Kärnten#

Carinthia (Kaernten): area 9,533.12 km2; pop. 547,798 (1991); population density: 57 per km2; capital: Klagenfurt; number of buildings: 143,929 (1991); 2 statutory towns, 8 political districts, 11 districts with district courts, 132 municipalities (17 are towns and 37 are market towns); supreme provincial court in Graz, provincial court in Klagenfurt.

Geographical position: Carinthia is Austria´s southernmost province; bordered on the east and northeast by Styria, on the northwest by Salzburg, on the west by East Tirol, on the southwest by Italy and on the southeast by Slovenia. The name Carinthia probably derived from the name of a tribe, the Karner tribe.

Landscape: Carinthia consists of the mountainous upper Carinthia (upper Drau, Moell, Lieser and Gail valleys) and of lower Carinthia, an area with valleys and basins (lower Drau Valley, the Klagenfurt Basin, Gurk and Lavant Valleys. Lower and upper Carinthia together form a closed area of land bounded by various mountain ranges: on the north by the Hohen Tauern Mountains and the Gurktal Alps, on the east by the Koralpe Mountain, on the south by the Carnic Alps and the Karawanken, on the west by the Lienz Dolomites and the Schober Mountains. The Hohe Tauern National Park  (area 37,300 ha, October 1993) was jointly established by the provinces Carinthia, Salzburg and Tirol; the Carinthian part of the National Park is formed by the Glockner, Schober and Ankogel mountains. Carinthia has 4 large lakes (Woerthersee, Ossiachersee, Millstaettersee and Weissensee) and about 2,000 small lakes (with an area of 60 km2), 38 glaciers (80 km2) and 130 moors (42 km2). 56,8 % of Carinthia is situated at an altitude higher than 1,000 m. Carinthia forms part of the river basin of the Drau/Drava and its tributaries: to the right, the River Gail; to the left, the Rivers Moell, Lieser (with Malta), Gurk (with Glan), Lavant.

Climate: The climate is influenced by three climatic zones and characterized by sharp contrasts. The northwest has an alpine climate subject to oceanic influences, the Klagenfurt Basin has an extreme basin climate (influenced by the Pannonic climate) Inversion). The Drau Valley and the lower Gail Valley are influenced by the Mediterranean climate and Foehn ("Jauk"). Carinthia is one of the most favoured climatic zones in Austria with a "stimulating" climate in the wintertime and a "relaxing" climate in the summertime.

Population: The population of Carinthia is 97% German with a Slovene minority of 3%. The Slovenes live in the southern part of the country, largely mixed with the German-speaking population, in areas reaching from the lower Gail Valley across the Rosental Valley and the Sattnitz area to the Jaun Valley. Municipalities with a majority of Slovene-speaking population are: Zell (93 %) and Globasnitz (52 %). Except for the Burgenland Carinthia has the largest proportion of Protestants (10.6 %, mainly in upper Carinthia). In 1991 about half of the population (50.1 %) lived in towns (in 1966: 25 %), 21.0 % in market towns and 28.9 % in villages and scattered settlements (in 1966: still more than 50%); the area with the highest population density is the Klagenfurt Basin and the Lavant Valley (50 % of the people live on 15 % of the land).

Carinthia has many long-established customs and traditions: Vierberge-Wallfahrt (Four-mountain pilgrimage), Reiftanz, Kufenstechen and Kranzelreiten. The traditional Wiesenmaerkte ("meadow fairs" - today fairs with entertainment) in St. Veit an der Glan and Bleiburg are popular social events.

Special Farmhouse Types are: in lower Carinthia the Carantanian Haufenhof, in the mountains the Gruppenhof (in the 1960s in the Nock Mountains some still with smoke-houses, St. Oswald and St. Lorenzen) and in the Lesach Valley the Paarhof with stone boxes in front of the house. The only Austrian settlements on alpine pastures are in the Carnic Alps.

