Obervellach#

Obervellach, Carinthia, market town in the district of Spittal an der Drau, alt. 687 m, pop. 2,715, area 104.41 km2, principal town of the Moelltal valley and tourist resort (109,867 overnight stays, especially during the summer months) at the northern foot of Polinik mountain (alt. 2,784 m). - Forest ranger station, spa centre; weather station, hydroelectric power plant of the Austrian Federal Railways (built in 1929, 16 MW), construction companies, wood processing, warehouse. - First documented mention between 957 and 993 as "Vellach", gold mining in the Hohe Tauern mountains in the 16th century, then copper mining from around 1690-1830. - Parish church (1516) in late Gothic style with late Gothic frescoes, glass paintings and winged altar with triptych by J. van Scorel (1520), carvings in late Gothic style; cemetery wall with round tower; Calvary chapel (1732); Stollhofen parish church in late Gothic style (1476-1521) with wall frescoes and vault paintings (1480 and 1520); Stampferkapelle chapel with fresco by J. F. Fromiller (1717); Soebriach branch church (1496); Trabuschgen Palace (first documented mention in 1434, extensions in the 16th and 18th centuries, currently a bed-and-breakfast) with frescoes and oil paintings by J. F. Fromiller; chapel with frescoes by A. Zoller; old burghers' houses; Groppenstein Castle (15th century); Falkenstein Castle ruins (first documented mention in 1164) and Falkenstein Palace (extensions in the 18th century and in 1906). In the vicinity, three waterfalls (Polinikfall, Rauchkopffall and Klausbachfall).

Literature#