// Workers AI · dad joke modeWhat did Albeck say to Carinthia? You're a Carin-ting friend.

Albeck
Municipality
Sirnitz
Coat of arms
Albeck Location within Austria
Coordinates: 46°49′N 14°6′E
Country	Austria
State	Carinthia
District	Feldkirchen
Government
• Mayor	Wilfried Mödritscher (ÖVP)
Area
• Total	99.32 km2 (38.35 sq mi)
Elevation	837 m (2,746 ft)
Population  (2018-01-01)
• Total	995
• Density	10.0/km2 (25.9/sq mi)
Time zone	UTC+1 (CET)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+2 (CEST)
Postal code	9571
Website	albeck.gv.at

Albeck is a municipality in the district of Feldkirchen in the Austrian state of Carinthia.

Geography

The municipal area stretches along the valley of the Sirnitzbach creek, a tributary of the Gurk river, within the Gurktal Alps. In the northwest, Albeck borders on the state of Styria near Mt Eisenhut and Turracher Höhe Pass. In the west, the road leads from Sirnitz to Reichenau via Hochrindl Pass. The upper Gurk valley and its sources, two small cirque lakes (Gurksee and Torersee), are a protected area since 1981.

Albeck comprises the cadastral communities of Albeck proper, Großreichenau, Sankt Leonhard, and Sirnitz. The main settlement is the village of Sirnitz.

History

Ruins of Alt-Albeck Castle

Albeck is a settlement area since the 10th century, when the surrounding estates were held by the Counts of Friesach, ancestors of Saint Hemma of Gurk. In 1043 Hemma granted the Lordship of Albeck to the short-lived Benedictine nunnery of Gurk. When Archbishop Gebhard of Salzburg had the abbey dissolved in 1072, he ceded the estates to the newly established Diocese of Gurk.

Albeck Castle (present-day Alt-Abeck) was first mentioned in 1155. Located high above the narrow Gurk valley, it was the residence of the local landlords; one Dietrich of Albeck, a canon at Gurk Cathedral, was even appointed bishop by Archbishop Conrad III of Salzburg in 1179. When the line became extinct in 1194, protracted inheritance disputes arose with the Styrian counts of Peggau-Pfannberg. Nevertheless, from 1264 the area was again held by the Gurk bishops, represented by local ministeriales. In the late 17th century, Alt-Abeck was demolished and a new Baroque castle was erected on the road to Sirnitz.

Politics

Town hall in Sirnitz

The municipal council (Gemeinderat) consists of 11 members. Following the 2021 Carinthian local elections, the seat distribution is as follows:

• Freedom Party of Austria (FPÖ): 5 seats
• Austrian People's Party (ÖVP): 4 seats
• Social Democratic Party of Austria (SPÖ): 2 seats

The mayor of Albeck, Wilfried Mödritscher (ÖVP), was elected in 2021.

Twin towns

See also: List of twin towns and sister cities in Austria

Albeck is twinned with:

• Langenau, Germany
• Fiume Veneto, Italy

External links

• Municipal website (in German)
• Tourist site (in German)