Bad Bleiberg

Bad Bleiberg, Carinthia, market town in the district of Villach-Land, alt. 902 m, pop. 3,141., area 44.81 km², spa and mining town west of the provincial capital of Villach, in the high valley between mountains Dobratsch and Erzberg, lead and zinc ore mining discontinued in 1992; comprises the villages of Bad Bleiberg, Bleiberg-Nötsch and Bleiberg-Kreuth. Kristallbad (thermal indoor pool of up to 30° C, spring made accessible in 1951), adventure mine 250 m under ground (Terra Mystica), Friedrich therapy tunnel (Terra Medica, treatment of respiratory diseases), health tourism (60,959 overnight stays), iron ore deposits in the Triassic Wetterstein limestone and Raibler Schichten sedimentary structures, first mention of mining in 1333, peak in the 15^th and 16^th centuries; Baroque parish church (around 1663), patrician mansions from the 18^th and 19^th centuries (originally owned by the wealthy associates of mining companies), late Gothic parish church in Bleiberg-Kreuth.

Literature: H. Stauder, Die Thermalquellen zu Bad Bleiberg, 1964; A. Hoisl, Die Geschichte der Bleiberger Bergwerksunion, master´s thesis, Klagenfurt 1981.