Villach is the second largest city of Carinthia, located in the southern part of Austria at the Drau River and represents an important traffic junction for Austria and the whole Alp Adria region. Nearby countries are Slovenia, with a direct line to the border of only 11 km and Italy, with a distance of 14.5 km, respectively. The city is surrounded by mountains of the Alps and several lakes, including Lake Ossiach and Lake Faak. Villach is an attrac-tive place for technological businesses (e.g. Infineon Technologies Austria AG).

Facts

Population

58.800

Official Website

www.villach.at

History

The oldest human traces found in Villach date back to 3500 BC. A lot of Roman artifacts were found there since Villach was closely situated to an important Roman road called ‘the Römerweg’. In 1759, Empress Maria Theresa of Austria formally purchased Villach as well as much of Carinthia. During the Napoleonic Wars, Villach was part of the Illyrian provinces of the French Empire from 1809 until 1813. Today, Villach is a bustling city with commerce and recreation, yet retaining its historic background.

Basics

Public Transport

Various public bus services are frequently available at local bus terminals near the rail-way station. E.g. Kowatsch (www.kowatsch.at), ÖBB (www.oebb.at) or Postbus (www.postbus.at).

Taxi

Tel. +43 42 42 20 25

Trains

www.oebb.at

Airport in Klagenfurt

http://www.klagenfurt-airport.at (40 km)

Hospitals

There is one hospital in Villach (Landeskrankenhaus Villach, Nikolaigasse 43, 9500 Vil-lach, Tel. +43 42 42 20 80, www.lkh-vil.or.at).

Internet

There is a coffee shop with internet access: Cafè Nikolai, Nikolaigasse 16, 9500 Villach, Tel. +43 42 42 22 511.

Insiders

Food and Drinks

You can find lots of restaurants in the city center (around Hauptplatz). For example “Trastevere” (an Italian restaurant) or “Salud” (Mexican style). Just walk around and you will find many different restaurants and bars.

Supermarket

In the main station, you will be able to shop at a BILLA store. On top of that, you will also find different supermarkets all around the city center (Hauptplatz).

Monuments

Just walk around the very nice city center and along the Drau river. Don’t miss the “City-Museum of Villach” or “Villacher Fahrzeugmuseum”, where you get to see Oldtimers. For the ones among you that seek more exercise, hiking on Dobratsch-mountain and en-joying the view over Villach and the region would be a nice option.

Shopping

Many shops are in and around the main square (Hauptplatz). Furthermore, there is a big shopping mall outside the center (Atrio).

Nightlife

Many bars are located in the city center (around Hauptplatz). Give it a try at “Spritz-time” (Nilolaiplatz) or “Per DU” (Rathausplatz). There is also a night club called the “V-Club Villach” (outside the center: Bruno-Kreisky-Straße 33).