Feldkirch, Vorarlberg

Feldkirch

Coat of arms
Feldkirch

Location within Austria

Coordinates: 47°14′17″N 09°35′54″E / 47.23806°N 9.59833°E / 47.23806; 9.59833Coordinates: 47°14′17″N 09°35′54″E / 47.23806°N 9.59833°E / 47.23806; 9.59833
Country Austria
State Vorarlberg
District Feldkirch
Government
 • Mayor Wilfried Berchtold (ÖVP)
Area
 • Total 34.35 km2 (13.26 sq mi)
Elevation 458 m (1,503 ft)
Population (1 January 2016)[1]
 • Total 32,526
 • Density 950/km2 (2,500/sq mi)
Time zone CET (UTC+1)
 • Summer (DST) CEST (UTC+2)
Postal code 6800
Area code 05522
Vehicle registration FK
Website www.feldkirch.at

Feldkirch (German pronunciation: [ˈfɛltkɪʁç]) is a medieval city in the western Austrian state of Vorarlberg on the border with Switzerland and Liechtenstein. It is the administrative center of the district Feldkirch. After Dornbirn, it is the second largest town in Vorarlberg in terms of population, with slightly more inhabitants than the state capital Bregenz. The westernmost point in Austria lies in Feldkirch on the River Rhine, at the tripoint border of Austria, Switzerland, and Liechtenstein.

History

The beautiful medieval town, which remains well preserved to this day, was mentioned as a city for the first time in 1218, after Count Hugo von Montfort built the "Schattenburg", a castle which still is the major landmark of Feldkirch. Other sights in the town include the cathedral of St. Nikolaus from the late Gothic period. Feldkirch was the birthplace of Rheticus, and is currently the seat of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Feldkirch. From 1651–1773 and from 1856–1979, Feldkirch was the home of the Jesuit school Stella Matutina.

March 1799 saw two clashes between the forces of the First French Republic and Habsburg Austria. On the 7th, Nicolas Oudinot with 9,000 French soldiers defeated Friedrich Freiherr von Hotze with 6,000 Austrians. The Battle of Feldkirch occurred on 23 March when André Masséna and 12,000 Frenchmen were beaten by Franz Jellacic and 5,500 Austrians.[2]

Town subdivisions

Population

Historical population
YearPop.±%
18696,186—    
18807,322+18.4%
18908,039+9.8%
19009,755+21.3%
191011,830+21.3%
192311,896+0.6%
193412,909+8.5%
193913,067+1.2%
195115,115+15.7%
196117,343+14.7%
197121,751+25.4%
198123,745+9.2%
199126,730+12.6%
200128,607+7.0%
201130,975+8.3%
201431,428+1.5%
201531,824+1.3%

Economy and infrastructure

Transport

Feldkirch has had its own local bus network since 1993, which currently consists of 8 lines including buses to the north of neighbouring Liechtenstein. The bus system works together with Vorarlberg's bus system which provides several supra-regional lines starting and ending in Feldkirch. There's an additional line called "nightline" which connects different bars and discos all around Feldkirch. The nightline plies till about 4 o'clock am on weekends.

Feldkirch railway station lies on the main railway line through the Vorarlberg.

Companies

As of 15 May 2001, 13,146 employees were employed by 1,464 companies in Feldkirch, including 5 large companies each employing more than 200 people.

The following companies are based in Feldkirch:

Feldkirch, Vorarlberg
Climate chart (explanation)
JFMAMJJASOND
 
 
68
 
 
3
−3
 
 
65
 
 
5
−2
 
 
73
 
 
10
1
 
 
87
 
 
14
4
 
 
107
 
 
19
8
 
 
151
 
 
22
11
 
 
165
 
 
24
14
 
 
152
 
 
24
13
 
 
113
 
 
20
10
 
 
78
 
 
14
6
 
 
92
 
 
8
1
 
 
80
 
 
4
−2
Average max. and min. temperatures in °C
Precipitation totals in mm
Source: ZAMG

Climate

Climate data for Feldkirch
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Average high °C (°F) 2
(36)		 4
(39)		 9
(49)		 14
(58)		 18
(65)		 22
(72)		 24
(75)		 23
(73)		 19
(66)		 13
(56)		 7
(45)		 2
(36)		 13
(56)
Average low °C (°F) −4
(24)		 −4
(25)		 0
(32)		 4
(39)		 8
(46)		 11
(52)		 13
(55)		 13
(55)		 10
(50)		 5
(41)		 1
(34)		 −3
(26)		 4
(40)
Average precipitation mm (inches) 69
(2.7)		 53
(2.1)		 66
(2.6)		 84
(3.3)		 109
(4.3)		 137
(5.4)		 163
(6.4)		 155
(6.1)		 112
(4.4)		 81
(3.2)		 71
(2.8)		 69
(2.7)		 1,158
(45.6)
Source: Weatherbase [3]

Schools

Notable people

Feldkirch Festival

Feldkirch is the home of an annual Summer Festival, founded in 2002 by Thomas Hengelbrock and directed since 2007 by Philippe Arlaud.[4]

Sport clubs

Twin towns

References

  1. ↑ Statistik Austria - Bevölkerung zu Jahresbeginn 2002-2016 nach Gemeinden (Gebietsstand 2016-01-01), 2016-01-01.
  2. ↑ Smith, Digby (1998). The Napoleonic Wars Data Book. London: Greenhill. pp. 146–148. ISBN 1-85367-276-9.
  3. ↑ "Weatherbase: Historical Weather for Feldkirch, Austria". Weatherbase. 2011. Retrieved on November 24, 2011.
  4. ↑ Geschichte Feldkirch Festival History of the Felkirch Festival (in German)
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