Bad Bleiberg
Encyclopedia
Bad Bleiberg is a market town
in the Villach-Land District of Carinthia
, Austria
. Originally a mining
area, especially for lead
, Bad Bleiberg today due to its hot springs
is a spa town
.
Bad Bleiberg is situated west of the district's capital Villach
in a high valley on the northern slope of the Dobratsch massif, part of the Gailtal Alps
mountain range. It consists of the Katastralgemeinden Bleiberg and Kreuth.
granted the area around Villach to the newly created Diocese of Bamberg at the Frankfurt
synod
of 1 November 1007, together with other Carinthian estates like Griffen
or the Canal Valley around Tarvisio
. When under Emperor Frederick II
Bamberg evolved to a Prince-Bishopric
, the territories became ecclesiastical exclaves within the territory of the medieval Duchy of Carinthia
. In 1759 the Bamberg estates were finally acquired by Empress Maria Theresa and incorporated into Habsburg
Carinthia.
The mine was first mentioned as Pleyberg in a 1333 deed and operated by the Fugger
family from the late 15th century onwards. Georgius Agricola described the mining and smelting of lead and zinc
in his 1556 book De re metallica
. Mining operations ceased in 1993 for economic reasons, today a toruist mine offers guided underground tours.
When in 1951 a hot spring had flooded an adit, a public bath
was established and Bleiberg received the official Bad title of a spa town in 1978.
Market town
Market town or market right is a legal term, originating in the medieval period, for a European settlement that has the right to host markets, distinguishing it from a village and city...
in the Villach-Land District of Carinthia
Carinthia (state)
Carinthia is the southernmost Austrian state or Land. Situated within the Eastern Alps it is chiefly noted for its mountains and lakes.The main language is German. Its regional dialects belong to the Southern Austro-Bavarian group...
, Austria
Austria
Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...
. Originally a mining
Mining
Mining is the extraction of valuable minerals or other geological materials from the earth, from an ore body, vein or seam. The term also includes the removal of soil. Materials recovered by mining include base metals, precious metals, iron, uranium, coal, diamonds, limestone, oil shale, rock...
area, especially for lead
Lead
Lead is a main-group element in the carbon group with the symbol Pb and atomic number 82. Lead is a soft, malleable poor metal. It is also counted as one of the heavy metals. Metallic lead has a bluish-white color after being freshly cut, but it soon tarnishes to a dull grayish color when exposed...
, Bad Bleiberg today due to its hot springs
Hot Springs
Hot Springs may refer to:* Hot Springs, Arkansas** Hot Springs National Park, Arkansas*Hot Springs, California**Hot Springs, Lassen County, California**Hot Springs, Modoc County, California**Hot Springs, Placer County, California...
is a spa town
Spa town
A spa town is a town situated around a mineral spa . Patrons resorted to spas to "take the waters" for their purported health benefits. The word comes from the Belgian town Spa. In continental Europe a spa was known as a ville d'eau...
.
Bad Bleiberg is situated west of the district's capital Villach
Villach
Villach is the second largest city in the Carinthia state in the southern Austria, at the Drava River and represents an important traffic junction for Austria and the whole Alpe-Adria region. , the population is 58,480.-History:...
in a high valley on the northern slope of the Dobratsch massif, part of the Gailtal Alps
Southern Limestone Alps
The Southern Limestone Alps are the ranges of the Eastern Alps south of the Central Eastern Alps mainly located in northern Italy and the adjacent lands of Austria and Slovenia. The distinction from the Central Alps, where the higher peaks are located, is based on differences in geological...
mountain range. It consists of the Katastralgemeinden Bleiberg and Kreuth.
History
King Henry II of GermanyHenry II, Holy Roman Emperor
Henry II , also referred to as Saint Henry, Obl.S.B., was the fifth and last Holy Roman Emperor of the Ottonian dynasty, from his coronation in Rome in 1014 until his death a decade later. He was crowned King of the Germans in 1002 and King of Italy in 1004...
granted the area around Villach to the newly created Diocese of Bamberg at the Frankfurt
Frankfurt
Frankfurt am Main , commonly known simply as Frankfurt, is the largest city in the German state of Hesse and the fifth-largest city in Germany, with a 2010 population of 688,249. The urban area had an estimated population of 2,300,000 in 2010...
synod
Synod
A synod historically is a council of a church, usually convened to decide an issue of doctrine, administration or application. In modern usage, the word often refers to the governing body of a particular church, whether its members are meeting or not...
of 1 November 1007, together with other Carinthian estates like Griffen
Griffen, Austria
Griffen is a town in the district of Völkermarkt in Carinthia in Austria, home to the Griffen Abbey. It is the birthplace of Austrian writer Peter Handke....
or the Canal Valley around Tarvisio
Tarvisio
Tarvisio is a town in the Province of Udine, in the northeastern part of the autonomous Friuli–Venezia Giulia region in Italy...
