The old ducal town of St Veit an der Glan lies about 20km/12.5mi north of the Wörther See. It was the capital of Carinthia from 1170 to 1518, when it had to relinquish this status to the more centrally situated Klagenfurt.
Strongly influenced by the old town area, it still preserves part of its 15th C. circuit of walls (10m/33ft high), while the moat is now almost completely lawned. New building outside the old town has been carried out in a sensible and tasteful fashion.
Set dramatically on a high crag to the east of St Veit is the castle of Burg Hochosterwitz. This imposing structure dates to the 9th C but has been expanded throughout the ages.
A visit to this museum near the Walther-von-der-Vogelweide Fountain in St Veit an der Glan is recommended. It documents the history of the development of transport and railroads in the St Veit region (videos and film shows); a large model railroad is also on display.
To the north of the Plague Column in the St Veit an der Glan Hauptplatz stands the Schlüsselbrunnen ("Key Fountain"), with a Romanesque basin from the Zollfeld and a fine bronze figure of a miner (1566) in the center. The southern half of the square is adorned by a further fountain with a bronze figure (1676; restored 1960) of the poet Walther von der Vogelweide, who lived for some time in St Veit. The basin, supported on a stepped plinth, is surmounted by a finely wrought grille.
The long Hauptplatz (main square) is surrounded on all sides by imposing, mainly three story houses. Outside No. 2 can be seen a wooden statue of the Boy Jesus with cross and world globe; at the corner of No. 14 stands a Late Gothic stone statue of St Veit. Other houses have courtyards with arbors.
The old ducal castle (1523-29) in Burggasse in St Veit an der Glan was built as an arsenal for the prince of the province. Now it houses the Municipal Museum, with its rich collection of items related to local history and the history of civilization in general. In the courtyard can be seen Roman stones, gravestones and cannon balls.
The St Veit an der Glan Parish Church is a triple aisled Late Romanesque basilica with a Gothic choir. Pillars and ornaments decorate the west door; the stag antlers above the door are a Celtic symbol. The two story circular charnel house to the south was made into a war memorial in 1930.
Memorials adorn the St Veit an der Glan Hauptplatz. The marble Plague Column in the center was erected by Angelo de Putti in 1715 after the plague had been averted; (inscriptions on the plinth). The various figures include that of St Rosalia Sanibaldi of Palermo, the saint of plagues.
The Rathaus, originally Late Gothic (15th C.), has a rich Baroque facade and Renaissance arcades on three stories with sgraffitto decoration and a courtyard on all four sides containing a small lapidarium of Roman memorials. The vaulted ceiling of the fine council chamber is decorated with Late Baroque stucco (1754). There are exhibitions of modern art in the gallery.
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Burg Hochosterwitz
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Burg Hochosterwitz, St Veit an der Glan
Burg Hochosterwitz, St Veit an der Glan
