95 percent, not only the sewage from the city of
Villach but also the sewage from the area of the Faaker See sewage
association and, in part, that of the Ossiacher See sewage association
and those of the municipalities of Hohenthurn, Afritz, Arnoldstein,
Bleiberg and Arriach are treated. With the degree of purification
achieved by cleaning, the cleaned wastewater can be discharged into the
Drau without hesitation. With an expansion size of 200,000 PE and an
average annual cleaning capacity of approx. 13 million cubic meters of
waste water, the Villach sewage treatment plant is one of the ten
largest municipal sewage treatment plants in Austria.
The Villach Police Commissariat is located in Trattengasse in Villach
as a branch of the Carinthian State Police Headquarters. This acts as a
security authority in the city of Villach. In addition to a police
inspectorate, a police detention center, the city police command and the
traffic inspectorate, an operational criminal service is also housed
there. In addition, there are five other police stations in the city
area on the main square, in the main station (border and immigration
police) and in the Atrio shopping center, as well as in the districts of
Landskron and Neufellach. There is also a motorway police station in
Landskron. The VIPER (Villach Police Deployment Reserve) acts as a
special unit in the city area. City police commander has been Colonel
Erich Londer since 2005.
To maintain security, the city of
Villach relies on shorter police patrol intervals and locally limited
video surveillance in connection with the provision of emergency
telephones. To combat the spread of graffiti, the city is providing
space for legal spraying, as well as funding from the city's arts
budget.
There are three barracks of the Austrian Armed Forces in Villach, in
which two full battalions are currently stationed. Pioneer Battalion 1
is located in the Rohr barracks in the Villach-Seebach district and in
the Hensel barracks in the Villach-Obere Fellach district. Its members
are known as the "Villach Pioneers". They can already look back on a
long history steeped in tradition. The "Villach Pioneers" are often used
to support disaster operations in the province of Carinthia, and in the
case of major disasters even throughout Austria. In addition, the
battalion has so-called cadre presence forces for deployments abroad.
The command support battalion 1 (telecommunications unit) is located
in the Lutschounig barracks in the Italian street, which reports
directly to the armed forces command. The association can be used
"closed" or in the form of "modules". Depending on the requirements of
the respective operation, the association can also be supported in the
field of information and communication technology by its own troop of
soldiers.
According to the 2017 crime statistics, the clear-up rate for all crimes in Villach was 52 percent (2016: 46 percent). In addition, there was not a single drug or traffic fatality. Among those offenses that increased the most were basement burglaries, drug offenses with so-called light drugs and so-called cybercrime.
In the Kasernengasse in Villach is the district fire brigade commando
Villach-Stadt, which also houses the voluntary main fire station Villach
as well as a local office of the mountain rescue service and the water
rescue service. There is also an operation site for the Carinthian cave
rescue service in Villach.
There are a total of 21 volunteer fire
brigades in Villach as well as Infineon's company fire brigade. In 2013,
the fire services had a strength of 874 active members with 48 vehicles,
who were deployed on 719 missions, including 96 fires. 322 other people
were non-active members, reservists and members of the fire brigade
youth.
The district office of the Austrian Red Cross is located
in Dreschnigstraße and the rescue center of the Arbeiter-Samariter-Bund
in Seebacher Allee.
The Villach State Hospital, which opened on October 4, 1891, has
eleven departments and four institutes with more than 1700 employees. In
December 2003, the LKH Villach was the first general acute care hospital
in Austria to be accredited by the Joint Commission International and
thus meets the highest international standards of quality assurance and
patient orientation. The LKH has been extensively renovated and rebuilt
since 2017. Around 80 million euros will be invested in the
"Restructuring Construction Stage 1" project by 2021. With more than
32,000 patients a year, of which more than 5,300 are treated as
inpatients, Trauma Surgery Villach is the largest care unit in
Carinthia. In addition, the LKH, with the special hospital in the
Villach-Warmbad district, which has been affiliated since 1992, has the
largest orthopedic department in Carinthia.
There is also a
private clinic in the Villach-Warmbad district.
There are three municipal cemeteries in Villach. The central cemetery is the largest among them and also has numerous graves of honor and a military cemetery. Other cemeteries are the cemetery in the district of St. Martin and the forest cemetery, which is also the location of the only crematorium in the province of Carinthia. It was built between 1952 and 1953 according to plans by the architect Erich Boltenstern. It is currently operated by Bestattung Kärnten GmbH, which arose from the merger of funeral homes from the cities of Villach and Klagenfurt. In January 2016, the 50,000th cremation took place.
