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Klagenfurt, the "Rose of Lake Wörthersee" is situated in the centre of Europe, at the point where Germanic, Roman and Slav cultures meet. It's a town with around 100,000 inhabitants, an 800-year-old history, modern infrastructure and an intact environment. Green meadows, high mountains, a particularly pleasant climate and the warmest Alpine lake in Europe are the trademarks of Austria's southernmost provincial capital.

According to the legend the city was founded after brave men had killed the Lindwurm, the dragon living in the moors around Klagenfurt.

In fact, the foundation of Klagenfurt was a little bit less dramatic but still difficult-Klagenfurt was actually founded twice.

First, duke Hermann, a descendant of the Rhine-Franco family Spanheim sought to found a settlement at the main junction of the north-south and east-west trade routes. This first settlement was at the banks of the river Glan and was called "Forum Chlagenvurth". Unfortunately it was within the flooding area and therefore pretty wet.

In 1246 his son Bernhard von Spanheim, related to the Hohenstaufern and Babenberger, son-in-law of King Wenzel of Bohemia and father-in-law of Friedrich the Valiant, moved the city to the area, which is nowadays the Alter Platz. This new settlement was granted its town charter in 1252.

Hard times were to follow: fires, earthquakes, grasshopper swarms and in 1477 the first farmer uprises in the German speaking world. When in 1514 Klagenfurt burned down completely it seemed to be its end. As we shall see the opposite happened.

Emperor Maximillian, whose duty it would have been to rebuild the city, was penniless.Therefore he gave Klagenfurt the "Landstaende"(assembly of Carinthia’s nobles) as a present. This was a unique act in German legal history.

The Landstaende ruled Klagenfurt until 1848 and shortly after they had taken over possession of Klagenfurt it became the new capital of Carinthia. The new rulers of Klagenfurt ambitiously started to

Enlarge and modernise the city. The leading aristocratic families built new palaces in the city and the Lendkanal, a channel connecting the city with the Lake Wörther was built. The Italian architect Domenico di Lalio designed the new city, protected by impressive city walls, and the Neuer Platz became the new centre of the city. The 16th and 17th centuries can be described as Klagenfurt’s heyday.

In 1809 the French conquered Klagenfurt and blew up the city walls. Napoleon, on his raid through Europe, was eager not to have any fortified cities in his back, from where new resistance could have grown. Today only small parts of the city wall and moat still exist.

In 1863 Klagenfurt was connected with the railway and a new era of commercial prosperity began. Klagenfurt again became the centre of Carinthia. It was heavily damaged during the second World War, but most of its historical buildings could be saved. In the last years Klagenfurt has underlined its prosperity by introducing Austria’s first pedestrian area and building the first high-riser and district heating.

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