Klagenfurt

Klagenfurt is easily reached by train, car, or airplane, making it a convenient starting point for a trip through the lake district of southern Austria. In addition to its geographic attributes, Klagenfurt merits admiration as an interesting medieval city. Like Vienna, the medieval walls of Klagenfurt were hauled down, and a circular ring road now encloses the heart of the old city where they once stood. At the center of this ring is the Neuer Platz, in the middle of which sits a statue of a marvelous old dragon, the emblem of the city. Perhaps there is some reality behind the legend of this fiery old dragon, for a skull of an ancient rhinoceros was found in the Klagenfurt area—perhaps at one time dragon-like creatures did roam these lakes and mountains. Sharing the central square with the dragon there is a statue of Empress Maria Theresa. Surrounding the Neuer Platz is the Old Quarter with a handsome parish church, the old Town Hall (Altes Rathaus), the House of the Golden Goose (Haus zur Goldenen Gans), and an onion-domed Landhaus. If you arrive early in the day in Klagenfurt, stop briefly to enjoy the sights of the city and then continue to the first destination, Millstatt. However, if you arrive too late in the day to begin your journey, stay in the old city for the night so that you can browse through the shops and enjoy the sights of this once very important medieval town. Klagenfurt does not take long to see—one day should be sufficient. Don’t leave town without stopping at the Konditorei-Kaffee Musil for a pastry. Bernhard Musil is a renowned pastry chef and his fabulous pastries and delectable chocolates (for which he has over 4,000 molds) are shipped throughout the world. The bakery is well located, just a block from the central plaza, tel: (0463) 51.16.60, website: www.musil.at.