General education schools
2 high schools (BG/BRG Peraustraße and
BG/BRG St. Martiner Straße)
4 new secondary schools (Auen, Lind,
Völkendorf, Landskron)
13 public elementary schools
2 private
elementary schools with public rights (Waldorf and ABC Trinity)
12
kindergartens
vocational schools
Center for Human Vocational
Schools (HBLA for economic professions, artistic design, fashion and
design, communication and media design)
HTL Villach, higher technical
federal teaching and research institute in Villach for building
construction and civil engineering, interior design, IT
Carinthian
Tourism School (KTS)
Vocational college for communication and media
design in CHS-Villach
Federal Commercial Academy and Federal
Commercial School Villach
3 vocational schools
polytechnic
University
Carinthia University of Applied Sciences with courses in
the fields of economics, geoinformation, mechanical engineering and
systems engineering
Other educational institutions
Special
school for the severely disabled
Music school in Villach
Vital
Academy Villach
Vocational advancement institute bfi
Economic
Development Institute WIFI
Paracelsus Academy Villach
School of
Health and Nursing
The first Villach mayoral election took place in 1588 and was won by
Michael Grundtner. In the office of mayor, individual councilors often
took turns, so that the same person was often elected mayor several
times. In the Middle Ages, the mayors belonged to the city patriciate
and in the following 16th and 17th centuries they almost always belonged
to the trade and crafts class.
The mayor holds the highest
municipal office and is directly elected every six years by the
residents who are entitled to vote. Günther Albel has been the 91st
mayor of Villach since 2015. His predecessor, Helmut Manzenreiter, was
in office from 1987, making him the longest-serving mayor in the city's
history.
Mayor since 1945:
1945 to 1951: Viktor Petschnik
1951 to 1956: Jakob Sereinigg
1956 to 1968: Gottfried Timmerer
1968 to 1976: Josef Resch
1976 to 1981: Jakob Mörtl
1981 to 1987:
Leopold Hrazdil
1987 to 2015: Helmut Manzenreiter
since 2015:
Günther Albel
The supreme body of the city is the Villach municipal council, which
is elected directly by the population every six years and consists of 45
members. Unless the city law provides otherwise, it has a quorum when
the mayor and at least half of the members (23 members) of the municipal
council are present. A two-thirds majority (30 members) is required for
certain resolutions.
On February 28, 2021, GR elections took
place in Carinthia.
The municipal council is composed as follows:
25 SPÖ
7 FPÖ
6 ÖVP
5 Responsibility Earth
2 GREEN
The Villach city senate consists of the mayor as chairman, two deputy
mayors and four city councillors, who were elected by the municipal
council. The city senate generally advises on all matters that are to be
submitted to the municipal council for resolution. The meetings take
place in the presence of the municipal director and are not open to the
public. The number of members of the city senate was reduced from 9 to 5
in 1997 and increased again to 7 in 2003.
On April 9, 2021, the
city senate of the city of Villach was sworn in based on the election
results of February 28, 2021. This is made up as follows:
Mayor
Günther Albel (SPÖ)
1st Deputy Mayor Sarah Katholnig (SPÖ) since
March 11, 2022, before that Irene Hochstetter-Lackner
2nd Deputy
Mayor Gerda Sandriesser (SPÖ)
City Councilor Harald Sobe (SPÖ)
City Councilor Christian Pober (ÖVP)
City Councilor Gerald Dobernig
(EARTH)
City Councilor Erwin Baumann (FPÖ)
Blazon: “The city coat of arms shows a downward-pointing black eagle
fang in the triangular shield in the yellow field; the shank, which is
rounded at the top, is feathered to the left in a heraldic manner, and
the strong claws rest on a black rock rising up from the tip of the
shield.”
Justification for the coat of arms: From the coat of
arms history: The use of a seal in Villach can be proven up to the year
1240. The surviving fragment of a document dated April 12, 1240 is the
oldest evidence of a city seal in Austria and also the earliest example
of a municipal coat of arms. Due to the use of the shield, it is assumed
that Villach used the coat of arms of a town judge or another person of
the bishopric here; this is also supported by the similarity of the coat
of arms with that of the lords of Finkenstein.
Around 1270 a new
typar (seal stamp) was made, the imprint of which is first documented in
a document dated March 5, 1282 and which was used into the 18th century.
The four-clawed eagle fang was shown here sitting on a rock. Details of
the motif were repeatedly modified. In 1926 the depiction was reformed
based on the model of the large typar in the City Museum, but the rock
was omitted. The town charter of 1965 returned to the strict heraldic
form of 1270 with the rock in the base of the shield. The tinctures gold
(heraldry) and black are handed down in the Bamberg vassal table of 1603
and in the armorial book A (1747) of the Carinthian state archive.