Paternion () 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 rura ...

in the district of Villach-Land in the

Austria Austria, formally the Republic of Austria, is a landlocked country in Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine Federal states of Austria, states, of which the capital Vienna is the List of largest cities in Aust ...

n 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 ...

. It is located within the

Drava The Drava or Drave (, ; ; ; ; ), historically known as the Dravis or Dravus, is a river in southern Central Europe.

valley about in the north-west of the city of Villach.

Geography

Paternion is subdivided into six Katastralgemeinden: '' Feistritz an der Drau'', ''Kamering'', ''Kreuzen'', ''Nikelsdorf'', ''Paternion'' and ''Rubland''.

History

Settled since the

Hallstatt culture The Hallstatt culture was the predominant Western Europe, Western and Central European archaeological culture of the Late Bronze Age Europe, Bronze Age (Hallstatt A, Hallstatt B) from the 12th to 8th centuries BC and Early Iron Age Europe (Hallst ...

, the place was first mentioned as ''St. Paternianus'' in a 1296 deed, named after Saint Paternian, the

Bishop of Fano The Diocese of Fano-Fossombrone-Cagli-Pergola () is a Latin Church, Latin diocese of the Catholic Church in Italy, created in 1986, when the historical Diocese of Fano was united to the Diocese of Cagli e Pergola and the Diocese of Fossombrone. I ...

, as the area south of the Drava then belonged to the

Patriarchate of Aquileia The Patriarchate of Aquileia was an episcopal see and ecclesiastical province in northeastern Italy, originally centered in the ancient city of Aquileia, situated near the northern coast of the Adriatic Sea. It emerged in the 4th century as a m ...

. :de:Paternion In 1530 Paternion received market rights from Archduke

Ferdinand I of Austria Ferdinand I ( 19 April 1793 – 29 June 1875) was Emperor of Austria from March 1835 until his abdication in December 1848. He was also King of Hungary, King of Croatia, Croatia and King of Bohemia, Bohemia (as Ferdinand V), King of Lombardy– ...

. With a percentage of about 30%, the municipality is today one of the centres of

Protestantism Protestantism is a branch of Christianity that emphasizes Justification (theology), justification of sinners Sola fide, through faith alone, the teaching that Salvation in Christianity, salvation comes by unmerited Grace in Christianity, divin ...

in Carinthia. Paternion Castle was part of the Lordship of Paternion ''(Herrschaft Paternion)'', together with the castles at Pöllan and Kreuzen and 8,800 hectares of forests. In the late 19th century they passed from the counts Widmann-Rezzonico to count Piero Foscari from Venice, and they are still today owned by the Foscari-Widmann-Rezzonico family. Paternion Valvasor 1688.jpg, Paternion Castle (1688) Paternion - Schloss.JPG, Paternion Castle

Politics

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

Social Democratic Party of Austria The Social Democratic Party of Austria ( , SPÖ) is a social democratic political party in Austria. Founded in 1889 as the Social Democratic Workers' Party of Austria (, SDAPÖ) and later known as the Socialist Party of Austria () from 1945 unt ...

(SPÖ): 18 *

Freedom Party of Austria The Freedom Party of Austria (, FPÖ) is a political party in Austria, variously described as far-right, right-wing populist, national-conservative, and Eurosceptic. It has been led by Herbert Kickl since 2021. It is the largest of five part ...

(FPÖ): 2 *

Austrian People's Party The Austrian People's Party ( , ÖVP ) is a Christian-democratic and liberal-conservative political party in Austria. Since January 2025, the party has been led by Christian Stocker (as an acting leader). It is currently the second-largest p ...

(ÖVP): 2 * The Greens - The Green Alternative: 1

Notable people

* Mr. Bond, far-right rapper

Twin town

* Ladenburg,

Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...

References

External links

Cities and towns in Villach-Land District Gailtal Alps {{Carinthia-geo-stub