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Fresach ( sl, Brežnje) is a municipality in
About two-thirds of the local population profess Protestantism. A former prayer house erected in 1784 and preserved in its original condition is today the seat of a museum of the Lutheran diocese in Carinthia.
Municipal site
Protestant cultural centre Fresach
Cities and towns in Villach-Land District {{Carinthia-geo-stub
Villach-Land District
Bezirk Villach-Land is a district of the state of
Carinthia in Austria.
Municipalities
Towns (''Städte'') are indicated in boldface; market towns (''Marktgemeinden'') in ''italics''; suburbs, hamlets and other subdivisions of a municipality a ...
, in the Austrian state of Carinthia
Carinthia (german: Kärnten ; sl, Koroška ) is the southernmost States of Austria, Austrian state, in the Eastern Alps, and is noted for its mountains and lakes. The main language is German language, German. Its regional dialects belong to t ...
.
Geography
The municipal area lies within the Nock Mountains (Mirnock massif) north of the Valley. In the southwest, the Drava River forms the boundary with the market town of Paternion. It comprises the cadastral communities of Fresach, Moosach and Tragenwinkl. Fresach has achieved the status of a ''Luftkurort
Luftkurort, literally meaning 'air spa', is a title given to towns or cities in Austria, Switzerland, and Germany which are Destination spa, health resorts which have a climate and air quality which is considered beneficial to health and recovery. ...
'' (air spa).
About two-thirds of the local population profess Protestantism. A former prayer house erected in 1784 and preserved in its original condition is today the seat of a museum of the Lutheran diocese in Carinthia.
History
Archaeological artifacts indicate a permanent settlement of the area since the Bronze Age. The Mirnock slopes were colonized byAlpine Slavs The settlement of the Eastern Alps region by early Slavs took place during the 6th to 8th centuries.
It is part of the southward expansion of the early Slavs which would result in the characterization of the South Slavic group, and would ultimatel ...
about 590, followed by Bavarian settlers in the 8th century. Part of the Imperial Duchy of Carinthia
The Duchy of Carinthia (german: Herzogtum Kärnten; sl, Vojvodina Koroška) was a duchy located in southern Austria and parts of northern Slovenia. It was separated from the Duchy of Bavaria in 976, and was the first newly created Imperial Sta ...
from 976, the estates were held by the local Counts of Ortenburg. A first Catholic church was erected in the 12th century, rebuilt after an Ottoman raid in 1478. The present-day Late Gothic
International Gothic is a period of Gothic art which began in Burgundy, France, and northern Italy in the late 14th and early 15th century. It then spread very widely across Western Europe, hence the name for the period, which was introduced by t ...
building was finished in 1523.
While the Ortenburg heritage had passed to the Austrian House of Habsburg, the majority of the local population turned Protestant in the early 16th century. Though subjected to the stern measures 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 ...
under the rule of the Inner Austrian archduke (and later emperor) Ferdinand II (1590–1637), Fresach remained a centre of Crypto-protestantism. Not until the 1781 Patent of Toleration issued by Emperor Joseph II a Protestant parish was established. The Protestant church was built in 1949–51.
The community of Fresach was founded in 1849, it merged with neighbouring Moosach in 1963 to form the present-day municipality.
Politics
Seats in the municipal assembly (''Gemeinderat'') as of 2009 elections: * Freedom Party of Austria (FPÖ): 7 *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): 6
*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 currentl ...
(ÖVP): 2
Notable people
* Franz Klammer (born 1953), alpine ski racerReferences
External links
Municipal site
Protestant cultural centre Fresach
Cities and towns in Villach-Land District {{Carinthia-geo-stub