Obervellach
Obervellach is a market town with 2288 inhabitants (as of 1 January 2013 ) in the south of Austria in the district of Spittal an der Drau in Carinthia.
- 6.1 municipal
- 6.2 Coat of Arms
- 6.3 Town twinning
Geography
Geographical location
The municipality is located in the south of the Tauern Moelltal main ridge. Part of the municipality is located in the National Park Hohe Tauern.
Community structure
The Obervellach divided into four cadastral Obervellach, Pfaff mountain, Lassach and Söbriach. The municipality includes the following 19 places (in brackets population as of 31 October 2011):
- Dürnvellach (184)
- Kaponig (12 )
- Lassach Schattseite (30 )
- Lassach sunny side (36 )
- Leutschach ( 8)
- Obergratschach (11)
- Obervellach (726)
- Obervellach -West ( 95)
- Oberwolliggen (5)
- Pfaff mountain ( 70)
- Racks ( 5)
- Räuflach (325 )
- Semslach (266 )
- Söbriach (142)
- Stallhofen (195 )
- Ramming ( 2)
- Untergratschach (137)
- Untervocken (41 )
- Unterwolliggen (10)
History
A " Velach " was first mentioned in the 10th century in a charter of Bishop Abraham of Freising, who reigned 957-993. The name is likely derived from the Slovenian bel (White ) (see Vellach ). In the 12th century Gorizia Ministerialengeschlecht in Obervellach acquired Count's rights and was granted by the Diocese of Freising, a field to which also scored the current municipal area. The Counts of Gorizia made in 1164 the castle Oberfalkenstein to her seat, and in 1256 Obervellach was first described in a document as a market settlement of the Counts of Gorizia-Tyrol. 1460 the market came under national electoral- Habsburg rule.
Obervellach is a traditional mining town, in the late Middle Ages and silver coins were made from the obtained silver in Obervellach, in 1313 a Obervellacher mint master was called. The mining of gold and silver reached its most important phase, Emperor Maximilian I in the 16th century some 1509 market Vellach the seat of Oberstbergmeisteramt Office in Inner Austria. With the decline in precious metal mining in the 17th century impoverished the market, were added floods and mudslides by the Kaponigbach (casting ). After the discovery of copper in 1689 in the Großfragant the place recovered economically again.
In August 1825 visited the Vienna Alpinist and Hofkammerbeamte Kyselak Josef ( 1799-1831 ) in his Austria hike also Obervellach. Pleasantly surprised he states: This 61 houses scoring market, although significantly reduced from its former value, the asylum of travelers and pride of the area. Here you can meet deliver the well-cooked food not only houses with floors, but also cellar, the genußbaren wine, and hosts. Dei residents are good natured, and what stands out in such a Eiswinkel most - not curious! Your excessive arable farming, processing of dasigen copper mine, like the livestock, which offers the many meadows the best profit, they captivate too much to criticize not the other doings. Subsequently he describes as a path through Dürnwellach continue to Mallnitz.
In 1849 was Obervellach seat of a district court, and the following year the United Obervellach, who was then also Mallnitz, Penk and Flattach belonged, however, the 1896 independent local churches were created. In Obervellach there is a high pressure water power plant of the Austrian Federal Railways ( commissioned in 1929 ). 3 Pelton turbines provide 16 MW at a head of 323 m.
Population
According to the 2001 census has Obervellach 2,540 inhabitants, of which 94.8 % 2.8% Austrian and German citizens. 87.4 % of the population are Roman Catholic, 7.6 % to 1.0% is Protestant Church and the Islamic faith. 3.5 % have no religious confession.
Culture and sights
- Castle Groppenstein
- Groppensteinschlucht
- Castle Oberfalkenstein
- Falkenstein Castle ( Castle Falkenstein low )
- Castle Trabuschgen
- Parish Church of St. Martin with the Frangipani Altar
- Military cemetery, the only of its kind in Carinthia
Traffic
Obervellach is located at the Tauern railway that runs above the village. Nearest railway station is today Mallnitz - Obervellach. Until 1999 there was a railway station Kaponig, formerly Obervellach (D - train stop) that could be reached with its own cable car to the end of 1975. The train station in Mallnitz is a bus.
Policy
Parish council
The local council of Obervellach has 19 members and is composed as follows since the municipal elections in 2009 together:
- 7 ÖVP
- 5 FPK
- 4 MUT
- 3 SPÖ
Directly elected mayor is William Pacher (ÖVP ).
Coat of arms
Emperor Ferdinand I gave the market on February 29, 1560 a coat of arms with rocky mountains ( Zaguten and Gröneck ) over a wave band, symbolizing the Möll. The meaning of the three stars is unclear. On the occasion of the 1,000 th anniversary in 1963 the church was re-shape the arms, the certificate of the Coat of Arms Guided tour of the Carinthian Government, which also includes the right to use a banner, but was only issued in July 2001. The blazon of the arms is:
The flag is blue and white with integrated crest. The tinctures blue and silver does not come in the coat of arms before, but the city wanted to bring this color to the historical reference to the Bishopric of Freising Bavaria or to express.