The Bleiburg Wiesenmarkt has been held in early September since 1393; the Werner Berg Museum offers a very different focus with exhibitions that change each year. The market tradition and art thus provide two distinct ways to experience Bleiburg’s cultural character.
Werner Berg and Changing Art
The Werner Berg Museum opened in 1968 as the Werner Berg Gallery of the City of Bleiburg and presents the artist’s oeuvre in close interaction with the art and environment of the core area where he originated. The core collection includes oil paintings, woodcuts, watercolours, drawings and sketches. Exhibitions that change each year show parts of the permanent collection alongside works by other artists.
Old Town, Churches and Stained Glass
A stroll through the historic old town reveals Bleiburg’s long history in many places. The Freyungsbrunnen is a work by Pop Art artist Kiki Kogelnik, who created it in 1994 from Gummern marble to mark the 600th anniversary of the Bleiburg Wiesenmarkt.
The Bleiburg/Pliberk parish church is a large late Gothic church, built in the 15th and 16th centuries. Its choir features a net-vaulted ceiling dating from 1512. The term describes the mesh-like arrangement of the ribs and makes the building’s history visible in a specific detail. The parish church of Saints Peter and Paul contains six stained-glass windows designed by Karl Vouk in 2004. They depict episodes from the life of Saint Hemma of Gurk and were created as part of the revived Hemma Pilgrimage Route from Pilštanj in Slovenia to Gurk. The pilgrimage church of Heiligengrab is located on a Calvary hill. It was built in the Baroque style, with two towers, from 1761 to 1772. An architectural comparison can focus on construction period and style: the late Gothic parish church with its 1512 vault on the one hand, and the Baroque pilgrimage church with two towers on the other.
The Wiesenmarkt as a Reason to Visit
The Bleiburg Wiesenmarkt has been held since 1393 and always takes place in early September. It includes a large amusement park. The market of stalls stretches over four kilometres; its extent may vary. The Alpen-Adria tent offers regional specialities from exhibitors from Carinthia, Slovenia and Italy. If you are planning a trip around the market, check the specific event dates in advance. For a sense of timing, the market differs from the museum: the Wiesenmarkt takes place in early September, while the museum’s exhibitions change each year.
Dance, Culture and Outdoor Routes
The Center for Choreography Bleiburg/Pliberk is a bilingual cultural institution for contemporary dance. The Kulturni dom Pliberk/Bleiburg association is tasked with conveying Slovenian culture to the majority population in Carinthia. The association was founded in 1993, and construction of the building began in 1996. The Center combines institutional bilingualism with contemporary dance; the association focuses on conveying Slovenian culture to the majority population in Carinthia.
The art cycling routes are marked with a yellow sunflower and signage, and pass numerous wayside shrines and cultural monuments. Bleiburg’s Erlebnis outdoor swimming pool was built in 1929/30 and offers recreation and relaxation against the backdrop of the Petzen and Bleiburg Castle. Check seasonal opening information before your visit.
Discover more destinations: Unterburg on Lake Klopein, Globasnitz, Wasserhofen, Seelach, Sankt Kanzian on Lake Klopein, WeiĂźeneggerberg, Hart, KĂĽhnsdorf.
Back to the regional travel overview: Völkermarkt.
