Friesach

Introducing Friesach

Once a key staging post on the Vienna–Venice trade route, Friesach is Carinthia’s oldest town. The hills on either side of town bristle with ruined fortifications and the centre is surrounded by a moat (it’s the only town in Austria that still has one) and a set of imposing, grey-stone walls. These have been tested to the fullest over the centuries, with successive invasions by the Bohemians, Hungarians, Turks and French before the town came under the wing of the Habsburgs in 1803.

Once a year Friesach’s gates are locked, everyone in town dresses up in medieval costumes and Friesach re-enacts its history.

Last updated: Feb 17, 2009