Bad Eisenkappel, also known as Eisenkappel (), is a municipality located in the Vellach Valley in the

Karawanken The Karawanks or Karavankas or Karavanks (; , ) are a mountain range of the Southern Limestone Alps on the border between Slovenia to the south and Austria to the north. With a total length of in an east–west direction, the Karawanks chain is o ...

mountain range with the nearby peaks: Obir, Peca, and

Olševa Mount Olševa (; German ''Olschewa'') is a ridge mountain in the eastern part of the Karawanks near the border with Austria. The mountain separates Carinthia from Styria. Its highest point, Govca, is high. Other peaks along the ridge are ''Obe ...

. It is the population center of the

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 rura ...

ship of

Eisenkappel-Vellach Eisenkappel-Vellach () is a market town in the Völkermarkt District in the Austrian state of Carinthia. The spa town is the southernmost municipality of Austria, close to the border with Slovenia. Geography The municipal area covers the valley o ...

(population 2,446) of the

Völkermarkt district Bezirk Völkermarkt () is an administrative district in the Austrian state of Carinthia. Municipalities Völkermarkt is divided into 13 municipalities, of which 2 are towns and 3 market towns. Towns *Bleiburg () (4,083) **Aich, Bleiburg, Dobr ...

in the State of

Carinthia Carinthia ( ; ; ) is the southernmost and least densely populated States of Austria, Austrian state, in the Eastern Alps, and is noted for its mountains and lakes. The Lake Wolayer is a mountain lake on the Carinthian side of the Carnic Main ...

, Austria near the border of Slovenia.euborder.soton.ac.uk
Bad Eisenkappel was first referred to by the name ''Kappel'' in 1267. It was officially renamed in 1890 to Eisenkappel. The area is known for its hiking and cycling trails, as well as for the extensive Obir cave system, which has been mined for lead ore since at least 1171, and has been open to the public since 1991.

Frommers Frommer's () is a travel guide book series created by Arthur Frommer in 1957. Frommer's has since expanded to include more than 350 guidebooks in 14 series, as well as other media including an eponymous radio show and a website. In 2017, the com ...

says "Eisenkappel is the major stopover in the Vellach Valley. This town is surrounded by centuries-old forests and mineral springs, and because of its position as a frontier town only 15km (10 miles) from the Austro-Slovenian border's Jezersko Pass, it also offers many cultural and historical attractions. ... There are many sky-blue lakes and white mountain peaks near Eisenkappel. Lake Klopeiner ..., to the north of this town, is the warmest lake in Carinthia and 8km (5 miles) to the southwest you'll see Trögerner Gorge."Frommers
/ref> The

International Commission for the Protection of the Alps International is an adjective (also used as a noun) meaning "between nations". International may also refer to: Music Albums * ''International'' (Kevin Michael album), 2011 * ''International'' (New Order album), 2002 * ''International'' (The T ...

(CIPRA) has stated that Bad Eisenkappel is highly affected by a growing trend of "out migration" where services and basic infrastructure are leaving the area. As such the town has attempted to counterbalance this loss by starting events to keep the youth within. Currently, as noted in the report, much of the youth travel to nearby Klagenfurt. Its sister community is Jezersko across the Austria-Slovenia border.

Notable residents

* Cvetka Lipuš, poet *

Maja Haderlap Maja Haderlap (born 8 March 1961 in Eisenkappel-Vellach (, Carinthia)) is a bilingual Slovenian-German Austrian writer, best known for her multiple-award-winning novel, Angel of Oblivion, about the Slovene ethnic minority's transgenerational t ...

, writer *

Florjan Lipuš Florjan Lipuš (born 4 May 1937 in Lobnig above Bad Eisenkappel, Austria) is a Carinthian Slovene writer and translator. Since 1985 he has been a corresponding member of the Slovenian Academy of Sciences and Arts. Awards * 2004: Prešeren Aw ...

, writer and Prešeren laureate * Angela Piskernik, botanist and head of the

Museum of Natural History A natural history museum or museum of natural history is a scientific institution with natural history collections that include current and historical records of animals, plants, fungi, ecosystems, geology, paleontology, climatology, and more ...

, Ljubljana * :de:Gerald Florian Messner Gerald Florian Messner, Musicologist

Notable residents

See also

References

Further reading