Villach - one of the tradition rich cities of history
axts from the chalcolithic period, found at "Stiegl am Ossiacher See", 3000 B.C.
The oldest traces of human settlement in the Villach region are from the Neolithic period (3500 - 1800 B.C.). All the subsequent prehistoric periods are represented in this naturally favoured area, some of the archaeological sites being highly significant.
Many items from the Roman period (15 B.C. onwards) have been found in all areas of the town. The name of the road station which is believed to have existed here is Santicum. Only with the migration of the Slav races, around 600, do the remains of the late classical civilisation cease to exist.
"Römerweg", close to Warmbad/Villach
The Roman road known as the "Römerweg", close to Warmbad Villach, is an ancient track road cut deep into the rock and is one of the most important of the old routes leading from Italy into the eastern Alpine region.
This route was first travelled in the earliest historical times, and still retained its function even in the post-Roman era.
Roman dedications from Warmbad are an indication of the early use of the local thermal springs.
In 740 Karantanien came under the sovereignty of the Dukedom of Bavaria. In 811, in the course of the conversion of the area to Christianity, Charles the Great used the River Drava to mark the diocesan boundary between Salzburg and Aquileja.
In 878 King Karlmann handed over the royal court of Treffen to the Bavarian monastery of Ötting. The bridge at Villach is mentioned in documents as a boundary point.
In 979 Kaiser Otto II invested Bishop Albuin von Säben/Brixen with the royal court of Villach. The fortification with a church was probably located in St. Martin.
In 1007 the Villach area became the property of the bishopric of Bamberg, founded by Kaiser Heinrich II, and remained in this ownership until 1759. In 1060 a comprehensive market charter was granted to the settlement around the bridge, under the terms of which King Henry !V gave the bishopric privileges and the right to hold court, exact tolls, mint money and hold markets. In 1225 permission to hold an annual market was also granted by Kaiser Friedrich II.
Villach is expressly mentioned as a town for the first time in 1240; in the late middle ages it was the most important town in the province. It was presided over by Stadtrichter or town judges, such persons being known of since 1240.
The oldest town charter which has been handed down dates from 1392. From 1588 onwards there were also mayors as well as the Stadtrichter, and these quickly became the more important function.
On 25th January 1348 Villach was devastated by a severe earthquake, and another quake in 1690 also caused a lot of damage. The town was damaged by fire on several occasions, for example in 1524, 1606, 1713 and 1813.
In 1526 the Reformation came to Villach, and the centre of Protestantism in Carinthia was here. After 1600 those citizens who adhered to Lutheranism were forced to emigrate, a fact which hastened the economic decline of the town.
The view of the topography of Austria drawn by Matthäus Merian in 1649 shows the characteristic position of Villach with the town centre located south of the Drava; documentary evidence of a bridge crossing here dates back as far as 878.
From 1007 to 1759 the town was in the possession of the bishopric of Bamberg. At the time of this representation, Villach had somewhat fewer than 3000 inhabitants.In 1535 the Hochstift Bamberg was obliged to recognise the subordination of its possessions to the sovereign authority of the Land, and in 1674 further sovereign rights were lost.
In 1759 the Empress Maria Theresia finally acquired Villach by purchase for Austria, together with all other Bamberg possessions in Carinthia. In the Napoleonic era Upper Carinthia was separated from Austria, and in 1809 - 1813 Villach was the main town of the region within the French provinces of Illyria.
When the town was reconquered in the summer of 1813, much damage was inflicted.
Around 1810 the mediaeval town fortification was abandoned, and the Bürgergarde or citizens’ guard, the last remnant of the former town defence organisation, was dissolved in 1852.
New statutory regulations passed in 1849, 1861 and 1864 increased the sphere of influence of the town community. In 1864 the Südbahn railway reached Villach, and the important railway junction point which developed shortly afterwards favoured the renewed economic revival of the town.
In the war years 1915 - 1917 Villach, as a town near the front line with Italy, was the seat of the headquarters of the 10th Army.
On 1st January 1932 Villach became an autonomous municipal authority with its own byelaws, and took over the functions of the regional administration.
In the 2nd World War the town was severely affected in 1944/45 by 40 air attacks, which killed around 300 people and destroyed or badly damaged 1300 buildings.
Part of the community of St. Martin already having become part of Villach in 1905, in 1973 Landskron, Fellach and Maria Gail were brought into the community also. The municipal area now covers 134.85 km². On 31st December 2001 the population of the town was 57,720, of which 30,402 were women and 27,118 men.
_rdax_150x97.jpg)
.jpg)