The building sector and the tourism industry (20% of all employed persons in Carinthia) are subject to seasonal unemployment and the labour market shows particularly great seasonal fluctuations: at the end of January. In 1997 175,786 people were employed in Carinthia, at the end of July 1997 201,665 people had a job; seasonal unemployment is high in winter (in 1997: 15.6 %, and low in summer with 5.6 %).

Agriculture: Like in the rest of Austria the number of those gainfully employed in agriculture has been subject to a long-term decline. Carinthia is a densely forested province, in comparison to the total area it has the second largest wooded area of all Austrian provinces (in 1997: 2,036,100 cubic metres solid timber, 84 % timber and 16 % firewood). Of all mountainous provinces it has the biggest area of arable land: (Krappfeld Plain, Lavant Valley, Klagenfurt Basin) with grain, corn (especially for green fodder), buckwheat, millet and fruit growing. One third of the territory is meadows and pastures ( Alpine Pasture Husbandry) on which the breeding of cattle and horses (Noriker breed) are of economic importance. In agriculture the cooperatives and the idea behind them play a major role.

Economy: Carinthia shows the same economic trends as all other Austrian provinces: Mining has been declining for decades (1951: 37.5%, 1997: 7.0%), the production of goods increased until the early 1980s and has been declining since (1951: 33.6%, 1971: 40.4%, 1993: 34.1.%, 1997: 31.5%) while there has been a strong increase in the tertiary sector (1951: 26.6.%, 1971: 44.6%, 1993: 57.8%, 1997: 61.5%). Carinthia´s mineral resources are: magnesite near Radenthein and small amounts of antimony, talcum, feldspar, mica, tone, marble, peat, etc; mineral springs and medicinal springs are in Warmbad-Villach, Bad St. Leonhard, Bad Kleinkirchheim and Preblau. The Oesterreichische ( Draukraftwerke AG ) hydroelectric plants are very important electricity suppliers: in 1997 Carinthia produced 4,437 million kWh, which is about 12 % of the power generation in Austria. Important industries engaged in export are: wood, paper, iron and metal industry, electronic industries (Siemens, Philips), chemical plants ( Treibacher Industrie AG), fibreboard and insulating material production (Heraklith), textile and footwear industry and shotgun production in Ferlach. The Carinthian Fair and the Austrian Wood Fair in Klagenfurt attract international companies as exhibitors.

Tourism: The Carinthian lake district is a major touristic centre. Tourism shows strong seasonal variations: there was a total of 12.9 million overnight stays in 1997 (94.6%in the summer). The crisis in the mid 1990s (from November 1992 to October 1993 17.7 million overnight stays) resulted in a strong decline, an upwards trend was only noted from 1998 (13.2 million overnight stays).

Transport and communications: The Villach railway station is the most important traffic junction: of the North-South railway line going from Vienna to Italy (via Arnoldstein), of the Tauernbahn railway (to Salzburg and from Spittal an der Drau to East and South Tirol and Italy) and of the Karawankenbahn railway (via Rosenbach to Slovenia). Motorways: the A2 connects Vienna with Italy via Graz and Villach (between Voelkermarkt and Klagenfurt there is only a 4-lane road which is expected to be turned into a motorway by the end of 1999), the A 10 (Tauernautobahn) connects Salzburg with Villach through the Katschberg tunnel (5,439 m) and the A11 links Carinthia with Slovenia (Karawanken tunnel, 7,864 m); from Klagenfurt the most important road to Slovenia is via the Loibl Pass (1,367 m). Other important mountain and pass roads: the Grossglockner-Hochalpenstrasse and the Nockalmstrasse. Klagenfurt-Annabichl has an international airport with daily flights to Vienna, Zurich, London and Frankfurt am Main).

