Feldkirchen in Kärnten explained

Feldkirchen in Kärnten
Pushpin Map:Austria
Pushpin Mapsize:270
Pushpin Map Caption:Location within Austria
Coordinates:46.7167°N 20°W
Subdivision Type:Country
Subdivision Name:Austria
Subdivision Type1:State
Subdivision Name1:Carinthia
Subdivision Type2:District
Subdivision Name2:Feldkirchen
Parts Style:para
Leader Title:Mayor
Leader Name:Martin Treffner (ÖVP)
Elevation M:554
Population Density Km2:auto
Timezone:CET
Timezone Dst:CEST
Utc Offset:+1
Utc Offset Dst:+2
Postal Code Type:Postal code
Postal Code:9560
Area Code Type:Area code
Website:www.feldkirchen.at

Feldkirchen in Kärnten is a town in the Austrian state of Carinthia and the capital of the district of the same name. It consists of the Katastralgemeinden Fasching, Feldkirchen, Glanhofen, Gradisch, Hoefling, Klein Sankt Veit, Pernegg, Rabensdorf, Sankt Ulrich, Sittich, Tschwarzen and Waiern. The name Feldkirchen means the church in the fields.

Geography

Location

Feldkirchen is located on the northern edge of the Klagenfurt Basin at the junction of the federal highways (Bundesstraßen) B 93 Gurktal Straße toward Friesach, B 94 Ossiacher Straße to Villach and B 95 Turracher Straße to Klagenfurt.

Waters

Both the Glan river and the small Tiebel, main inflow of Lake Ossiach, run through the town.

There are three lakes in the vicinity to Feldkirchen

Neighbouring municipalities

HimmelbergSteuerbergSankt Urban
SteindorfGlanegg
Ossiach   VeldenTechelsbergMoosburg

History

The settlement may have developed at the site of the former Beliandrum mansio along the Roman road from Teurnia near Spittal an der Drau to Virunum, capital of the Noricum province. A Roman tombstone of the 2nd century is included into the walls of the Saint Michael filial church. The earliest mention of Feldkirchen is as Ueldchiricha ("Church in the Fields") in an 888 document by Arnulf of Carinthia. The parish church Maria im Dorn, a Romanesque basilica with a Carolingian choir, is one of the oldest sacred buildings in Carinthia.

Feldkirchen, once an estate of the Eppenstein noble family, was bequeathed to the Diocese of Bamberg in 1166. The bishops had the Amthof erected, the former seat of the local administration, today a place for cultural events and a small museum. Finally Maria Theresa of Austria acquired Feldkirchen in 1759. The village of Markstein south of the town centre is a former checkpoint at the border between the Austrian Empire and the Upper Carinthian part of the short-lived Napoleonic Illyrian Provinces. The building of a customs station and a border stone remained. Feldkirchen received town privileges in 1930.

Demographics

According to the 2001 census, Feldkirchen has 14,030 inhabitants. Of that, 77.1% admit themselves to the Roman Catholic Church, 12.0% are Evangelist, 0.8% belong to the Orthodox Church, and 5.1% are Muslims. 2.0% are non-religious.

Sights

Politics

Seats in the municipal assembly (Gemeinderat) as of 2015 elections:

2

2

International relations

See main article: List of twin towns and sister cities in Austria.

Twin towns — sister cities

Feldkirchen in Kärnten is twinned with:

Notable residents

Sport