Regions
Wörthersee
Cities
Other destinations
Skiing resorts
Understand
Carinthia is possibly the most autonomous state in Austria (with possible exception of Tyrol). Older than
Austria itself, it has always been fairly isolated from its surroundings by its geography. Carinthians are rooted and proud, but also have a reputation for being more warm-hearted than the rest of Austrians.
There are several explation where the name Carinthia comes from. One explanation says, it is derived from the celtic word Carant which means friend. Other explanations assume that the name comes from the celtic word karanto which means stone.
Cartinthia is a quite mountainous country sandwiched by the Alps in the north, and the Karawanken in the south.
Talk
Carinthians have their own (sounding quite hard) dialect which might be hard to understand if you are only used to formal German. English is widely understood in cities and tourism areas (lakes, ski-resorts, cities), but less understood in more rural areas. Italian and Slovenian are also widely spoken in the south of Carinthia.
Get in
By air
Kärnten has one international airport located in Klagenfurt. You can reach this
airport from Vienna. International flights
arrive from Berlin,London,Hannover,Cologne(Köln) and Frankfurt.
By train
Villach is a railway-gateway to all parts of Austria, therefore it's easy to get to Kärnten from all major cities in Austria. Trains from Vienna and Graz arrive approximately every two hours.
By car
Take the Südautobahn (A2/motorway) if your travelling from Styria or Vienna. If you are arriving from Salzburg take the Tauernautobahn (A10/motorway,liable to pay costs).
Get around
By car
Driving by car is definetly the easiest way to get around. Be prepared that apart from the main routes mountain roads can especially tricky for those who are not used to driving on mountain roads. This is especially true in winter.
By Train
The main railway hubs are located in Villach and Klagenfurt.
By Bus
It might be tiring to get around using the federal bus network because the frequency of buses is low to non-existent on weekends.
See
Do
Kärnten is known for its ski resorts as well for its scenic lakes and mountains (hiking, climbing). If you are travelling in summer try out one of these lakes:
Skiing resorts include Nassfeld at the Italian border, Turrach at the border with Styria, Flachau and Katschberg both bordering Salzburg. Skiing is a bit cheaper than in Tirol and Vorarlberg.
Eat
Carinthian cuisine is closely related to Italian cuisine and therefore known for all types of noodles. Specialities are
Drink
There is a well-known brewery in Hirt near Friesach which make fantastic beer. (Hirter Pils and Hirter Märzen)
Stay safe
As the rest of Austria, Carinthia is a very safe place. The usual precautions when travelling is usually enough.
Get out
Carinthia (German: Kärnten, Slovenian: Koroška) is the southernmost Austrian state or Land; it is chiefly famous for its mountains and lakes.
It covers an area of 9,536 km² with 559,404 inhabitants (2001).
It consists mostly of a basin inside the Alps, with the Carnian Alps and the Karawanken making up the border to Italy and Slovenia. The Tauern mountains divide it from Salzburg. To the East lies the state of Styria and it makes up a continuous valley with the eastern part of the Tyrol to the West. Its lakes are a major tourist attraction. The main river is the Drave.
The capital is Klagenfurt (Slovenian: Celovec). The next important town is Villach (Slovenian: Beljak); these two towns are strongly linked economically. Other towns and villages include Malta.
The people are predominantly German-speaking with a unique (and easily recognizable) dialect. A Slovenian minority of about 60.000 people (unofficial est. 100.000) is concentrated in the southeast of the country.
The current governor (German: Landeshauptmann) is Jörg Haider of the Alliance for the Future of Austria (BZÖ). Haider is a rather controversial figure because his politics tend to the far right. He has made a few statements of a xenophobic nature and some suggesting nostalgia for the Third Reich.
Carinthia's main industries are tourism, electronics, engineering, forestry and agriculture. The multinational corporations Philips and Siemens have large operations there.
Carinthia has a continental climate, with hot and moderately wet summers and long harsh winters. In recent decades winters have been exceptionally arid. Average sun index is the highest in Austria. In autumn and winter temperature inversion often dominates the climate, characterised by air stillness, a dense fog covering the frosty valleys and trapping pollution to form smog, while mild sunny weather is recorded higher up in the foothills and mountains.
History
The once-independent Duchy of Carinthia was historically part of the Holy Roman Empire until it was dissolved in 1806, then a crownland of Austria-Hungary. The Carinthian Plebiscite on October 10, 1920, determined the lines of division between what is today Austria and Slovenia.
Name
The name (Karantanien) is thought to be Celtic in origin, though two roots have been proposed:
1. carant, meaning "friend" or "relation" - giving the meaning "land of friendship".
2. karanto, meaning "stone, rock". If this is the case, the name shares its root with such others as Karnburg, the Karawanken and similar.
Karantanien is related to the old Slovenian Korotan, from which the modern name arose.
Administrative divisions
The state is divided into 8 districts (Bezirke), and two Statutarstädte.
Statutarstädte
Districts
Tourist attractions
Major tourist attractions are Villach, the lakes Wörthersee, Ossiachersee, Faaker See, Millstätter See, ski resorts Nassfeld/Hermagor, Gerlitzen, Bad Kleinkirchheim, Heiligenblut, Gurk Cathedral, Hochosterwitz
castle, the Großglockner mountain and the Nockberge for alpine sport.
See also
External links
