Geography of Carinthia

The federal province Carinthia is Austria’s southern-most province. It is the only one that is located in the south of the main alpine mountain range. In the west it borders on East Tirol, in the north on Salzburg Province and on Styria, in the east on Styria and in the south on Slovenia and Italy.

As Carinthia has an expanse of 9,533 km², it is ranked fifth among the Austrian provinces. Approximately 90,000 of the 550,000 citizens of Carinthia live in Klagenfurt, the provincial capital. The province is divided into the following 8 districts: Feldkirchen, Hermagor, Klagenfurt-Land, St. Veit an der Glan, Spittal an der Drau, Villach-Land, Völkermarkt and Wolfsburg. It is also divided into two cities with their own statutes which are Klagenfurt and Villach as well as into 131 municipalities.

The region Carinthia has deeply fissured rock and is surrounded by mountains: in the west and in the north by the Hohen Tauern mountains and by the Gurktal alps, in the south by the Carnic Alps and the Karawanken mountains and in the east by the Pack and the Koralpe Alps. The main river of Carinthia, the Drau river, runs through the region from the west to the east and divides it into Upper and Lower Carinthia. The most important affluents are: Möll, Lieser, Gail, Gurk and Lavant.

In Carinthia there are 1,270 lakes including the mountain lakes. The largest and most important swimming lakes are the Wörther See lake, the Millstatter See lake, the Ossiacher See lake as well as the Weißensee lake, the Faaker See lake, the Keutschacher See lake and the Klopeiner See lake.
The Hohe Tauern national park and the Nockberge national park as well as the numerous nature reserves which were founded in order to maintain the old cultural areas, the beauty of the landscape and the specialities are also worth mentioning.

Fauna and Flora in Carinthia

Fauna

The forest is living space for several kinds of rodents (hazel mouse, dormouse and squirrel) and game, mostly deer and red deer in Alpine woods. Common predators are foxes, badgers and martens. Polecats, ermines and weasels are rare. The most hunted mammals are hares and rabbits, above 1,300m snow hares. In the high mountains (1,300m ¿ 2,700m) there are also marmots.

A typical cloven-hooved animal in the Alpine region is the chamois, the ibex has been naturalized again. Often you can watch buzzards, hawks and sparrow-hawks circle round, but also some golden eagles brooding near the forest line. On their way to the south wild geese, sea eagles, fish eagles and dwarf eagles are passing.

Carinthian waters are full of fish, mainly trout, pikes, perches, tenches, chars and carps. Nearby the waters ring snakes and cube snakes are living. The big (up to 1,80m long) aesculapius snake came from the Mediterranean (like the sand vipers) and prefers warm places. Cross adders are living all over the country. Adders and vipers are quiet poisonous snakes.

The Alpine salamander likes rain and twilight. Green lizards prefer warm rocks and sunny places.
Most of the insects, the most varied animal species, are strictly protected: Alpine beetles, stag beetles, rhinoceros beetles and butterflies as swallow tails, skulls and mourning cloaks.

Klagenfurt: Carinthia

Klagenfurt (Slovenian Celovec) is the capital of the federal state of Carinthia (German Karnten), in Austria, on the Glan river. It is located at 46°37′N 14°19′E. First settled in the 12th century, it currently has a population of approximately 90,000.

It is a popular vacation spot with mountains to both the south and north, numerous parks and a series of 23 castles on its outskirts. In summertime the city is home to the Altstadtzauber (The Magic of the Old City) festival, the Ironman Contest and the Ingeborg Bachmann Preis, a prize for German literature.

The Old City with its central “Alter Platz” (Old Square) is also worth seeing. Notable landmarks include the Wörthersee, the warmest European Alpine lake, the Lindwurm Brunnen (a lindorm fountain), and nearby Hochosterwitz Castle, an impressively fortified castle on a high hill that can only be reached by an ascending spiral path which is fortified with a series of gates.

Also located here are the University of Klagenfurt and Klagenfurt airport. Among other Austrian educational institutions, there is also the Slovenian non-classical Gymnasium.

Famous residents include Josef Stefan, Robert Musil and Ingeborg Bachmann.

Districts in Carinthia

Spittal an der Drau
Hermagor
Villach-Land
Feldkirchen
St. Veit an der Glan
Klagenfurt-Land
Völkermarkt
Wolfsberg

Introducation of Carinthia

Carinthia (German Karnten, Slovenian Koroska) is an Austrian state or Land, located in the south of Austria. It covers an area of 9,536 km² with 559,404 inhabitants (2001). It consist mostly of a basin inside the Alps, with the Carnian Alps and the Karawanken making up the border to Italy and Slovenia. The Tauern mountains divide it from Salzburg. To the East lies the state of Styria and it makes up a continuous valley with the eastern part of the Tyrol to the West. Its lakes are a major tourist attraction. The main river is the Drave.

The capital is Klagenfurt (Slovenian Celovec). The next important town is Villach (Slovenian Beljak); these two towns are strongly linked economically. Other towns and villages include Malta.

