Köflach#

Koeflach, Styria, town in the district of Voitsberg, alt. 449 m, pop. 11,276, area 20.38 km2, at the eastern foot of the Stubalpe mountain. - Office of the Gebietskrankenkasse (regional health insurance agency), marriage, family and life counselling service of the diocese of Graz-Seckau, youth and communication centre, clinic for rheumatic diseases run by the insurance agency for miners, Piber federal stud (Lippizaner), Bundesgymnasium and Bundesrealgymnasium secondary schools, Hoehere Lehranstalt school for business professions, Berufsfoerderungsinstitut (institute for promoting vocational training), adult education centre, town library. Koeflach is undergoing a change from an industrial town to a centre of the service sector (personal, social and public services, banks and insurance agencies, businesses), in 1991 48% of the 4,215 people employed were working in industry or trade: metal-working industry (production of tools and machinery), glass industry, shoe factory, mining company (Graz-Koeflacher Bergbau-GesmbH: opencast mining of sub-bituminous coal, lime and gravel works); coal mining since 1766, currently Koeflach has the most important sub-bituminous coal deposits in Austria, mined out of open pits in an extensive area. Graz -Koeflach railway line. - First documented mention in 1170, town charter in 1939; originally Gothic parish church and deanery of St. Magdalena, renewed in 1643-1649 by C. and D. Sciassia, wall paintings by J. A. von Moelk (1777); Romanesque round charnel house (war memorial since 1926); memorial church for Pope John XXIII in Pichling. H. Kloepfer museum.

Literature#