Culture: Several important archaeological finds have been made in Carinthia: the miniature lead horse-riding figures from Froeg (Hallstatt era), Celtic weapons in Foerk, Venetian inscriptions from the upper Gail Valley, Roman period ( Juengling vom Magdalensberg), copy in the Kunsthistorisches Museum in Vienna, statues and mosaics from Virunum, Juenna, Teurnia), of the Early Christian period (Teurnia, Hemmaberg, Duel etc.) and of the early Middle Ages (Molzbichl, Karnburg). Gurk cathedral, the collegiate church of St. Paul in the Lavant Valley and Millstatt collegiate church are the finest examples of Romanesque art in Austria. Gothic art: in Maria Saal, Wolfsberg, St. Andrae in the Lavant Valley, Friesach, Ossiach, Villach, St. Veit an der Glan, Heiligenblut) and Renaissance art: Schloss Porcia, a castle in Spittal an der Drau. In Carinthia Ossuaries, Wayside shrines, Romanesque and Gothic wall paintings (T. Artula von Villach) and castles can be found in many places. The Carinthian Lenten Veils are very special works of Austrian art. Modern Carinthian painters include A. Kolig, F. Wiegele, S. Isepp, H. Boeckl, A. Mahringer, A. J. Clementschitsch, G. Hoke, M. Lassnig, H. Bischoffshausen, H. Staudacher, K. Kogelnik and C. Kolig. Interesting folk literature has been produced in Carinthia and religious popular plays were also performed. The most important poets and writers are: Ulrich von Liechtenstein, Heinrich von dem Tuerlein, Fercher von Steinwand, J. F. Perkonig, C. Lavant, I. Bachmann, P. Handke, P. Turrini, G. Jonke, H. Gigacher, J. Winkler, etc. The magazine Carinthia has been published without interruption since 1811; it is the oldest scholarly periodical in Austria and the third oldest in the German-speaking countries (since 1891 it has been divided into two parts: Carinthia I (history) and Carinthia II (natural sciences). T. Koschat has made the Carinthian folk tunes (mostly for 4 or 5 voices) famous all over the world. Cultural facilities: the provincial museum, the provincial archives, the Landesgalerie picture gallery (mainly modern painters), the Provincial Conservatoire, the Kuenstlerhaus and the Klagenfurt Stadttheater. Summer festivals are held in Ossiach ( Carinthischer Sommer Festival), Friesach, Millstatt (famous organ concerts) and in Spittal (Schloss Porcia). The open-air museum of Maria Saal shows old peasant houses from all parts of Carinthia. Not only are cultural traditions very important in Carinthia but the preservation of the countryside also plays a major role ( Hohe Tauern Nationalpark, Nock Area ). The Hermagoras Society and A. M. Slomšek, M. Ziljski, A. Janežič and V. Einspieler tried to promote the Slovene language and encourage the writing of Slovene literature in the 19th century, elements of Slovene popular poetry have been introduced into modern literature by writers like M. Hartman, F. Lipuš, J. Mesner, K. Smolle, J. Ferk, M. Haderlap, etc.

