Editing Villach (section)

==History==
[[File:Warmbad Villach - Roemerstrasse.JPG|thumb|Roman road in Warmbad]]
The oldest human traces found in Villach date back to the late [[Neolithic]]. Many [[Roman Empire|Roman]] artifacts have been discovered in the city and its vicinity, as it was near an important [[Roman road]] (today called ''Römerweg'') leading from [[Roman Italy|Italy]] into the [[Noricum]] province established in 15 BC. At the time, a [[mansio]] named ''Sanctium'' was probably located at the [[hot spring]] in the present-day Warmbad quarter south of the city centre. After the [[Migration Period]] and the [[Slavic settlement of the Eastern Alps]] about 600 AD, the area became part of the [[Carantania]] principality.

When about 740 Prince [[Boruth]] enlisted the aid of Duke [[Odilo, Duke of Bavaria|Odilo of Bavaria]] against the invading [[Pannonian Avars|Avars]], he had to accept [[Duchy of Bavaria|Bavarian]] overlordship. An 878 deed of donation, issued by the [[Carolingian Empire|Carolingian]] ruler [[Carloman of Bavaria]], mentioned a bridge (''ad pontem Uillach'') near the royal court of [[Treffen]], in what is today Villach.{{Citation needed|date=December 2009}} In 979 Emperor [[Otto II, Holy Roman Emperor|Otto II]] enfeoffed Bishop Albuin of [[Bishopric of Brixen|Brixen]] with the Villach manor. After his death, King [[Henry II, Holy Roman Emperor|Henry II]] in 1007 ceded the settlement to the newly established [[Prince-Bishopric of Bamberg|Bishopric of Bamberg]]. The bishops also held the adjacent estates along the strategically important route to Italy up to [[Pontebba|Pontafel]], which they retained until 1759 while the surrounding [[Duchy of Carinthia|Carinthian]] ducal lands passed to the Austrian [[House of Habsburg]] in 1335. 
[[File:Villach - Draubrücke mit Blick zur Altstadt- 2005.jpg|thumb|Drava bridge near the city centre]]
Villach received [[market town|market rights]] in 1060, though it was not mentioned as a [[German town law|town]] in records until about 1240. The parish church dedicated to [[James, son of Zebedee|St. James]] was first documented in 1136. Emperor [[Frederick II, Holy Roman Emperor|Frederick II]] conferred the citizens the right to hold an annual fair on the feast of 25 July (''Jakobitag'') in 1222. The [[1348 Friuli earthquake]] devastated large parts of the town; another devastating earthquake occurred in 1690. There were also several fires in Villach, which destroyed many buildings. The first documented mayor took office in the 16th century.

From 1526 onwards, many citizens turned [[Protestant Reformation|Protestant]] and the Villach parish became a centre of the new faith within the Carinthian estates, which entailed harsh [[Counter-Reformation]] measures by the ecclesiastical rulers. From about 1600, numerous residents were forced to leave the town, precipitating an economic decline. In 1759 the [[House of Habsburg|Habsburg]] empress [[Maria Theresa]] formally purchased the Bamberg territories in Carinthia for a price of one million [[Austro-Hungarian florin|florin]]s. Villach was incorporated into the "hereditary lands" of the [[Habsburg monarchy]] and became the administrative seat of a Carinthian district.

During the [[Napoleonic Wars]], the city was occupied by [[First French Empire|French]] troops and became part of the short-lived [[Illyrian Provinces]] from 1809, until it was re-conquered by the forces of the [[Austrian Empire]] in 1813 and incorporated into the Austrian [[Kingdom of Illyria (1816–1849)|Kingdom of Illyria]] by 1816. The city's economy was decisively promoted by a western branch of the [[Southern Railway (Austria)|Southern Railway]] line, which finally reached Villach in 1864, providing growth and expansion. By 1880, the town had a population of 6,104. In [[World War I]], Villach near the [[Italian Front (World War I)|Italian front]] was the seat of the 10th Army command of the [[Austro-Hungarian Army]].

The town obtained [[Statutory city (Austria)|statutory city]] status during the [[interwar period]] on 1 January 1932. After the Austrian ''[[Anschluss]]'' to [[Nazi Germany]] in 1938, the mayor of Villach was Oskar Kraus, an enthusiastic [[Nazi Party|Nazi]].<ref>Lisa Rettl, Werner Koroschitz, "Ein korrekter Nazi: Oskar Kraus, ns-oberbürgermeister von Villach", Drava (2006), {{ISBN|3-85435-501-7}}</ref> On 9 November 1938 Villach was a site of the nationwide ''[[Kristallnacht]]'' pogroms with violent attacks on the [[History of the Jews in Austria|Jewish]] population. A memorial for the 1919 border conflict that led to the [[Carinthian Plebiscite]] caused controversy when it was inaugurated in 2002, as Kraus, who had not been especially prominent in the conflict, was the only person named.<ref>[[ORF (broadcaster)|ORF]] Kärnten, [http://kaernten.orf.at/magazin/panorama/musik/stories/147074/ "Oskar Kraus - ein korrekter Nazi"]{{dead link|date=July 2016 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }} {{in lang|de}}</ref>

During [[World War II]], allied forces [[Strategic bombing in World War II|bombed]] Villach 37 times. About 42,500 bombs killed 300 people and damaged 85% of the buildings. Nevertheless, the city quickly recovered.<ref>{{cite web
| url = http://www.airpower.at/news03/0813_luftkrieg_ostmark/statistik.htm
| title = Luftkrieg (''aerial warfare'') "Ostmark"
| work = airpower.at
| publisher = Martin Rosenkranz
| date = 2003-08-13
| access-date = 2007-12-18
| language = de
}}</ref> Today, Villach is a bustling city with commerce and recreation, yet it retains its historic background.

On 15 February 2025, a 14-year-old boy was killed while five people were injured in a [[2025 Villach stabbing attack|knife attack]]. A 23-year-old Syrian asylum seeker was arrested by two female police officers.<ref>{{cite web |title=Teen dead and five injured in Austria knife attack |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cew5v48w54qo |website=BBC |access-date=15 February 2025 |language=en |date=14 February 2025}}</ref><ref>https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cew5v48w54qo</ref>