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Klagenfurt
Klagenfurt (Slovenian: Celovec)[1] is the capital of Carinthia in Austria. It will be one of the eight host cities in the 2008 European Football Championships.
Culture and History
Klagenfurt has about 90.000 inhabitants and is located close to Wörthersee. It is the native town of well-known writer Robert Musil (especially known for his book The Man Without Qualities) and is host for the The Ingeborg Bachmann Competition, a famous German literature competition. Gustav Mahler, musician and composer also worked and lived in Klagenfurt. Every year the Beach Volleyball Grand Slam Tournament takes place at Wörthersee lake at the beginning of August.
Travel to Klagenfurt, visa requirements
By air
Klagenfurt has its own international airline Flughafen Klagenfurt.
Scheduled flights operate to Klagenfurt from London, Berlin-Tegel, Köln - Bonn, Frankfurt-Hahn, Frankfurt-Main, Hamburg, Hannover, Leipzig and Vienna.
Other nearby Airports include Graz, Salzburg, Vienna, Ljubljana, Maribor, Trieste and Venice.
There are good train connections (3-5 hours) to all aiports above apart from Ljubljana and Maribor. A shuttle bus operates between Graz Airport and Klagenfurt, but it must be booked in advance.
By train
Since Klagenfurt is located at a railway gateway to Italy, Slovenia and Germany, it can be easily reached by any bigger Austrian city. There are hourly connections to Vienna,Graz and neighbouring Villach.
Buses to Klagenfurt
Klagenfurt has daily connections to Graz (departing close to the main train station) and to Ljubljana in Slovenia. Tickets can be bought directly on the bus.
By car
Klagenfurt is located at the A2 motorway and has three exits (Klagenfurt-West, Klagenfurt-Ost and Klagenfurt Airport). Therefor it can be easily reached by Graz, Vienna and Villach. The B91 connects Klagenfurt to Slovenia.
Get around
Most sights of interest can be easily reached by foot. Klagenfurt offers an extensive bus network. Tickets can be bought directly at the bus and cost around € 4,00 (24h ticket) or €0,90 for a single ride. The main bus hub is located at Heiligengeistplatz in the centre of the city.
Hiring a bicycle is recommended if you wish to travel to Klagenfurt's beach, on the shore of the Woerthersee in the Western outskirts of the city. There is a cycle path along the Lendkanal, taking you from Heiligengeistplatz (take the underpass) to the beach and continuing along the northern shore of the Woerthersee all the way to Velden. Bikes can be hired at Heiligengeistplatz.
Klagenfurt attractions and sightseeing
- Lindwurm - Neuer Platz, in the centre of the city. The lindworm is the town's landmark. According to a legend, an evil dragon infested the region where Klagenfurt is located today. The duke of Karnburg promised land to those who would catch and kill the dragon. Eventually a group of menials achieved to kill the dragon by a trick. They got the promised land and set up a village at the place where the dragon was killed. The monument was built in the 16th century. The head of the lindworm was shaped after the head of an glacial rhinoceros found in the same century in this region.
- Minimundus Villacher Straße 241, Tel. 21194, open from April to October. This park offers a huge collection of miniature models of famous buildings from many countries in the world. Entrance is around €11, there are special fares for groups and children.
- Reptilienzoo Happ Villacher Straße 237, Tel. 23425, open daily from 8.00 a.m to 6.00 p.m. - A small zoo offering a large and varied stock of reptiles and animals. Entrance is around €8, there are special fares for children and groups.
- Europapark - This park, located next to the Minimundus and to the Strandbad (beach) of the Wörthersee invites to stroll, relax, play chess and enjoy the beautiful plants. Watch male peacocks fan their feathers.
- Robert Musil Museum, Bahnhofstraße 50 Tel. 501429 open Mo-Fr 10.00am to 5.00pm, Sa 10.00am to 2.00pm, entrance is free. The museum is actually the house of birth of writer Rober Musil. If you are interested in literature, this is the place to go.
- Gustav Mahler Komponierhäuschen, close to Strandbad Maiernegg Tel.537 5632) as stated above Gustav Mahler, famous musician, worked and lived close to Klagenfurt. Back in 1899 he bought a small mansion which is now a museum offering postcards, letters written by Gustav Mahler. The museum has guides in english,french and german. Opening times are 10am to 4pm from May to October. Entry is €1, it's free for children. Take bus no.10 or 11 to Strandbad. From there it's only a 15min walk.
City tours
- If you are interested in the historic city centre, you might want to take an organized tour : a historic city walk. Those tours are available daily (at 10 am) during summer time. Just head for Neuer Platz (in front of the city hall) or call 537 2293 for more details. The tour is free.
Shopping, Klagenfurt souvenirs
The centre of the city (around Alter Platz) offers a large variety of boutiques, book shops and perfumeries. Big shopping malls are located in Völkermarkterstrasse.
