Friesach, one of the oldest towns in Carinthia, lies in the wide Metnitz valley at the junction of the B83 and E7 roads; it is about 30km/19mi north of Klagenfurt and 16km/10mi north of St Veit an der Glan. Its important position on the trade route between Vienna and Venice made it a town of some consequence in the Middle Ages. Friesach first
appears in the records in 860. It grew out of two markets, the Salzburg market and the Gurk market. The fortifications and town moat date from 1124-30. Between 1125 and 1300 coins, known as the "Friesacher Pfennig", were minted here. In the 13th C. the Teutonic Order settled in the town, followed by other religious orders. Owned by the Archbishop of Salzburg until 1803, the town has been repeatedly besieged, plundered and destroyed.
Friesach still preserves parts of its medieval defenses, a stretch of the town walls (built 1131) with three defensive towers and an 800m/2,625ft long moat (now filled with water once more) on the valley side of the town.
The area surrounding Freisach, in the Gurk valley and alps, has many small towns of historical interest.