Arnoldstein | |
|---|---|
 Gail Valley with Arnoldstein and Süd Autobahn | |
 Coat of arms | |
  Arnoldstein Location within Austria | |
| Coordinates:46°33′N13°42′E / 46.550°N 13.700°E /46.550; 13.700 | |
| Country | Austria |
| State | Carinthia |
| District | Villach-Land |
| Government | |
| • Mayor | Reinhard Antolitsch (SPÖ) |
| Area | |
• Total | 67.4 km2 (26.0 sq mi) |
| Elevation | 578 m (1,896 ft) |
| Population (2018-01-01)[2] | |
• Total | 7,096 |
| • Density | 105/km2 (273/sq mi) |
| Time zone | UTC+1 (CET) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC+2 (CEST) |
| Postal code | 9601 |
| Area code | 04255 |
| Website | www.arnoldstein.co.at |
Arnoldstein (Slovene:Podklošter,Italian:Oristagno) is amarket town in the district ofVillach-Land in theAustrian state ofCarinthia.
Arnoldstein is located at Austria's southern border between theCarnic Alps and theKarawanken mountain range, near the confluence of theGailitz (Slovene:Ziljica, Italian:Slizza) and theGail River (Slovene:Zilja, Italian:Zeglia). Thetripoint withTarvisio inItaly andKranjska Gora inSlovenia is south of the town at the top of theOfen (Slovene:Peč, Italian:Monte Forno) at 1,509m/4,951 ft. Today there is a marker at this location.
Arnoldstein can be reached via the A2Süd Autobahn fromVienna and the parallel AustrianSouthern Railway (Rudolfsbahn), running fromKlagenfurt to the Italian border, where it is continued by the ItalianPontebbana line toUdine.
Arnoldstein is divided into sixKatastralgemeinden: Arnoldstein (Podklošter), Hart (Ločilo), Maglern (Megvarje), Pöckau (Peče), Riegersdorf (Rikarja vas), and Seltschach (Sovče).
It can be further divided into 21 localities (Ortschaften) (Population as of 2024):[3]
| German name | Slovene name | Italian name | Population |
|---|---|---|---|
| Agoritschach | Zagoriče | 57 | |
| Arnoldstein | Podklošter | Oristagno | 2,053 |
| Erlendorf | Oljše | 428 | |
| Gailitz | Ziljica | 982 | |
| Greuth | Rute | 15 | |
| Hart | Ločilo | 309 | |
| Krainberg | Strmec | 4 | |
| Krainegg | Podkrajnik | 4 | |
| Lind | Lipa | 112 | |
| Maglern | Megvarje | 285 | |
| Neuhaus an der Gail | Poturje | 318 | |
| Oberthörl | Zgornja Vrata | 57 | |
| Pöckau | Peče | 715 | |
| Pessendellach | Dole | 59 | |
| Radendorf | Radna vas | 198 | |
| Riegersdorf | Rikarja vas | 516 | |
| St. Leonhard bei Siebenbrünn | Šentlenart pri Sedmih studencih | 309 | |
| Seltschach | Sovče | 383 | |
| Thörl-Maglern-Greuth | Rute pri Vratih | Porticina | 9 |
| Tschau | Čava | 94 | |
| Unterthörl | Spodnja Vrata | 236 |
The area around Arnoldstein was already settled inancient times, when aRoman Road along the Gailitz creek connectedAquileia withVirunum near present-day Klagenfurt, capital of theNoricum province.
Arnoldstein's name derives from the alleged founder of its castle, one knight Arnold, probably aministerialis serving theBishops of Bamberg. Upon his coronation in 1014, EmperorHenry II had granted large estates in theDuchy of Carinthia to the Bamberg diocese, that originally had been a possession of thePatriarchs of Aquileia. The castle itself was first mentioned about 1085, here BishopOtto of Bamberg established aBenedictine abbey in 1106 to secure his Carinthian fiefs. Nevertheless, in 1176, the monks had to accept the secularVogt overlordship of the CarinthianSponheim dukes. In the mid-14th century their estates were devastated both by the1348 Friuli earthquake and theBlack Death pandemic.
To improve the economic situation, the abbot of Arnoldstein with the consent of the Bamberg bishop in 1495 allowed theAugsburg merchantsUlrich,Georg andJakob Fugger to exploit the surroundingore deposits and to build upsmelting works, mainly forcopper andsilver. At theirFuggerau enterprise, theFugger family was largely engaged in the trade on the route toVenice, until the premises were repurchased by the Arnoldstein monastery in 1570. The debt, together with the effects of the ProtestantReformation, nearly ruined the abbey's finances. Today ashot tower built in 1814 marks the site of the former foundry.
Arnoldstein again flourished in the course of theCounter-Reformation. Despite all attempts by the AustrianHouse of Habsburg to seize the estates, the monastery was not abolished until 1783 by decree of EmperorJoseph II. The building burnt down in 1883 and only ruins remained. Since 1980, the premises have been gradually restored.
The municipal council (Gemeinderat) consists of 27 members. Since the 2021 local elections, it is made up of the following parties:
The mayor, Reinhard Antolitsch (SPÖ), was elected in 2021.[4]
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