WHAT’S NEW!? #17 - VILLACH IN AUGUST 2022

The welcome2villach team collects the most important news from around Villach in a compact, monthly “News Story”, with links to more information. In August we’ll finally get to celebrate Villach’s Kirchtag festival again after a two year break, enjoy the city’s recreational activities, look for sponsors for the city’s benches and trees, and look forward to diverse art and cultural events.

• Finally Villacher Kirchtag again: After two years of Villach residents having to make do without a town festival, we can finally celebrate the 77th Villacher Kirchtag festival this year from 31 July to 7 August. For the first time there will even be free admission to this cultural festival on Saturday, and instead everyone can get themselves a Kirchtagsherz (Kirchtag heart) for €5 to show their love for someone or show that they are looking for new love. In addition to being a sweet memento, this Kirchtag heart comes with a coupon booklet that has attractive benefits. You can get the heart at the Stadtmarketing office or from the “heart couple” on the grounds of the festival.
   
• Jubilee celebrations and educational initiatives: The city has invested several million euros over the last few years in the renovation and expansion of Villach’s schools. At the moment the Auen elementary school is being worked on - the school will be made accessible and more spacious. There is also something else to celebrate: The St. Martin elementary school, the preschool and after-care center in Maria Gail, and the preschool in Tratten are celebrating their 50 year jubilees. In addition, the Economics & Management program at the Carinthia University of Applied Sciences in Villach is celebrating its 25th anniversary this year.
   
• Pay-by-phone parking in Villach:  With “EasyPark” there is a new provider of pay-by-phone parking in Villach. You can easily buy a parking ticket using an app on your smartphone. The app was previously known as “ParkNow” and now it has a new name. All the details about costs and instructions for using the pay-by-phone parking app can be found here.

• Expanded recreational offerings during the summer school holidays: To give children and young people more space to play, a number of school sports facilities and playgrounds remain open over the summer. The outdoor facilities of the Pogöriach, Völkendorf, and Landskron elementary schools are therefore freely accessible until the end of August. The grounds of the Lind elementary school, the Perau preschool (Kindergarten), and the Friedenspark are also open.
   
• 42 million euros for high-tech research: The first celebration was recently held at Austria’s largest research cleanroom. Seventeen million euros were invested in the cleanroom and the research offices of the Technology Park Villach, with another 25 million soon to follow. This means that two of the four buildings that will make up the so-called “High Tech Campus Villach” (HTCV) are already standing. Hundreds of researchers and specialists from the field will work here on central questions around digitization, as part of the “Silicon Austria Labs” initiative. 
   
• 21 years of Villacher Saubermacher: In 2001, Villach entered into a cooperation with the recycling company Saubermacher, and was the first Carinthia municipality to do so. During the more than 20 year partnership, safe disposal and high quality were provided and citizen waste fees were kept low. For the anniversary, the city and the company Saubermacher are investing three million euros for even better service and focus on customers.

• Villach’s benches and trees are looking for sponsors: Anyone in Villach who would like to contribute to the climate in the city with a personal tree can become a tree sponsor. Anyone who would like to have a special commemorative bench can now also fulfill this wish.
   
• Theater for the youngest: In October the “Theater for a Young Audience” starts again - the theater program for children that you can conveniently subscribe to. The program offers age-appropropriate, funny, and challenging productions for a wide variety of age groups. You can find information about prices and subscriptions here.
   
• Events in August: The Kinosommer open-air cinema program is running until 21 August, and there are also numerous musical events to enjoy through the Carinthian Summer concert series on Lake Ossiacher See through the end of the month. And as part of the Summerfeeling Villach event series, there is an artisan craft market in Villach’s city center on 24-27 August.