The people are predominantly German-speaking with a unique (and easily recognizable) dialect. A Slovenian minority of about 14,000 people is concentrated in the southeast of the country.

The current governor (German: Landeshauptmann) is Jörg Haider of the Alliance for the Future of Austria (BZÖ). Haider is a controversial figure because his politics are to the far right. He has made some statements of a xenophobic nature and some suggesting nostalgia for the Third Reich.

The once-independent Duchy of Carinthia was historically part of the Holy Roman Empire until it was dissolved in 1806, then a crownland of Austria-Hungary. The Carinthian Plebiscite on October 10, 1920, determined the lines of division between what is today Austria and Slovenia.

Carinthia’s main industries are tourism, electronics, engineering, forestry and agriculture. The multinational corporations Philips and Siemens have large operations there.

Carinthia has a continental climate, with hot and moderately wet summers and long harsh winters. In recent decades winters have been exceptionally arid. Average sun index is the highest in Austria. In autumn and winter temperature inversion often dominates the climate, characterised by air stillness, a dense fog covering the frosty valleys and trapping pollution to form smog, while mild sunny weather is recorded higher up in the foothills and mountains.

The Grossglockner, the highest point in Austria (12,460 ft/3,797 m), rises in the northeast, at the Tyrol province border. Carinthia has mines (lead, zinc, and magnesite) and well-developed farms (especially in the fertile Drava, or Drau, plain). Manufactures of the province include electrotechnical products, shoes, paper and pulp, and chemicals. There is also an active tourist trade, particularly along the Wörther See, a lake near Klagenfurt.

In 976, Carinthia, which then included Istria, Carniola, and Styria, was detached from Bavaria and made an independent duchy. Acquired by Ottocar II of Bohemia in 1269, it fell to Rudolf I of Hapsburg in 1276 and in 1335 became an Austrian crown land. By the Treaty of Saint-Germain (1919) the province lost some minor territories to Italy and Yugoslavia. The only Austrian province with an appreciable ethnic minority, Carinthia has a Slovene population of approximately 2.7% in the south.

Attraction of Carinthia

Mountain & Walking
What do you think of when you think of Austria? Beautiful mountains, lush alps and blossoming meadows?
Take your chance and experience that inviting surrounding during a hike and let your holidays become something special.

Skiing & Wintersports
Austria is still one of the best known countries concerning wintersports. We are used to set trends and for that reason we come up to all expectations.
For us it is self-evident but for you it may be something special staying in your mind for your lifetime.
Family Retreats
Children’s and parents’ interests concerning holidays are often different. Nevertheless we make a combined stay possible!
Your children are taken care of by our dedicated staff and have fun during you have the chance to just relax.
(more…)

History of Carinthia

In 976 Carinthia, which until then had been part of Bavaria, became an independent duchy. When the last Duke of Carinthia from the Götz-Tyrol dynasty died without heirs, the territory passed to the Habsburgs in 1335.

In 1518 Emperor Maximilian I made a gift of Klagenfurt to the Estates. They were thereby able to increase their power and also had a major influence on other towns and communities.

The borders of Carinthia thereafter remained largely unchanged. In 1813 the district of Villach, which had been ceded to Napoleon I in 1809, was reconquered. In 1819 troops of the State of Serbia, Croatia and Slovenia (“SHS State�) occupied the south of Carinthia. The 1919 Treaty of St Germain gave the Canal Valley to Italy, and several municipalities in the south to the SHS State.

Following a referendum in 1920, Carinthia remained part of Austria except for some minor border adjustments. It has existed in its present form since then.

Fast Facts of Carinthia

National Name: Carinthia
Land Area: 9,536 sq. km
Capital City: Klagenfurt
Population: 559,404 (2001)
Language: bilingual
Governor: Jorg Haider (BZO)

Carinthia

Carinthia (German Karnten, Slovenian Koroska) is an Austrian state or Land, located in the south of Austria.
It covers an area of 9,536 km² with 559,404 inhabitants (2001). It consist mostly of a basin inside the Alps, with the Carnian Alps and the Karawanken making up the border to Italy and Slovenia. The Tauern mountains divide it from Salzburg. To the East lies the state of Styria and it makes up a continuous valley with the eastern part of the Tyrol to the West. Its lakes are a major tourist attraction. The main river is the Drave.

The capital is Klagenfurt (Slovenian Celovec). The next important town is Villach (Slovenian Beljak); these two towns are strongly linked economically. Other towns and villages include Malta. The people are predominantly German-speaking with a unique (and easily recognizable) dialect. A Slovenian minority of about 14,000 people is concentrated in the southeast of the country.The current governor (German: Landeshauptmann) is Jörg Haider of the Alliance for the Future of Austria (BZÖ).

The once-independent Duchy of Carinthia was historically part of the Holy Roman Empire until it was dissolved in 1806, then a crownland of Austria-Hungary. The Carinthian Plebiscite on October 10, 1920, determined the lines of division between what is today Austria and Slovenia.Carinthia’s main industries are tourism, electronics, engineering, forestry and agriculture. The multinational corporations Philips and Siemens have large operations there.