Discover Völkermarkt: History, Culture and Cycling Tours

Völkermarkt combines a remarkable town history with cultural events, waterscapes and cycling tours.

Town history in a compact thematic area

The Old Town Hall stands at Unterer Hauptplatz 22. It was completed in its present form in 1499 and is a late Gothic building with an arcade on the ground floor. The parish church of St. Mary Magdalene also reaches far back into history: it was built between 1240 and 1247 in the fortified town as an independent collegiate church.

The round tower is the surviving tower of Völkermarkt’s former town castle. Along the Town Wall Trail, you can see how the town’s elevated terrain above the Drau was used strategically. Another historical trace leads to what is now Münzgasse. Under Duke Bernhard (1202–1256), a mint was established there where silver coins were struck in the “Friesach style”. The Völkermarkt District Heritage Museum also offers insights into the history of the region, particularly the events of the Carinthian Defensive Battle and the 1920 Carinthian plebiscite.

Cultural events and experiences for different days of your holiday

Bürgerlustpark is a venue for many cultural events and serves as a place of relaxation for locals and tourists. The Völkermarkt Cultural Brunch takes place there from June to September. It has been a regular part of the town’s events calendar since 2021. If you plan your trip during these months, you can include the cultural brunch as a special date in your itinerary.

Heunburg Theatre offers visitors a varied programme for all ages; the summer programme at Heunburg takes place from July to September. For a more active or weather-independent day, the Völkermarkt Adventure Pool is a good choice. It has solar-heated pools, a current channel, a relaxation pool with massage jets, a water slide, a beach volleyball court and a children’s playground. This allows you to balance cultural discoveries, exercise and relaxation in different ways.

Reservoir, Drau and cycling tours

The Völkermarkt Reservoir is the artificially dammed Drau. Its banks are mostly reinforced by dams and are predominantly covered with willows and alders. This gives the landscape its own distinctive character. Fishing is possible at the reservoir in fishing districts 11 and 13; district boundaries, access roads and fishing spots are marked along the left bank of the Drau.

For cyclists interested in culture, the Völkermarkt Cultural Cycle Route is a special way to explore the surrounding area. The cultural and historical cycling tour starts at Völkermarkt’s main square and then returns to Völkermarkt. It is just under 40 kilometres long and passes, among other things, 11 churches, 7 castle ruins and castles, a burial site from the Celtic and Hallstatt periods, and settlements from the Neolithic period. Take this route length into account when planning your day. Völkermarkt is also suitable as a starting point for the Drau Cycle Route.

Which accommodation suits your travel plans?

If you mainly want to experience the buildings, the museum and the Town Wall Trail, you can focus your search for a holiday apartment on Völkermarkt and make the historical sites the main focus of your trip. For cycling holidaymakers, the same town is a suitable starting point for the Cultural Cycle Route and the Drau Cycle Route. Those wishing to combine different interests within their travel group can also take the pool, Bürgerlustpark or the theatre programme into consideration.

The Völkermarkt markets also take place regularly every Wednesday and Friday, providing a fixed date for planning your week. When choosing your accommodation, consider above all which of the experiences mentioned should be the focus of your stay. This way, you can create a holiday centred on history, culture, water and activity according to your own preferences.

Other places for planning your trip

For further research, you can also explore Koprein Petzen, Diex, Unterburg at Lake Klopein, Untergreutschach, Oberseidendorf, Feistritz ob Bleiburg, Miklauzhof and Hart.

To the higher-level travel overview: Völkermarkt.