"Capital of Carinthia" a Klagenfurt Travel Page by antistar

The ancient duchy of Carinthia is now split in two, and has been since the Second World War, with the northern half in Austria, and the southern half in Slovenia. Klagenfurt was the capital of this region, and remains an important Austrian city. It was also the crossroads at which the Slavic, Germanic and Roman cultures, and so has plenty of history.

The links with nearby Slovenia, and its lost other half, are strong, like the Lindwurm, which is the dragon emblem of the town. Dragons abound in Slovenia, and the old Lindwurm, before its more modern transformations, was nearly identical to the dragon emblem of Ljubljana. Legend has it that the Lindwurm stalked the swamps that Klagenfurt was founded on, and only after its death was the city built.

Klagenfurt today is a clean, busy, modern town, much restored after the damage caused by World War 2. It is pleasantly situated near Lake Wörther, in the shadow of nearby Alpine mountains. It is only small, with a population of just under 100,000 people, and hasn't a great deal of sights to see, but can make a pleasant stop-over if you are coming from London by air.

Things I Loved

Seeing the mountains at the end of streets and between the buildings.

Disappointments

The town itself - it wasn't all that exciting.