Discover Bleiburg: Art, History and Regional Experiences

Bleiburg combines art, historic buildings, lively traditions and special experiences in the region. Anyone planning a trip to Carinthia can combine a culturally rich stay here with walks through the town, events and excursions in the surrounding area. When looking for a holiday apartment in Bleiburg, it is therefore worth considering your personal travel priorities: Should cultural history be the main focus, does the Wiesenmarkt at the beginning of September appeal to you, or should a regional excursion to the Petzen also be part of the programme?

Art and Culture in Bleiburg

One important attraction is the Werner Berg Museum. It opened in 1968 as the Werner Berg Gallery of the City of Bleiburg and presents the artist’s oeuvre in close interaction with the art and environment of the core area of its origin. The core collection comprises oil paintings, woodcuts, watercolours, drawings and sketches. Parts of the permanent collection are shown together with works by other artists in exhibitions that change annually. This makes the museum a suitable destination for anyone wishing to combine their stay with an in-depth art experience.

The townscape also contains various traces of cultural history. Bleiburg/Pliberk Parish Church is a large late Gothic church dating from the 15th and 16th centuries. Its choir features a net-ribbed vault from 1512. The parish church of Saints Peter and Paul also contains six stained-glass windows designed by Karl Vouk in 2004. They depict episodes from the life of Saint Hemma of Gurk and were created as part of the revived Hemma Pilgrimage Route from Pilštanj in Slovenia to Gurk.

Other historical points of interest include the Heiligengrab pilgrimage church on a Calvary hill and Thurn-Valsassina Castle. The pilgrimage church was built between 1761 and 1772 with two towers in the Baroque style. Thurn-Valsassina Castle is protected as a historic monument by official decision under Section 3. The former Bürgerspital Chapel of Saint Erasmus is also protected as a historic monument. A walk through the historic old town therefore offers a varied succession of buildings and details through which you can experience the town’s long history.

Wiesenmarkt, Regional Culture and Special Events

The Bleiburger Wiesenmarkt has been held since 1393 and always takes place at the beginning of September. It includes a large amusement park. The fair market stretches over four kilometres, giving the event an unusual spatial dimension. Exhibitors from Carinthia, Slovenia and Italy offer regional specialities in the Alpen-Adria Tent. If you plan your trip for this period, you will experience Bleiburg not only as a historic town but also as the setting for a traditional event with culinary and sociable aspects.

A prominent symbol of this market history is the Freyungsbrunnen fountain. Pop-art artist Kiki Kogelnik created it in 1994 from Gummern marble to mark the 600th anniversary of the Bleiburger Wiesenmarkt. Contemporary culture is also part of the town’s profile: the Center for Choreography Bleiburg/Pliberk is a bilingual cultural institution for contemporary dance. Every year, the Lange Nacht des Tanzes fills the town for an entire evening or night with up to 20 performances at outdoor and indoor venues.

Active and Relaxing Holiday Days

The art cycle routes are marked with a yellow sunflower and trail markers and pass numerous wayside shrines and cultural monuments. This allows you to explore the surrounding area from an active perspective without losing sight of the cultural focus of your trip. For a more relaxing day, the Bleiburg adventure outdoor swimming pool, built in 1929/30, offers rest and relaxation against the backdrop of the Petzen and Bleiburg Castle.

The wider region also offers additional opportunities. The Flow Country Trail on the Petzen is 11.5 km long. The cable car to the Petzen takes you to the Siebenhütten viewpoint at an elevation of 1,700 m; from there, the view stretches across the South Carinthia region and far to the west as far as the Großglockner. These regional additions may play a role when choosing a holiday apartment if you wish to combine cultural discoveries in Bleiburg with nature or mountain experiences.

Further Places for Planning Your Trip

For comparing other destinations, you can also consult the pages on Hart, Ruden, Wölfnitz, Feistritz Ob Bleiburg, Sankt Kanzian Am Klopeiner See, Unterburg Am Klopeiner See, Kleindiex and Koprein Petzen. Bleiburg itself is particularly interesting if you wish to combine art, history, regional traditions and varied ways of spending your days in a single trip.

For the higher-level travel overview: Völkermarkt.