Velden am Wörthersee ( Slovene: ''Vrba na Koroškem'') is a

market town A market town is a settlement most common in Europe that obtained by custom or royal charter, in the Middle Ages, a market right, which allowed it to host a regular market; this distinguished it from a village or city. In Britain, small rural ...

in Villach-Land District, in the

Austria Austria, , bar, Östareich officially the Republic of Austria, is a country in the southern part of Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine states, one of which is the capital, Vienna, the most populous ...

n state of

Carinthia Carinthia (german: Kärnten ; sl, Koroška ) is the southernmost Austrian state, in the Eastern Alps, and is noted for its mountains and lakes. The main language is German. Its regional dialects belong to the Southern Bavarian group. Carin ...

. Situated on the western shore of the Wörthersee lake, it is one of the country's most popular holiday

resorts A resort (North American English) is a self-contained commercial establishment that tries to provide most of a vacationer's wants, such as food, drink, swimming, lodging, sports, entertainment, and shopping, on the premises. The term ''resort' ...

Geography

The municipal area of Velden is subdivided into eight Katastralgemeinden (cadastral communities): Augsdorf, Duel, Kerschdorf ob Velden, Köstenberg, Latschach an der Drau, Lind ob Velden, St. Egyden, and Velden am Wörther See – which include 30 villages: * Aich (''Dob'') * Augsdorf (''Loga Vas'') * Bach (''Potok'') * Dieschitz (''Deščice'') * Dröschitz (''Trešiče'') * Duel (''Dole'') * Fahrendorf * Göriach (''Gorje'') * Kantnig (''Konatiče'') * Kerschdorf (''Črešnje'') * Köstenberg (''Kostanje'') * Kranzlhofen (''Dvor'') * Latschach (''Loče'') * Lind ob Velden (''Lipa'') * Oberdorf (''Zgornja vas'') * Oberjeserz (''Zgornje Jezerce'') * Oberwinklern (''Vogliče'') * Pulpitsch (''Polpače'') * Rajach (''Sreje'') * Saisserach (''Zajzare'') * St. Egyden (''Šentilj'') * Selpritsch (''Žoprače'') * Sonnental * Sternberg (''Šentjurij na Strmcu'') * Treffen (''Trebinja'') * Unterjeserz (''Spodnje Jezerce'') * Unterwinklern (''Spodnje Vogliče'') * Velden am Wörther See (''Vrba'') * Weinzierl (''Vinare'') * Wurzen (''Koren'')

History

Originally a ''

mansio In the Roman Empire, a ''mansio'' (from the Latin word ''mansus,'' the perfect passive participle of ''manere'' "to remain" or "to stay") was an official stopping place on a Roman road, or ''via'', maintained by the central government for the use ...

'' on the

Roman road Roman roads ( la, viae Romanae ; singular: ; meaning "Roman way") were physical infrastructure vital to the maintenance and development of the Roman state, and were built from about 300 BC through the expansion and consolidation of the Roman Re ...

between

Villach Villach (; sl, Beljak; it, Villaco; fur, Vilac) is the seventh-largest city in Austria and the second-largest in the federal state of Carinthia. It is an important traffic junction for southern Austria and the whole Alpe-Adria region. , the p ...

(Sanctium) and

Virunum Claudium Virunum was a Roman city in the province of Noricum, on today's Zollfeld in the Austrian State of Carinthia. Virunum may also have been the name of the older Celtic-Roman settlement on the hilltop of Magdalensberg nearby. Virunum (''Vir ...

, it was first mentioned in a 1263 deed as ''Campus'' (field, pasture -

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) **Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ge ...

: ''Feld'') and in 1410 as ''Velben''. In medieval times it belonged to the estates of the Hohenwart Castle, seat of the

Counts of Celje The Counts of Celje ( sl, Celjski grofje) or the Counts of Cilli (german: Grafen von Cilli; hu, cillei grófok) were the most influential late medieval noble dynasty on the territory of present-day Slovenia. Risen as vassals of the Habsburg dukes ...

, the

Counts of Ortenburg The Counts of Ortenburg (german: Grafen von Ortenburg) were a comital family in the mediaeval Duchy of Carinthia. Though they had roots in Bavarian nobility, an affiliation with the Imperial Counts of Ortenburg, a branch line of the Rhenish Fra ...

