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Gurk (town)
Encyclopedia
Gurk is an Austria
n market town
and former episcopal see in the District of Sankt Veit an der Glan
, Carinthia
.
, from whose fortress the Prince-Bishop
s of Gurk reigned.
Districts: Dörfl, Finsterdorf, Föbing, Gassarest, Glanz, Gruska, Gurk, Gwadnitz, Hundsdorf, Kreuzberg, Krön, Masternitzen, Niederdorf, Pisweg, Ranitz, Reichenhaus, Straßa, Sutsch, Zabersdorf, Zedl, Zedroß, Zeltschach
The name Gurk ("die Gurgelnde" or "the Gurgling one") comes from the river of the same name. The area was settled around 2000 years ago, but it only achieved any importance after Carinthia was incorporated by Bavaria
.
After the death of her husband and her sons, Saint Hemma of Gurk
founded a religious house on the market place of what is now Gurk. However, Gurk Abbey
did not have a long existence: its site was used in 1072 for the cathedral and bishop's palace of the newly-founded diocese of Gurk by the Archbishop of Salzburg, whose seat was in the northern part of Carinthia. Gurk was the bishop's seat until 1787; his residence is now located in Klagenfurt
.
On June 25, 1988, Pope John Paul II visited the cathedral and prayed in the crypt at the grave of Saint Hemma. The first papal visit in the history of Carinthia was a big media event and brought a thousand men to an open-air mass in front of the cathedral.
Gurk was named a "European Municipality" by the Council of Europe
in 1998.
The directly elected mayor is Siegfried Kampl
(BZÖ
), also MP
of the Federal Council of 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...
n market town
Town
A town is a human settlement larger than a village but smaller than a city. The size a settlement must be in order to be called a "town" varies considerably in different parts of the world, so that, for example, many American "small towns" seem to British people to be no more than villages, while...
and former episcopal see in the District of Sankt Veit an der Glan
Sankt Veit an der Glan (district)
The District of Sankt Veit an der Glan is an administrative district in Carinthia, Austria.-Communities:The district is divided into 20 municipalities, of which 4 are towns and 9 are market towns.-Towns:*Althofen...
, 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...
.
Location
The community of Gurk is surrounded by alpine meadows and vast high forests. It marks the center of the sparsely populated Gurk Valley. Downstream on the Gurk, lies the small town of StraßburgStraßburg, Austria
Straßburg is a town in the district of Sankt Veit an der Glan in Carinthia, Austria.-Location:The municipality lies in Northern Carinthia in the Gurk Valley among the Nock Mountains and the Gurk.-Municipal arrangement:...
, from whose fortress the Prince-Bishop
Prince-Bishop
A Prince-Bishop is a bishop who is a territorial Prince of the Church on account of one or more secular principalities, usually pre-existent titles of nobility held concurrently with their inherent clerical office...
s of Gurk reigned.
Municipal arrangement
Boroughs: Pisweg, Gruska, GurkDistricts: Dörfl, Finsterdorf, Föbing, Gassarest, Glanz, Gruska, Gurk, Gwadnitz, Hundsdorf, Kreuzberg, Krön, Masternitzen, Niederdorf, Pisweg, Ranitz, Reichenhaus, Straßa, Sutsch, Zabersdorf, Zedl, Zedroß, Zeltschach
Neighboring municipalities
- StraßburgStraßburg, AustriaStraßburg is a town in the district of Sankt Veit an der Glan in Carinthia, Austria.-Location:The municipality lies in Northern Carinthia in the Gurk Valley among the Nock Mountains and the Gurk.-Municipal arrangement:...
- Weitensfeld im GurktalWeitensfeld im GurktalWeitensfeld im Gurktal is a town in the district of Sankt Veit an der Glan in Carinthia in Austria.-References:...
- MölblingMölblingMölbling is a municipality on the Gurk River in the district of Sankt Veit an der Glan in the Austrian state of Carinthia. The commune comprises the Katastralgemeinden of Dielach, Gunzenberg, Meiselding, Rabing and Rastenfeld.-Politics:...
- Frauenstein
History
Bavaria
Bavaria, formally the Free State of Bavaria is a state of Germany, located in the southeast of Germany. With an area of , it is the largest state by area, forming almost 20% of the total land area of Germany...
.
After the death of her husband and her sons, Saint Hemma of Gurk
Hemma of Gurk
Hemma of Gurk is a saint and a founder of religious houses in Austria.-Life:Hemma was a member of the noble family of Peilenstein , related to the Liutpoldings of Bavaria and thus to Emperor Henry II. She was born Countess of Zeltschach and was brought up at the Imperial court in Bamberg by the...
founded a religious house on the market place of what is now Gurk. However, Gurk Abbey
Gurk Abbey
Gurk Abbey was a short-lived Benedictine double monastery in Gurk, Austria, founded in 1043 by Saint Hemma of Gurk. It was dissolved in 1072 by her executor, Blessed Gebhard, Archbishop of Salzburg, who used the assets so realised to found Gurk Cathedral and the Diocese of Gurk-Klagenfurt....
did not have a long existence: its site was used in 1072 for the cathedral and bishop's palace of the newly-founded diocese of Gurk by the Archbishop of Salzburg, whose seat was in the northern part of Carinthia. Gurk was the bishop's seat until 1787; his residence is now located in Klagenfurt
Klagenfurt
-Name:Carinthia's eminent linguists Primus Lessiak and Eberhard Kranzmayer assumed that the city's name, which literally translates as "ford of lament" or "ford of complaints", had something to do with the superstitious thought that fateful fairies or demons tend to live around treacherous waters...
.
On June 25, 1988, Pope John Paul II visited the cathedral and prayed in the crypt at the grave of Saint Hemma. The first papal visit in the history of Carinthia was a big media event and brought a thousand men to an open-air mass in front of the cathedral.
Gurk was named a "European Municipality" by the Council of Europe
Council of Europe
The Council of Europe is an international organisation promoting co-operation between all countries of Europe in the areas of legal standards, human rights, democratic development, the rule of law and cultural co-operation...
in 1998.
Politics
The municipal council - elections of 2003 - consists of- FPÖFPOFPO may refer to:*Fleet Post Office, a "city" designation in military mail *Field post office, a term for military post offices in military mail systems *For position only, a designation for placeholder graphics...
: 7 seats - SPÖSPO- Technology :SPO: Microsoft SharePoint Online, Microsoft Cloud Computing, Office 365. See Microsoft Online Services-Economics:* Secondary Public Offering, an equity capital market instrument...
: 4 seats - ÖVPOVPOVP is a three-letter abbreviation that may refer to:*The Office of the Vice President of the United States*The Office of the Vice President of the Philippines*OVP , a light sub-machine gun developed in Italy...
: 4 seats.
The directly elected mayor is Siegfried Kampl
Siegfried Kampl
Siegfried Kampl is an Austrian politician. Kampl is the mayor of the town of Gurk, and a member of the Federal Council of Austria .-Biography and political career:...
(BZÖ
BZO
BZO can mean:* Bolzano Airport, with IATA code BZO* Alliance for the Future of Austria, abbreviated BZÖ...
), also MP
Member of Parliament
A Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a :parliament. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a different title, such as senate, and thus also have different titles for its members,...
of the Federal Council of Austria
Federal Council of Austria
The Federal Council of Austria or Bundesrat is the second chamber of the Austrian parliament, representing the nine States of Austria on federal level. As part of a bicameral legislature alongside of the National Council of Austria , it can be compared with an upper house or a senate...
.
Sources and references
- this article is partially based on a translation of its German equivalent.