Völkermarkt is regarded as a paradise for active types who like to get sporty exercise. The urban municipality is surrounded by mountains, rivers and swimming lakes in the heart of nature.
Völkermarkt is a town of about 11,000 inhabitants in the Austrian state of Carinthia, the administrative capital of Völkermarkt District. It is located within the Drava valley east of the Carinthian capital Klagenfurt, north of the Karawanken mountain range.
History
The area, once part of the ancient Noricum province, in the 7th century was resettled by Slavic tribes, who lived within the Principality of Carantania. The migration concentrated around the former Roman settlement of Juenna (near present-day Globasnitz in an area later called Podjuna in Slovene or Jauntal in German. Up to today, significant parts of the population refer to themselves as Carinthian Slovenes.Völkermarkt, painting by Markus Pernhart (1824–1871)
The descendants of Count Siegfried I of Sponheim, who about 1035 had come to the Duchy of Carinthia as a follower of Emperor Conrad II, had a trading post erected at the site about 1090, where a church was built soon afterwards at the behest of the archbishop of Salzburg. In 1217 Duke Bernhard von Spanheim gave orders to build a bridge across the Drava River and had the settlement rebuilt in 1231. Völkermarkt was granted town privileges in the 13th century already and developed quickly as an important centre for trade in iron from the surrounding ore mines.
In the Carinthian Plebiscite of 1920, a majority of the population voted for adhesion to the Republic of Austria. On 18 September 1979, the Yugoslav Department of State Security firebombed the Völkermarkt town hall, severely injuring three men, including two of the agents, and causing heavy dam.
Sights
A well-developed network of cycling and hiking trails can be found here. Tip: The Völkermarkt Cultural Cycle Path with a total length of around 40 kilometres offers not just glorious scenery, but also culturally interesting Neolithic settlements, graves of Nordic kings, and ruined castles and fortresses. Völkermarkt is also an ideal starting point for the Drau Cycle Path and the Via Carinzia cycling experience path.
The nearby Völkermarkt reservoir is a quiet spot which delights fishermen, rowers, canoeists and boaters alike!
The Völkermarkt Town Museum provides insights into the exciting history of the region, especially the events of the Carinthian defensive struggle and the Carinthian plebiscite of 1920.
Transport
The town has access to the Austrian Süd Autobahn (A2) with two junctions. The projected Koralm Railway is expected to improve the area’s transport facilities.
Personalities
- Markus Hansiz (1683-1766), Jesuit and historian
- Johann Joseph Peyritsch (1835-1889), physicician and botanist
- Julius Ringel (1889-1967), general of the Gebirgstruppe (Mountain troops) of the Wehrmacht
- Stephanie Graf (born 1973), athlete
- Elmar Lichtenegger (born 1974), hurdler
- Magdalena Lobnig (born 1990), rower
