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July 24, 2001 -- Alter Platz, the oldest square in Klagenfurt and surrounded by its most historic buildings. It is also home to the Trinity column, a monument erected in 1680 in memory of the plague that ravaged the city the year before. (SHNS photo courtesy Klagenfurt Tourism)
July 24, 2001 -- A view of the historic district of Klagenfurt, Old Town. (SHNS photo courtesy Klagenfurt Tourism)
July 24, 2001 -- Klagenfurt, an Austrian town perched on Worther See, the most famous of southern Austria's lakes, is worth a leisurely two-day visit. Here, a view of NeuerPlatz, dominated by the massive Dragon Fountain, the emblem of the city. It was sculpted in the 16th century and inspired by the legend of a lindwurm (dragon), which was fueled by the discovery of a giant skull in a local swamp. Modern science has since identified it as the remains of a wooly rhinoceros. (SHNS photo courtesy Klagenfurt Tourism)
July 24, 2001 -- This massive hall, built between 1574 and 1581, was the palace of the Diet (legislature) of Austria. It's known today as Wappensaal, or heraldic hall, and is decorated with 665 coats of arms. (SHNS photo courtesy Klagenfurt Tourism)
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By Laszlo Buhasz
Toronto Globe and Mail
I first traveled to Klagenfurt, Austria, in November 1956. Neither the town nor I were at our best that year. My parents and I had just spent two days and nights walking across frozen farmers' fields, through leaf-bare woods, then past mine fields and border guards and finally through gaps in great coils of barbed wire. We were fleeing Hungary, a failed uprising, and a Budapest broken by Russian tanks. Klagenfurt, for its part, had the same gray, exhausted look that hung over most of Central Europe like a threadbare cape even a dozen years after the end of World War II. It was cold and damp, and soot-stained snow fringed potholed streets. Our first billet there was in a claustrophobic school building owned by Ursuline nuns where we waited with other refugees to see which western country would take us in. Even the surrounding mountains, the first I'd ever seen, appeared to me oppressive, skirted by forbidding pine forests gauzy with mist. Despite the kindness of the townspeople, my stay here did not create golden memories. But time is a great magician and the dreary black-and-white images from my childhood were recast in color during a recent return to the capital of Carinthia, Austria's southernmost state. There wasn't much I remembered about the place. Still, it was satisfying to see that the city had aged well over the decades. Klagenfurt's population is now around 100,000 and it is a scrubbed and prosperous commercial and traffic junction, a university town and the busy gateway to a vacation region dotted with more than 1,000 lakes. It is also on the southern route to Hohe Tauern National Park, an area of outstanding alpine beauty that Carinthia shares with the neighboring states of Salzburg and Tirol. And once again -- perched on the eastern shore of thermally-warmed Worther See, the most famous of southern Austria's lakes -- it has recovered the gemutlich ambience for which it was known between the wars and even earlier a the height of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. Compared to monumental Vienna and frothy Salzburg, the attractions of Klagenfurt are modest. But they are pleasant, nonetheless, and certainly worth at least two days of leisurely exploration, preferably in September, when most of the summer vacationers have gone. Here are some suggestions: - Central Klagenfurt.
Klagenfurt's historic old center is easily explored in an afternoon, with generous breaks for coffee and rich pastries at some fine sidewalk cafes operated by the better hotels in town. A good place to start a walking tour is at the NeuerPlatz, the square dominated by the massive Dragon Fountain, the emblem of the city. It was sculpted in the 16th century and inspired by the legend of a lindwurm (dragon) fueled by the discovery of a giant skull in a local swamp. Modern science has since identified it as the remains of a wooly rhinoceros. From here, walk north along the pedestrian lane of Krammergasse to Alter Platz, the oldest square in the city surrounded by its most historic buildings. It is also home to the Trinity column, a monument erected in 1680 in memory of the plague that ravaged the city the year before. In an area of a few blocks around the Alter Platz are the superbly renovated buildings and churches that formed the core of the city in the 15th and 16th centuries. Here, more than anywhere else in Klagenfurt, you can see the Italian architectural influence and pastel colors that lend the quarter its vaguely Mediterranean look. During August, a summer festival called Altstadtzauber(The Magic of the Old City) spills into the streets around the old plaza. - Castles and mansions.
For more than eight centuries, the dramatic alpine and lake region around Klagenfurt was a magnet for religious orders, royalty and merchant princes, who built monasteries, castles and fortified manor houses in the valley. A chain of 23 of these historic structures still encircles Klagenfurt. Most, like the Viktring Monastery founded in 1142, are a short drive away, while others, like the splendid Maria Loretto -- the summer residence of Johannes Count Rosenberg -- are within the city limits. Some of the castles offer cultural performances, others fine restaurants and still others, such as Mageregg Castle, with remnants of a16th-century moat, open their animal sanctuaries to visitors. A visit to Hochosterwitz, a ninth-century fortress that dominates its surroundings, and nearby 12th-century Gurk Cathedral, deserve an afternoon of exploration. A brochure and map guide to the castles and mansions is available from Klagenfurt's tourist Information office, Rathaus, Neuer PlatzA-9010; phone 011-43-463-537-223. - The world in miniature.
I was prepared to dislike Minimundus, a park filled with miniature replicas of the world's famous buildings. Instead, I found myself charmed and intrigued by its tasteful gardens and the skill with which almost 200 famous international structures were reproduced to a scale of 1:25. Dominating the park, in height at least, is Toronto's CN Tower, near the Eiffel Tower. Also found along the park's curving walkways are the Taj Mahal, St. Peter's Basilica and Square, the Sydney Opera House, Vienna's St. Stephendom, the Statue of Liberty, Big Ben and many other man-made structures. Replicas of famous ships through history sail on small lakes and canals and miniature trains can be activated with a few coins dropped into a control box. At Villacher Strasse 241, A-9020, the park is open from mid-April to mid-October;admission about $8 - Lake cruise.
The best way to see the shoreline of Worther See is from the deck of a small cruise ship that departs from Klagenfurt. Longer cruises circumnavigate the lake. Shorter trips include moonlight cruises, Sunday morning cruises and "afternoon tea" cruises. Contact Worther-See und Lendkanal-Schiffahrt., St. VeiterStrasse 131; phone 011-43-463-21155. Cruises run from early May to the end of September; it costs about $20 for an around-the-lake cruise. - Hotels.
Today, there are some fine hotels in Klagenfurt, ranging from the ornate Hotel Palais Porcia, right on Neuer Platz, to the equally central Hotel Musil and the Hotel Moser Verdino. They all feature fine continental dining and cafes offering rich coffees and sinful pastries. For an earthier experience, you could try the creaky and slightly musty Schlosshotel Worthersee, just outside town on the north side of the lake. This huge old pile features an informal family atmosphere. You can feel your arteries harden as you tuck into its kitchen's mushroom goulash with liver dumplings, followed by breaded apple rings with ice cream and whipped cream. SchlosshotelWorthersee, phone 011-43-463-211-580, $100 (amounts in Canadian dollars) a room. Hotel PalaisPorcia, phone 011-43-463-511-590, $95-$250 a person. Hotel Musil, phone 011-43- 463-511-660, e-mail: reservation@musil-hotels.co.at , $150-$380. Hotel Moser Verdino, phone 011-43-463-578-780, e-mail: reservation@musil-hotels.co.at , $100-$380. Information: www.anto.com/meetanto.html and follow the links. (Visit SHNS on the Web at www.shns.com .)
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