Magdalensberg
About twenty kilometres to the north of Klagenfurt there is an almost conical mountain 1053 metres high called Magdalensberg that is important religiously, historically and continues to be important in the lives of local people to this day.
Klagenfurt is located in a low lying area surrounded by mountains. For most of the year the mountains provide a very scenic backdrop to our lives but for a period of weeks each autumn they contribute to a sense of deep depression as the basin rimmed by the mountains fills with freezing air that cannot escape and a cold, grey, thick mist develops. Our low spirits are exacerbated by the knowledge that the sun is blazing down on the top of the mist which is probably only 200 metres above our heads.
Magdalensberg rises more than 600 metres from the wide plain through which the River Glan flows and the mountain acts as a magnet to the residents of Klagenfurt who want to escape the mist. My wife and I frequently drive up to the top of the mountain to sit in the sun under a brilliant blue sky on the terrace of the Gasthaus there and look down on to the top of an unbroken sea of mist. Even when the temperature is well below freezing it can be too hot in the sun to wear an overcoat but this is a very welcome additional layer of insulation over legs that are in the frigid shade cast by the table. Of course it must be pointed out that apart from the attraction of the sun, the traditional meals provided by the Gasthaus are a very appetising additional incentive.
The existence of Magdalensberg as a historic settlement was first established in 1502 AD when a farmer discovered a life sized bronze statue of a nude and athletic young man in a field. There have been various phases of investigation at the site over the years but the area is now the subject of a continuous and professional archaeological excavation organised and supervised by the Landesmuseum für Kärnten (The Museum for Carinthia) The extent of the settlement can be judged from the accompanying photograph of the area that has been excavated and preserved to date. It should be noted that only about 10% of the settlement has been excavated to date.
As a result of the excavations it has been established that Magdalensberg has a very long history as it was occupied by a Celtic tribe known as the Norici who established a settlement here before 40 BC. This settlement was on a south facing, easily defended natural depression just below the summit and is above the level of autumn mists. [In modern times, when there is so much talk about the environment and use of renewable energy resources, it is interesting to see that our ancestors were already aware of the importance of solar energy.] The area had plentiful supplies of water and access to fertile ground on the lower slopes.
The Norici were blacksmiths and brass founders and used the locally available iron, brass and zinc for manufacturing artefacts. There were probably many places in the Eastern Alps where such manufacture took place but the Noric kingdom surpassed all of them in size and commercial importance due to it’s proximity to Italy. By the 1st Century BC traders from Rome and Aquilea were established in the Noric kingdom and within two peaceful generations the Norici had become provincial subjects of the Romans. The province was called Noricum and the new capital that was built on the plain at the foot of the mountain was named Virunum.
On the summit of Magdalensberg is a small church. It was constructed in about 1200 AD in the late Gothic style and is above the site of a Celtic/Roman temple. The church is the starting point for an annual pilgrimage known as the “Vierbergelauf” or in English “The Four Mountain Walk” that has taken place on the second Friday after Good Friday since at least 1612. The pilgrimage commences with a midnight mass at Magdalensberg. The pilgrims then walk down to the foot of the mountain, cross the valley and climb over 1000 metres to the top of the Ulrichsberg. This decent, climb, religious service sequence is repeated at Veitsberg (1175 metres) and Lorenzenberg (1127 metres). The walk is approximately fifty kilometres long and takes about twelve hours to complete.
******
John Langdon
Klagenfurt
June 2007