History: Several excavation sites and a great number of finds give evidence of very early settlement in Carinthia, first traces of human settlement date back to the later Paleolithic period. When copper mining was begun around 400 B.C., dense settlements started at the same time. Around 300 B.C. the Celts invaded the country, where they established their rule and forged an alliance of tribes, later the kingdom of Noricum Regnum Noricum, eventually reaching the Eisacktal Valley, Salzburg and the Danube. In the Roman period Carinthia was the first centre of the province of Noricum (Virunum). In the early 7th century Alpine Slavs occupied the Carinthian basin, between 741 to 765 Carantanians called on the Bavarians for help against the intruding Avars. Under Bavarian rule the second wave of Christianization took place. King Karlmann´s illegitimate son Arnulf von Kaernten was entrusted with the administration of Carinthia in 876 and made King of the East Frankish Empire in 887. Duke Arnulf of Bavaria called himself "Bagoariorum et Carantanorum dux" in 935. In 976 King Otto II granted Carinthia (an independent duchy in its own right in 976, and the first one in Austria and one of the oldest in the Empire) to Heinrich I of Luitpoldingen. The Fuerstenstein (princes´ stone) ( Karnburg) and Herzogstuhl, a ducal throne on the Zollfeld plain, date back to the early Middle Ages. Territories of what later became Styria, parts of Upper Austria (Ennstal Valley) and Lower Austria (Pittener Land), and the march Verona with Friuli, Carniola and Istria (until1173) belonged to the duchy of Carantania. From the end of the 10th to the middle of the 11th century the country was ruled by a number of ducal families: the Luitpoldinger, the Salians, the Luidolfinger (Ottones) including the Eppensteiner who, with interruptions, ruled from 1012 to 1122. After the Eppensteiner came the Sponheim family; in 1151 they lost the march Verona and in 1180 "the Carinthian march" (became the duchy of Styria in its own right). In 1296 Otakar II of Bohemia inherited the land (until 1276) from the Sponheim family. Feudal lords and landowners were also the Archbishop of Salzburg in Friesach, Althofen and Gmuend and the Bishop of Bamberg in Villach and the Lavant Valley (Wolfsberg). Owing to their influence it was at that time impossible to form one duchy out of the various parts of the province. The most important noble families in upper Carinthia were: the Counts of Lurn (the last Count of Lurn was Bishop Altmann of Trento who died in 1149), the Counts of Gorizia and the Counts of Ortenburg (died out 1418); in lower Carinthia the Counts von Jaun, later the Counts of Heunburg. The Ducal Coronation on the Zollfeld Plain was a sort of democratic procedure and peasants´ tradition at the same time. Between 1286 and 1335 the dukes of the House of Gorizia-Tirol ruled Carinthia, in 1335 Carinthia returned to the Habsburgs and became a crownland and remained closely connected to Austria. Until 1518 St. Veit on the River Glan was the provincial capital; when Emperor Maximilian I donated Klagenfurt to the Carinthian Landstaende (Estates) in 1518, it became the political centre and the provincial capital. In the 15th century the Turks devastated Carinthia (5 Turkish invasions: 1473, 1476, 1478, 1480, 1483). At the end of the 16th century Carinthia was mostly Protestant, but in the Counter-Reformation (17th century) many Protestants had to leave the country. Some Protestants living in secluded areas were not affected by the movement and could practice their faith. In 1787 the bishopric was transferred from Gurk to Klagenfurt. Between 1809 and 1813 upper Carinthia was part of the Illyrian provinces of the Napoleonic Empire, between 1825 and 1849 it was incorporated in the Illyrian kingdom with the capital Ljubljana. In 1849 Carinthia was an independent crown land. In 1918/1919 the Carinthian Resistance Movement forced the troops of the Kingdom of Serbia, Croatia and Slovenia (which was to become Yugoslavia in 1929), who had occupied southern Carinthia, to leave the country. In October 10, 1920 Carinthian Plebiscite resulted in a 59.04 % vote in favour of remaining part of Austria. (October 10 has become an official holiday in Carinthia). In the Peace Treaty of Saint-Germain (1919) the Miess Valley (430 km2) in the southeast had to be given to the SHS state and the Kanal Valley (362 km2) in the south to Italy. Between 1938 and 1945 Carinthia formed part of the Reichsgau Kaernten. East Tirol and (from 1942) large parts of Krajina (Slovenia) were incorporated into Carinthia. In 1945 territorial demands were again made by Yugoslavia.

The Constitution of the province of Carinthia (Landesverfassung) is enshrined in the Law of 1996 (LGBl. no. 85/1996, as amended in LGBl. no. 52/1997). Carinthia has 11 representatives in the Nationalrat and 5 in the Bundesrat. The provincial parliament has 36 members (in 1999: 16 Freedom Party (FPOe), 12 Social Democratic Party (SPOe), 8 People´s Party (OeVP)). Since 1999 the provincial government has been formed of 3 members of the SPOe, 3 of the FPOe and 1 of the OeVP. Since 1999 the Landeshauptmann has been a member of the FPOe. Klagenfurt and Villach are statutory towns. - Carinthia forms the Roman Catholic diocese of Gurk (with the bishop residing in Klagenfurt).

Literature#