Ferlach

Ferlach (Slovene: Borovlje) in the district of Klagenfurt-Land in Carinthia is the southernmost town in Austria. It is known for its centuries-old gunsmith tradition, part of the Austrian intangible cultural heritage since 2010.

Ferlach
Coat of arms
Ferlach
Location within Austria
Ferlach
Ferlach (Austria)
Coordinates: 46°32′N 14°18′E
CountryAustria
StateCarinthia
DistrictKlagenfurt-Land
Government
  MayorIngo Appé (SPÖ)
Area
  Total117.21 km2 (45.26 sq mi)
Elevation
466 m (1,529 ft)
Population
 (2018-01-01)[2]
  Total7,141
  Density61/km2 (160/sq mi)
Time zoneUTC+1 (CET)
  Summer (DST)UTC+2 (CEST)
Postal code
9170
Area code04227
Websitewww.ferlach.at

Geography

It is situated in the Rosental/Rož Valley of the Drava River, about 17 kilometres (11 mi) south of the Carinthian state capital Klagenfurt. In the south, the crest of the Karawanks mountain range forms the border with Slovenia. The municipal area comprises the cadastral communities of Ferlach (Borovlje), Kappel an der Drau (Kapla ob Dravi), Kirschentheuer (Kožentavra), Unterloibl (Podljubelj), Waidisch (Bajdiše), Unterferlach (Medborovnica), Glainach (Glinje), Seidolach (Ždovlje), and Windisch Bleiberg (Slovenji Plajberg).

The town centre lies at the junction of the Rosental Straße (B85) highway with Loiblpass Straße (B91), part of the European route E652, running from Klagenfurt to Tržič in Slovenia via Loibl Pass. The Ferlach Railway line from Weizelsdorf went out of service in 1951, but on summer weekends and special occasions a heritage railway service, the Rosentaler Dampfzug runs as far as Weizelsdorf, operated by the preservation group Nostalgiebahnen in Kärnten.

History

Ferlach was first mentioned as Vörelach in a 1246 deed, named after the surrounding pine (Föhre, bor in Slovene) forests. The mountainous area is the site of large iron ore deposits, ironworks and forging is documented since the 15th century.

The relocation of the capital of the Duchy of Carinthia to nearby Klagenfurt under the rule of King Maximilian I about 1518 decisively promoted the development of Ferlach as a centre of firearm manufacturing. Under Empress Maria Theresa, its gunsmiths became the main armorers of the Habsburg Monarchy. Ferlach firearms were also used by the Spanish, French and Turkish armies.

The present-day municipality was established as Oberferlach in 1850. Ferlach received town privileges in 1930 and today is a centre for the production of hunting rifles. The history of the town is depicted in its coat of arms: it features a pine tree with a cone, two crossed silver nails, and a rifle.

Population

According to the 2001 census 8.3% of the population are Carinthian Slovenes.

Ferlach Castle
Village Number of people 1991 Percent of Slovenes 1991 Percent of Slovenes 1951
Bodental/Poden 115 53.9% 83.3%
Loibltal/Brodi 70 51.4% 68.2%
Strugarjach/Strugarje 18 61.6% 94.1%
W.Bleiberg/Slovenji Plajberk 124 66.9% 87.3%
Waidisch/Bajdiše 93 37.6% 44.5%
Glainach/Glinje 114 12.3% 84.7%
Kappel a.D./Kapla ob Dravi 262 6.5% 30.3%
Tratten/Trata 82 15.9% 41.4%
Unterglainach/Vesca 32 37.5% 100%
Laak/Loka 41 14.6% 100%
Seidolach/Ždovlje 87 18.4% 74.5%
Dörfl/Kajže 18 55.6% 79.4%
Singerberg/Žingarica 9 11.1% 100%
Rauth/Rute 11 9.1% 100%
Görtschach/Goriče 230 8.8% 13.7%
Reßnig/Resnica 212 7.1% 44.8%
Kirschentheuer/Kožentavra 252 7.9% 45.6%
Otroutza/Otrovca 71 5.6% 41.0%
Strau/Struga 222 5.0% 28.5%
Unterloibl/Podljubelj 240 8.3% 22.1%

Climate

Climate data for Ferlach
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Record high °C (°F) 13.8
(56.8)
21.8
(71.2)
24.8
(76.6)
27.0
(80.6)
31.4
(88.5)
32.8
(91.0)
36.5
(97.7)
36.0
(96.8)
31.0
(87.8)
26.2
(79.2)
18.8
(65.8)
17.8
(64.0)
36.5
(97.7)
Average high °C (°F) 0.9
(33.6)
5.0
(41.0)
10.8
(51.4)
15.3
(59.5)
20.6
(69.1)
23.7
(74.7)
25.9
(78.6)
25.6
(78.1)
20.9
(69.6)
14.6
(58.3)
6.3
(43.3)
1.3
(34.3)
14.2
(57.6)
Daily mean °C (°F) −4.0
(24.8)
−1.4
(29.5)
3.5
(38.3)
8.2
(46.8)
13.5
(56.3)
16.7
(62.1)
18.6
(65.5)
18.1
(64.6)
13.7
(56.7)
8.2
(46.8)
1.7
(35.1)
−2.7
(27.1)
7.8
(46.0)
Average low °C (°F) −7.1
(19.2)
−5.4
(22.3)
−1.4
(29.5)
2.5
(36.5)
7.2
(45.0)
10.7
(51.3)
12.5
(54.5)
12.3
(54.1)
8.6
(47.5)
4.3
(39.7)
−1.1
(30.0)
−5.2
(22.6)
3.2
(37.7)
Record low °C (°F) −24.3
(−11.7)
−24.1
(−11.4)
−16.7
(1.9)
−6.0
(21.2)
−2.6
(27.3)
2.0
(35.6)
3.7
(38.7)
3.5
(38.3)
−1.4
(29.5)
−10.6
(12.9)
−15.0
(5.0)
−19.6
(−3.3)
−24.3
(−11.7)
Average rainfall mm (inches) 51.9
(2.04)
50.4
(1.98)
70.3
(2.77)
99.1
(3.90)
104.0
(4.09)
134.0
(5.28)
137.0
(5.39)
120.1
(4.73)
122.6
(4.83)
118.0
(4.65)
114.7
(4.52)
80.0
(3.15)
1,202.1
(47.33)
Average snowfall cm (inches) 28.9
(11.4)
33.7
(13.3)
19.1
(7.5)
10.8
(4.3)
0.2
(0.1)
0.0
(0.0)
0.0
(0.0)
0.0
(0.0)
0.0
(0.0)
0.8
(0.3)
13.8
(5.4)
29.2
(11.5)
136.5
(53.7)
Average rainy days (≥ 1.0mm) 5.8 5.1 7.5 9.3 11.4 12.0 11.4 9.8 8.5 8.3 7.8 6.8 103.7
Average snowy days (≥ 1.0cm) 26.1 21.4 12.9 1.8 0.2 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.2 5.9 19.8 88.3
Mean monthly sunshine hours 78.8 123.0 158.3 175.2 212.5 217.5 241.2 233.0 180.5 125.6 66.0 57.4 1,869
Source:

Politics

Seats in the municipal assembly (Gemeinderat) as of 2015 local elections:

Notable people

References

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