The steep and dramatic alpine valleys of modern day Kärnten or Carinthia form one of the heartlands of Austria and was one of the oldest Habsburg possessions. This can still be seen its ancient Romanesque churches dotting the landscape and the traces of past Roman and Slavic settlements among the medieval old-towns of Austrian rule.
Carinthia, one of Austria’s historic heartlands, is a land shaped by centuries of frontier life, faith, and resilience. Emerging from the early medieval duchy of Carantania, it became a cornerstone of the Holy Roman Empire and later the Habsburg Monarchy, guarding alpine passes and cultivating a distinctive regional nobility. Its history is written in Roman ruins, Romanesque churches, and hilltop castles overlooking deep glacial lakes. Though once touched by Slavic settlement, Carinthia’s identity matured through its German-speaking traditions, chivalric heritage, and enduring ties to the Austrian crown. Today, it remains a region where alpine grandeur meets a deeply rooted sense of historical continuity.
