Wolfsberg, Carinthia

Wolfsberg [ˈvɔlfsbɛʁk] (Slovene: Volšperk) is a town in Carinthia, Austria, the capital of Wolfsberg District.

Wolfsberg
Riverside and Wolfsberg Castle
Coat of arms
Wolfsberg
Location within Austria
Coordinates: 46°51′N 14°50′E
CountryAustria
StateCarinthia
DistrictWolfsberg
Government
 • MayorHans-Peter Schlagholz (SPÖ)
Area
 • Total278.31 km2 (107.46 sq mi)
Elevation
463 m (1,519 ft)
Population
 (2018-01-01)[2]
 • Total25,035
 • Density90/km2 (230/sq mi)
Time zoneUTC+1 (CET)
 • Summer (DST)UTC+2 (CEST)
Postal code
9400
Area code04352
Websitewww.wolfsberg.at

Geography

The town is situated within the Lavanttal Alps, west of the Koralpe range in the valley of the Lavant River, a left tributary of the Drava. In the northeast, the road up to the Packsattel mountain pass connects Wolfsberg with Voitsberg in Styria. Wolfsberg's municipal area of 279 km2 (108 sq mi) is the fourth largest in Austria.

St. Mark's Church

The municipality comprises the cadastral communities Aichberg, Auen, Forst, Gräbern-Prebl, Gries, Hartelsberg, Hattendorf, Hintertheißenegg, Kleinedling, Kleinwinklern, Lading, Leiwald, Michaelsdorf, Oberleidenberg, Priel, Reding, Reideben, Reisberg, Rieding, Ritzing, Schoßbach, Schwemmtratten, Sankt Jakob, Sankt Johann, Sankt Marein, Sankt Margarethen, Sankt Michael, Sankt Stefan, Thürn, Unterleidenberg, Vordergumitsch, Vordertheißenegg, Waldenstein, Weißenbach, Witra, Wolfsberg Obere Stadt, and Wolfsberg Untere Stadt.

History
Wolfsberg Castle

The area of Wolfsberg belonged to the estates within the medieval Duchy of Carinthia that were ceded to the Prince-Bishopric of Bamberg, probably already by Emperor Henry II in 1007. The castle above the town was first mentioned as Wolfsperch in an 1178 deed of St. Paul's Abbey in the Lavanttal. The adjacent settlement became the administrative centre of Bamberg's Carinthian territories and in 1331 received town privileges by Prince-Bishop Werntho Schenk von Reicheneck.

During the Protestant Reformation the Bayerhofen Castle residence, first mentioned in 1239 and rebuilt in the 16th century, became a center of Lutheranism, which nevertheless was suppressed by the Counter-Reformation. In 1759 the Habsburg empress Maria Theresa acquired all Bamberg lands in Carinthia. Wolfsberg Castle was purchased by Count Hugo Henckel von Donnersmarck in 1846 and rebuilt in a Tudorbethan style.

In World War II the village of Priel south of the town center was the site of the Stalag XVIII-A prisoner-of-war camp with about 7,000 inmates. After the war it served as a detention camp run by the British occupation forces.

Politics
Town hall

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

[3]

Twin towns
See also: List of twin towns and sister cities in Austria

Wolfsberg is twinned with:

Notable people

The poet Christine Lavant (1915–1973) died in the Wolfsberg state hospital.

References
  1. "Dauersiedlungsraum der Gemeinden Politischen Bezirke und Bundesländer - Gebietsstand 1.1.2018". Statistics Austria. Retrieved 10 March 2019.
  2. "Einwohnerzahl 1.1.2018 nach Gemeinden mit Status, Gebietsstand 1.1.2018". Statistics Austria. Retrieved 9 March 2019.
  3. Amt der Kärntner Landesregierung Archived 2015-05-25 at the Wayback Machine
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