- Kaertner Heimatwerk - Herrengasse 2, Tel.55 575, open mo-fr 8.30am-12.30pm and 2.30pm-6pm, on saturday from 8.30am-1pm. Sells original local,hand-made handicrafts.
Good restaurants and cheap meals
- Stalls serve traditional Austrian cuisine in the indoor part of Klagenfurt's market. Main courses cost 3-6 €.
- Kleeblatt, St. Veiter Ring 31, Tel. 502174. The owner's philosophy is to cook simple, honest dishes using high quality ingredients from local farmers. Most classical Austrian dishes are on the menu. The Wiener Schnitzel is highly recommended. Though a haunt of Klagenfurt's "green scene", this place lacks the pretence of the usual "organic" or "health food" restaurant and is frequented by a broad mix of customers. Main courses cost 5-12 €.
- Gasthaus Pirker, Waltendorfer Str. 129, Tel. 42634 - Offers tradionational carinthian and austrian cuisine.
- Hirter Botschaft, Bahnhofstrasse 44, Tel. 54 44 40 - offers the locally brewed Hirter bier (beer). Serves traditional austrian and carinthian cuisine. (close to the train station)
Klagenfurt nightlife, bars, clubs and pubs.
- Kamot, Bahnhofstrasse 9, Tel. 56694 - Has live jazz music and serves baguettes and sandwiches.
- CD-Cafe-Bar Pankraz, 8. Mai-Straße 16, Tel. 516675, - a nice place to have coffee in the afternoon and to hang out with friends in the evening. Has alternative music, DJs in on the weekends (hip hop, house, funk, dnb, reggae), readings and vernissages on a regular base.
- Discothek Bollwerk is one of the few large clubs in Klagenfurt, located in the city periphery. Very loud and commercial techno is played, and the guests are somewhat more rustic than in the clubs in the city center. Alcoholic drinks are very cheap. Gerberweg 46.
Hotels, youth hostels, lodging
Budget
- Gasthof Müller, Rankengasse 21, 26-30 Euro (single/double) breakfast included, Tel. 21254
- Gasthof Schlosswirt, St. Veiterstr. 247 20-25 Euro (single/double) breakfast included, Tel.416210
- Jugendgästehaus Klagenfurt, Neckheimgasse 6; Tel.: 0463 511590 A youth hostel close to the university. Has single rooms (€ 26.40), doubles (€ 22.40) and rooms with four beds (€ 18,40) Offers internet access.
Mid Range
- Cityhotel zum Domplatz, Karfreitstrasse 20 (in the centre of the city), 59-65/79-87 Euro (single/double).
Splurge
- Hotel Palais Porcia, Neuer Platz 13 (in the centre of the city), 119-197/84-182 Euro (single/double).
Get out
- Take a trip around lake Wörthersee with stops in Pörtschach, Velden am Wörthersee and Maria Wörth.
- Archaeological Park Magdalensberg Close to Klagenfurt Virunum, the ruins of an ancient roman city (around 50 AC) can be found. Virunum can be best reached by car (take B317 to St. Veit). Entrance is around €5 (plus €1 if you want a guided tour), special fares apply to groups and children. The site is open from May to October from 9am to 7pm. For more information and material contact Tel. +43 4224/2255
- Gerlitzen is a mountain and small ski resort an hour from Klagenfurt. The skiing is nothing special but Gerlitzen offers some of the best vistas in Austria. On clear days almost the whole of Carinthia can be seen from this mountain top. You can either drive up (take care in winter) or take the cable car. From the parking space/cable car station it's a hour's walk to the summit. The cable car station at the mountain's base at Annenheim can be reached by bus or train, though connections are poor.
- Burg Hochosterwitz. One of the most impressive medieval castles in Austria.
- There are a couple of excellent health spas near Klagenfurt, ideal for a day of relaxation and pampering. The council swimming pool in the city of St Veit is about half an hour from Klagenfurt, and offers state of the art sauna facilities for a bargain price of 10 EUR for a day. The hot springs at Warmbad Villach are also a good place to go for swimming, relaxing, sauna and massage. Price is €14 per day.
- The Soca / Isonzo valley in Slovenia is about an hour and a half's drive from Klagefurt over the Predil mountain pass. Its deep limestone gorges offer a spectacular scenery and its emerald-coloured rivers are famed for some of the best kayaking and white whater rafting in Europe. Since the Soca valley is actually easier to reach from Villach and Klagenfurt than Ljubliana (Slovenia's capital) it's well worth a day trip if you're hanging around Carinthia for longer. Head for the town Bovec, the touristic centre of the Soca valley.
Contact
The local area code is (0)463. The country code for Austria is +43. An internet cafe can be found at Waaggasse 10 (Sir Magic's Internet Cafe, close to Alter Platz)
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