Travel Guide Klagenfurt Am Wörthersee

Klagenfurt is a lively and pleasant regional capital, much more southern than its Tyrolean or Upper Austrian cousins. The city is located on the shores of Europe's warmest alpine lake, the Wörthersee, which makes it a favourite holiday destination. The town is laid out in a square grid of perpendicular streets. The large historic centre, rich in magnificent buildings, is particularly lively. Klagenfurt am Wörthersee is the cultural centre of Carinthia. Its university dates back to 1161 and predates even the city's founding charter (1252). Klagenfurt was completely destroyed by fire in 1514 and was immediately rebuilt to become the capital of the duchy in 1518. Its role was preponderant in the region. In the 16th and 17th centuries, Italian architects shaped its appearance. The city has many arcaded courtyards, cobbled streets and beautiful squares. The fortifications that surrounded the city were destroyed during the Napoleonic invasions (1809), and where they stand today are the "rings", as in Vienna, the large boulevards that surround the city and that once ran alongside the fortifications. The rings surround the city centre, around the Neuer Platz, dominated by a fountain with the effigy of the dragon Lindwurm. Klagenfurt has a rich historical architectural heritage, including the cathedral, and boasts the creativity of several great contemporary architects. The great writer of the 1930s, Robet Musil, was born in Klagenfurt in 1880