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Greifenburg is a
Greifenburg Castle was first mentioned in an 1166 deed, then located within the lands held by the
market town
A market town is a Human settlement, 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 marketplace, market; this distinguished it from a village or ...
in the district of Spittal an der Drau
Spittal an der Drau is a town in the western part of the Austrian federal state of Carinthia. It is the administrative centre of Spittal an der Drau District, Austria's second largest district ('' Bezirk'') by area.
Geography
The town is located ...
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.
Geography
The settlement stretches in the upper Valley (''Drautal'') between the Kreuzeck mountain range in the north, part of theHigh Tauern
The High Tauern (pl.; german: Hohe Tauern, it, Alti Tauri) are a mountain range on the main chain of the Central Eastern Alps, comprising the highest peaks east of the Brenner Pass. The crest forms the southern border of the Austrian states of S ...
, and the Gailtal Alps , ''Drauzug''
, photo=Grosse Sandspitze 1.jpg
, photo_size=
, photo_caption=Große Sandspitze, the highest peak in the range
, country= Austria
, subdivision1_type= States
, subdivision1=
, parent=
, geology= Limestone
, orogeny=Alpine o ...
in the south. From Greifenburg, a mountain road leads southwards up to the Weissensee lake and Kreuzberg Saddle pass.
The municipal area comprises the cadastral communities of Bruggen, Greifenburg proper, and Kerschbaum.
History
The present-day settlement may have arisen from amansio
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 ...
called ''Bilachium'' 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 R ...
from Sanctium (Villach) along the Drava River up to Littamum (Innichen), at the strategically important branch-off to Kreuzberg Pass.
Greifenburg Castle was first mentioned in an 1166 deed, then located within the lands held by the House of Gorizia
The Counts of Gorizia (german: Grafen von Görz; it, Conti di Gorizia; sl, Goriški grofje), also known as the Meinhardiner, were a comital, princely and ducal dynasty in the Holy Roman Empire. Named after Gorizia Castle in Gorizia (now in ...
(''Meinhardiner''); it was acquired by the Carinthian duke Bernhard von Spanheim about 1230. Duke Bernhard maintained Greifenburg, defeating the united troops of Count Meinhard I of Görz and his father-in-law Count Albert IV of Tyrol
Albert IV (or ''Albert III'', depending on the counting scheme; – 22 July 1253) was Count of Tyrol from 1202 until his death, the last from the original House of Tirol. He also served as ''Vogt'' of the bishoprics of Trent and Brixen.
Life ...
with the support from his son Archbishop Philip of Salzburg
Salzburg (, ; literally "Salt-Castle"; bar, Soizbuag, label=Austro-Bavarian) is the fourth-largest city in Austria. In 2020, it had a population of 156,872.
The town is on the site of the Roman settlement of ''Iuvavum''. Salzburg was founded ...
in 1252. Vested with market rights
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 ...
in 1267, Greifenburg nevertheless fell to the ''Meinhardiner'' dynasty, when upon the extinction of the Sponheim
Sponheim is a municipality in the district of Bad Kreuznach in Rhineland-Palatinate in western Germany.
History
Sponheim was the capital of the County of Sponheim.
Sponheim Abbey
There was a Benedictine abbey which was founded in 1101 by Step ...
dynasty the Habsburg king Rudolph I of Germany
Rudolf I (1 May 1218 – 15 July 1291) was the first King of Germany from the House of Habsburg. The first of the count-kings of Germany, he reigned from 1273 until his death.
Rudolf's election marked the end of the Great Interregnum whic ...
enfeoffed Count Meinhard's son, Meinhard II
Meinhard II (c. 1238 – 1 November 1295), a member of the House of Gorizia (''Meinhardiner''), ruled the County of Gorizia (as Meinhard IV) and the County of Tyrol together with his younger brother Albert from 1258. In 1271 they divided their he ...
, with the Carinthian duchy in 1286. Duke Meinhard II died at Greifenburg Castle in 1295.
Upon the death of Meinhard's heir Duke Henry in 1335, Greifenburg, with the Carinthian lands, passed to the Austrian House of Habsburg in 1335. In 1460, Count John II of Görz officially relinquished all claims to the town in favour of Emperor Frederick III. In 1537 the Habsburgs enfeoffed their treasurer Count Gabriel von Salamanca-Ortenburg with the estates; his heirs held Greifenburg Castle until 1626.
Politics
Seats in the municipal assembly (''Gemeinderat'') as of 2015 local elections: *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 curr ...
(ÖVP): 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): 4
*Freedom Party of Austria
The Freedom Party of Austria (german: Freiheitliche Partei Österreichs, FPÖ) is a right-wing populist and national-conservative political party in Austria. It was led by Norbert Hofer from September 2019 to 1 June 2021.Staff (1 June 2021"Au ...
(FPÖ): 4
Twin towns — sister cities
Greifenburg istwinned
Twinning (making a twin of) may refer to:
* In biology and agriculture, producing two offspring (i.e., twins) at a time, or having a tendency to do so;
* Twin towns and sister cities, towns and cities involved in town twinning
* Twinning inst ...
with:
* Schiffweiler
Schiffweiler is a municipality in the district of Neunkirchen, in Saarland, Germany. It is situated approximately 5 km northwest of Neunkirchen, and 20 km northeast of Saarbrücken.
People from Schiffweiler
* Konrad Grebe
Konrad ...
, Germany
Notable people
* Baldur Preiml (born 1939), ski jumper.References
Cities and towns in Spittal an der Drau District Kreuzeck group Gailtal Alps {{Carinthia-geo-stub