The guided tours in St. Veit an der Glan, Althofen, Friesach and Gurk take you on a journey into the exciting past of the Central Carinthia region.
St. Veit an der Glan
The Carinthian dukes once resided in St. Veit an der Glan and the nobles built their castles around the town, which became family seats. St. Veit was the provincial capital of Carinthia long before Klagenfurt and, as a trading center for the legendary “Noric iron”, was also an economic center. The ducal town is also known nationwide for the meadow marketone of the largest and oldest folk festivals in Austria. The popular fair lasts ten days and starts every year on the last Saturday in September. The construction of the Southern Railway in the 19th century turned St. Veit into a “railroad town”, which is still evident today in the St. Veit Museum is still clearly visible today. Today, the district capital with almost 12,000 inhabitants and many businesses is a center of the Central Carinthia region. For some time now, the picturesque town with its unique locations can also be booked for larger events. The program is appropriately called “rent a city”.
Althofen
The hilltop settlement, visible from afar, scores with its Mediterranean charm and is known as the “City of Light”, as the chemist, inventor and manufacturer Karl Auer von Welsbach settled here in the 19th century. Unique exhibits of the first metal filament light bulbs, an impressive collection of rare lighters and the earliest incandescent gas lamps can be found today in the Auer von Welsbach Museum. It is thanks to the great inventor that the old iron-processing hammer mills on the Gurk have been transformed into flourishing industrial plants. Today, Althofen is a flourishing business and training location and a well-known health resort.
Friesach
Friesach has preserved its medieval appearance like almost no other town. The castles and ruins on the hill, the fortifications consisting of the moat and fortified walls and towers as well as the many churches and monasteries characterize the townscape. The prince archbishops of Salzburg once resided here. Dukes and hundreds of knights met for tournaments. The Friesach pfennigs, which were minted from silver here in the Middle Ages, can be viewed today in the town museum in the chapel tower of Petersberg Castle or enjoyed as a sweet temptation in the Craigher chocolate factory on the main square. To show how a construction site worked in the Middle Ages, a new castle is being built in the south of the small town. new castle built according to old methods.
Gurk
As the ecclesiastical and spiritual center of the region, the market town of Gurk is known far beyond its borders. Pilgrimage routes from all directions converge here at the tomb of St. Hemma (+ around the year 1045) in the hundred-columned crypt in Gurk Cathedral. Gurk Cathedral. This sacred building from the 12th century is one of the most important Romanesque buildings in Austria. Donations by Countess Hemma von Gurk were used to found the diocese of Gurk. Worth seeing is the treasury with its impressive collection of more than 300 sacred objects, which are exhibited in the Gothic and Baroque rooms of the Gurk Provost’s Court.
Dates and time
The guided tours of the historic towns are free for Wörthersee Plus Card holders and take place every Friday from mid-April to mid-October :
- St. Veit/Glan: 9.30 am, meeting point in front of the Kunsthotel Fuchspalast
- Althofen: 11.30 am, meeting point in front of the Auer von Welsbach Museum
- Friesach: 1.30 p.m., meeting point on the main square in front of Villa Bucher
Costs
For overnight guests with the Wörthersee Plus Card the city tours are free of charge!
Cost per city tour for guests without a Wörthersee Plus Card (to be paid on site):
Adults: € 10,-
Children: € 5,-
Guided tours of Gurk Cathedral and in the Gurk Treasury are available all year round by prior arrangement.
Guided tours for groups in Central Carinthia
We are also happy to organize guided tours at your preferred time and for groups. Simply contact our tourist office in St. Veit an der Glan on +434212 45608 or office.tourismus@kaernten-mitte.at and discover our markets.
