Finkenstein am Faaker See

Finkenstein am Faaker See (Slovene: Bekštanj) is a market town in the district of Villach-Land in Carinthia, Austria. It is located south of Villach and the Drava river, on the northern slope of the Karavanke range with Mt. Mittagskogel (Kepa), close to the border with Slovenia. The municipal area comprises the southern shore of Lake Faak.

The municipality includes the Katastralgemeinden of Faak am See (Bače), Ferlach (Borovlje), Fürnitz (Brnca), Greuth (Rute), Gödersdorf (Vodiča vas), Korpitsch (Grpiče), Latschach am Faakersee (Loče), Mallestig (Malošče) and Sankt Stefan (Šteben). According to the 2001 census 5.6% of the population are Carinthian Slovenes.

It is named after Finkenstein Castle, a possession of the Carinthian dukes, which was first mentioned in a 1142 deed. Lend to the ducal ministeriales, the Lords of Finkenstein, it was an important outpost overlooking the Gail valley and the Carinthian estates of the Bamberg prince-bishops around Villach and Federaun Castle vis-à-vis. In 1508 the Habsburg emperor Maximilian I, Duke of Carinthia since 1493, granted Finkenstein to his liegeman Siegmund von Dietrichstein, whose descendants held the castle until 1861. From the 18th century on it decayed, only ruins remain. It is today the backdrop of the Burgarena Finkenstein, an amphitheatre with 1150 seats mainly used for concerts.

The Finkenstein municipality was established in 1850 at Mallestig, it becam a market town in 1979. To advert to its location on the shore of Lake Faak, the official name is Finkenstein am Faaker See since 2000. The area largely depends on tourism, moreover Elan snowboards operates a factory in Fürnitz.

Notable people

• The Slovene composer and priest Franc Treiber (1809–1878) was born in the village of Faak am See.
• Günther Porod (1919–1984), physicist
• Peter Wrolich (born 1974), bicycle racer, grew up in Latschach.

References