Gurk

Grk (pre-Roman for "the gurgling one") may mean:

  • A river in Carinthia, Austria: Gurk River
  • A river in Carniola, Slovenia: Krka (Slovenia)
  • A market town in the District of Sankt Veit an der Glan, Carinthia: Gurk (town)
  • A borough of the municipality of Gnesau in the District of Feldkirchen, Carinthia
  • A Catholic diocese: Diocese of Gurk-Klagenfurt
  • People with the name Gurk:
    • Eduard Gurk (1801-1841), Austrian painter
    • Franz Gurk (1898-1984), German politician
    • Hemma of Gurk (980-1045), saint and benefactress
    • Paul Gurk (1880-1953), German writer and painter
  • Eduard Gurk (1801-1841), Austrian painter
  • Franz Gurk (1898-1984), German politician
  • Hemma of Gurk (980-1045), saint and benefactress
  • Paul Gurk (1880-1953), German writer and painter
  • See also: Krka (disambiguation)

    Gurk, Carinthia

    Gurk (Slovene: Krka) is an Austrian market town and former episcopal see in the District of Sankt Veit an der Glan, Carinthia.

    Geography

    The community of Gurk is surrounded by alpine meadows and vast high forests. It marks the center of the sparsely populated Gurk Valley. Downstream on the Gurk, lies the small town of Straßburg, from whose fortress the Prince-Bishops of Gurk reigned.

    Subdivisions

    Towns: Pisweg, Gruska, Gurk

    Communities: Dörfl, Finsterdorf, Föbing, Gassarest, Glanz, Gruska, Gurk, Gwadnitz, Hundsdorf, Kreuzberg, Krön, Masternitzen, Niederdorf, Pisweg, Ranitz, Reichenhaus, Straßa, Sutsch, Zabersdorf, Zedl, Zedroß, Zeltschach

    Neighboring municipalities

  • Straßburg
  • Weitensfeld im Gurktal
  • Mölbling
  • Frauenstein
  • History

    The name Gurk ("die Gurgelnde" or "the Gurgling one") comes from the river of the same name. The area was settled around 2000 years ago, but it only achieved any importance after Carinthia was incorporated by Bavaria.

    After the death of her husband and her sons, Saint Hemma of Gurk founded a religious house on the market place of what is now Gurk. However, Gurk Abbey did not have a long existence: its site was used in 1072 for the cathedral and bishop's palace of the newly founded diocese of Gurk by the Archbishop of Salzburg, whose seat was in the northern part of Carinthia. Gurk was the bishop's seat until 1787; his residence is now located in Klagenfurt.

    Gurk (river)

    The Gurk (Slovene: Krka) is a river in the Austrian state of Carinthia, a left tributary of the Drava. With a length of 157 km (98 mi), it is the longest river running entirely within Carinthia. The river basin covers about 27% of the state's territory.

    The Gurk rises in the Nock Mountains (Gurktal Alps) range of the Central Eastern Alps, near the border with the Austrian state of Styria. Its sources are two small cirque lakes, the Gurksee and the Torersee near Albeck and the Turracher Höhe Pass, a protected area since 1981. The Gurksee has an elevation of 1,970 m (6,460 ft), an area of 4,000 m2 (43,000 sq ft), and is 1.5 m (4.9 ft) deep; the Torersee lies 2,010 m (6,590 ft) above sea level, has an area of 3,500 m2 (38,000 sq ft), and is 1.2 m (3.9 ft) deep. Since both lake are completely frozen in the Winter, they contain no fish.

    It flows southwest to Ebene Reichenau and then turns eastwards running through Gnesau and the Gurktal valley to the market town of Gurk. Near Straßburg it again turns to the south, enters the Klagenfurt basin, and flows into the Drava west of Völkermarkt.

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