!!!Kärnten
Carinthia (Kaernten): area 9,533.12 km%%sup 2/%; pop. 547,798
(1991); population density: 57 per km%%sup 2/%; 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 km%%sup 2/%), 38
glaciers (80 km%%sup 2/%) and 130 moors (42 km%%sup 2/%).
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 19%%sup th/% 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
7%%sup th/% 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 10%%sup th/%
to the middle of the 11%%sup th/% 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
15%%sup th/% century the Turks devastated Carinthia (5 Turkish
invasions: 1473, 1476, 1478, 1480, 1483). At the end of the
16%%sup th/% century Carinthia was mostly Protestant, but in the
Counter-Reformation (17%%sup th/% 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 km%%sup 2/%) in the southeast had to be given to the
SHS state and the Kanal Valley (362 km%%sup 2/%) 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
Oe. Kunsttopographie, vol. 1 (Kunstdenkmaeler
Kaernten), 1889, vol. 37 (St. Paul), ed. by K. Ginhart,
1969; F. Zopp, Kaernt. Bibliographie, Das Schrifttum ueber Kaernten
1945-59, 1961, 1962-1965, 1970, 1966-1975, 1977; A. v. Jaksch,
Geschichte Kaernten bis 1335, 2 vols., 1928/29; H. Braumueller,
Geschichte von Kaernten, 1949; H. Wiessner, Geschichte des Kaerntner
Bergbaues, 3 vols., 1950-1953; K. Dinklage, Kaerntens
gewerblichen Wirtschaft von der Urzeit bis zur Gegenwart, 1953; idem,
Geschichte der Kaerntner Landwirtschaft, 1966; idem, Geschichte der
Kaerntner. Arbeiterschaft, 1976; idem, 25 Jahre Kae.
Wirtschaftsgeschichte 1951-76, 1976; W. Fresacher, Der Bauer in
Kaernten, 3 vols., 1950-1955; E. Kranzmayer, Ortsnamenbuch von
Kaernten, 2 parts 1956-58 (reprint 1989); F. Kohla et al.,
Kaerntner Burgenkunde, 2 vols., 1972/73; Erlaeuterungen zum
historischen Atlas der oesterreichischen Alpenlaender, 2. Abt.,
Die Kirchen- und Grafschaftskarte, 1956-1959; W. Neumann, Wirklichkeit
und Idee des windischen Erzherzogtums Kaernten, Suedostdeutsches
Archiv 3, 1960; idem, Die kulturelle Entwicklung Kaerntens im 15.
und 17. Jahrhundert, 1973; H. Dopsch, Die Stifterfamilie des
Klosters Gurk und ihre Verwandtschaft, Carinthia I 161, 1971; H.
Praschniker, Kaernten, Eine geographische Landeskunde, 1976; G.
Seebach, Burgen und Schloesser um Klagenfurt, Feldkirchen,
Voelkermarkt, %%sup 2/%1980; K. Dehio-Handbuch - Die Kunstdenkmaeler
Oe., %%sup 2/%1981; C. Fraess-Ehrfeld, Geschichte Kaerntens,
2 vols., 1984; P. Tropper, Die josephinische Kirchenreform in
Kaernten, Jahrbuch der Dioezese Gurk 8, 1985; W. Neumann,
Abwehrkampf und Volksabstimmung, Kaernten 1918-20, Legenden und
Tatsachen, %%sup 2/%1985; W. Lukan, Geschichte der Kaerntner Slowenen,
1918-Gegenwart, 1988; Das Jahr 1938 in Kaernten und seine
Vorgeschichte, 1988; A. Walzl, "Als erster Gau", Entwicklung und
Strukturen des National-Sozialismus. in Kaernten, 1992; D. Stiefel,
Die grosse Krise in einem kleinen Land, 1988; Kae.
Landeswirtschaftschronik, 1992; O. Moser, Das Bauernhaus und seine
landschaftliche und historische Entwicklung in Kaernten, 1992; J.
Grabmayer (ed.), Schatzhaus Kaernten, Beitraege zur Landesausstellung
St. Paul, 1991 (with bibliography).
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