. When under Emperor Frederick II
Frederick II, Holy Roman Emperor
Frederick II , was one of the most powerful Holy Roman Emperors of the Middle Ages and head of the House of Hohenstaufen. His political and cultural ambitions, based in Sicily and stretching through Italy to Germany, and even to Jerusalem, were enormous...
Bamberg evolved to a Prince-Bishopric
Prince-Bishopric of Bamberg
The Bishopric of Bamberg was established in 1007, to further expand the spread of Christianity in Germany. The ecclesiastical state was a member of the Holy Roman Empire from about 1245 until it was subsumed to the Electorate of Bavaria in 1802...
, the territories became ecclesiastical exclaves within the territory of the medieval Duchy of Carinthia
Duchy of Carinthia
The Duchy of Carinthia was a duchy located in southern Austria and parts of northern Slovenia. It was separated from the Duchy of Bavaria in 976, then the first newly created Imperial State beside the original German stem duchies....
. In 1759 the Bamberg estates were finally acquired by Empress Maria Theresa and incorporated into Habsburg
Habsburg Monarchy
The Habsburg Monarchy covered the territories ruled by the junior Austrian branch of the House of Habsburg , and then by the successor House of Habsburg-Lorraine , between 1526 and 1867/1918. The Imperial capital was Vienna, except from 1583 to 1611, when it was moved to Prague...
Carinthia.
The mine was first mentioned as Pleyberg in a 1333 deed and operated by the Fugger
Fugger
The Fugger family was a historically prominent group of European bankers, members of the fifteenth and sixteenth-century mercantile patriciate of Augsburg, international mercantile bankers, and venture capitalists like the Welser and the Höchstetter families. This banking family replaced the de'...
family from the late 15th century onwards. Georgius Agricola described the mining and smelting of lead and zinc
Zinc
Zinc , or spelter , is a metallic chemical element; it has the symbol Zn and atomic number 30. It is the first element in group 12 of the periodic table. Zinc is, in some respects, chemically similar to magnesium, because its ion is of similar size and its only common oxidation state is +2...
in his 1556 book De re metallica
De re metallica
De re metallica is a book cataloguing the state of the art of mining, refining, and smelting metals, published in 1556. The author was Georg Bauer, whose pen name was the Latinized Georgius Agricola...
. Mining operations ceased in 1993 for economic reasons, today a toruist mine offers guided underground tours.
When in 1951 a hot spring had flooded an adit, a public bath
Public bathing
Public baths originated from a communal need for cleanliness. The term public may confuse some people, as some types of public baths are restricted depending on membership, gender, religious affiliation, or other reasons. As societies have changed, public baths have been replaced as private bathing...
was established and Bleiberg received the official Bad title of a spa town in 1978.
Politics
Seats in the municipal assembly (Gemeinderat) as of 2009 elections:- IndependentIndependent (politician)In politics, an independent or non-party politician is an individual not affiliated to any political party. Independents may hold a centrist viewpoint between those of major political parties, a viewpoint more extreme than any major party, or they may have a viewpoint based on issues that they do...
List Bad Bleiberg (ULB): 9 - Social Democratic Party of AustriaSocial Democratic Party of AustriaThe Social Democratic Party of Austria is one of the oldest political parties in Austria. The SPÖ is one of the two major parties in Austria, and has ties to trade unions and the Austrian Chamber of Labour. The SPÖ is among the few mainstream European social-democratic parties that have preserved...
(SPÖ): 6 - Freedom Party in CarinthiaFreedom Party in CarinthiaThe Freedomites in Carinthia is a far right political party in Austria, operating in the federal state of Carinthia. Historically, it has been shaped by Jörg Haider...
(FPK): 3 - The Greens – The Green Alternative: 1