, the Knightly Order of Saint George in Millstatt Abbey, and finally the Austrian

House of Habsburg The House of Habsburg (), alternatively spelled Hapsburg in Englishgerman: Haus Habsburg, ; es, Casa de Habsburgo; hu, Habsburg család, it, Casa di Asburgo, nl, Huis van Habsburg, pl, dom Habsburgów, pt, Casa de Habsburgo, la, Domus Hab ...

. In 1545, the Protestant Khevenhüller noble family had acquired the lands of Landskron and Velden, where Bartlmä Khevenhüller (1539–1613) from 1585 had a

Renaissance The Renaissance ( , ) , from , with the same meanings. is a period in European history marking the transition from the Middle Ages to modernity and covering the 15th and 16th centuries, characterized by an effort to revive and surpass ide ...

manor house built. His descendants were expelled from the Habsburg lands in the course of the

Counter-Reformation The Counter-Reformation (), also called the Catholic Reformation () or the Catholic Revival, was the period of Catholic resurgence that was initiated in response to the Protestant Reformation. It began with the Council of Trent (1545–1563) a ...

in 1639, and the castle then fell to the noble House of Dietrichstein. Decayed and demolished by a fire, it was rebuilt in 1892 as a hotel called Schloss Velden. Later an estate of Gunter Sachs, it was the filming location for the popular 1990-1992 German-Austrian TV series '' Ein Schloß am Wörthersee'' starring Schlager singer Roy Black.

Politics

Seats in the municipal assembly (''Gemeinderat'') as of 2009 elections: *

Social Democratic Party of Austria The Social Democratic Party of Austria (german: Sozialdemokratische Partei Österreichs , SPÖ), founded and known as the Social Democratic Workers' Party of Austria (german: link=no, Sozialdemokratische Arbeiterpartei Österreichs, SDAPÖ) unti ...

(SPÖ): 14 *

Freedom Party in Carinthia The Freedom Party in Carinthia (german: Die Freiheitlichen in Kärnten, FPK, alternative English translations: Carinthian Freedom Party, Freedom Party of Carinthia, The Freedomites in Carinthia, or Carinthia Freedom Party) was a political party ...

(FPÖ): 7 *

Austrian People's Party The Austrian People's Party (german: Österreichische Volkspartei , ÖVP ) is a Christian-democratic and liberal-conservative political party in Austria. Since December 2021, the party has been led provisionally by Karl Nehammer. It is curre ...

(ÖVP): 5 * Unity List: 1

Image gallery

Twin towns — sister cities

Velden am Wörthersee is twinned with: *

Bled Bled (; german: Veldes,''Leksikon občin kraljestev in dežel zastopanih v državnem zboru,'' vol. 6: ''Kranjsko''. 1906. Vienna: C. Kr. Dvorna in Državna Tiskarna, p. 146. in older sources also ''Feldes'') is a town on Lake Bled in the Upper C ...

Slovenia Slovenia ( ; sl, Slovenija ), officially the Republic of Slovenia (Slovene: , abbr.: ''RS''), is a country in Central Europe. It is bordered by Italy to the west, Austria to the north, Hungary to the northeast, Croatia to the southeast, and ...

, since 2004 *

Gemona del Friuli Gemona del Friuli ( la, Glemona, fur, Glemone, sl, Humin, german: Klemaun) is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Province of Udine in the Italian region Friuli Venezia Giulia, located about northwest of Trieste and about northwest of Udine. Th ...

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical ...

Jesolo Jesolo or Iesolo (; vec, Gèxoło) is a seaside resort town and ''comune'' in the Metropolitan City of Venice, Italy of 26,447 inhabitants. With around six million visitors per year, Jesolo is one of the largest beach resorts in the country, and ...

, Italy, since 2006

References

External links

Schloss Velden official websiteHotel Ogris am See official website
, Family-run design hotel at the lakeside
Holiday in Velden am Wörthersee
, Info website for tourists {{DEFAULTSORT:Velden am Worthersee Cities and towns in Villach-Land District