WHAT'S NEW?! #35 - VILLACH IN FEBRUARY 2024

The welcome2villach team collects the most important news from around Villach in a compact, monthly “News Story”, with links to more information. In February, the fifth season in Villach, the residents of Villach can look forward to not only a diverse carnival program but also exciting construction projects, new sponge city trees on the main square, a new city marketing event, and some interesting innovations.

• Building for the future: Villach’s future of 2024 can expect some impressive major projects. The first project is the comprehensive expansion of the Richard-Wagner-Schule into a modern educational campus, set to begin in the spring with a budget of 16 million euros. In addition, there are plans for the start of construction for the access road to the future large barracks in Fellach, as well as the groundbreaking for flood protection along the Drau River from St. Ulrich to Gailspitz, both projects set to take place this year. The completion of several other projects are also on the agenda: the "mini Education Lab" in the tpv Technology Park Villach and the public kindergarten are planned to be completed by autumn, while the photovoltaic open-space facility in Zauchen is set to be finished by the end of the year.
   
• New drainage system ensures a better microclimate: The renovated Italiener Straße has had a modern drainage system since mid-December. The new system, has an increased number of manhole covers in the roundabout area, separates dirty and rainwater, directs rainwater into underground infiltration systems and an above-ground infiltration basin, thus contributing to the relief of the sewer system and sewage treatment plant. The measure has positive effects on the urban microclimate and prevents overload during heavy rain.
   
• The Green Axis is growing: Villach's city center will be enriched by three new sponge city trees starting mid-February. Two oak trees and a scarlet oak will be planted on unterer Kirchenplatz, while the continuation of the district heating installation is planned for oberer Kirchenplatz. The completion of both projects is scheduled for the end of May. The final completion of the main square renovation is planned to be completed by 2025, including the planting of six more trees and the completion of the district heating installation.

• Looking for the coolest holiday activities: This summer, the city of Villach is offering the regional holiday care program "Summertime," providing a variety of courses and activities for adventurous and fun summer vacations for children and teenagers. Interested clubs and organizations can register on the platform to showcase their offerings. Registration is free and the offerings will be published online. Information and registrations are available at the Youth Office of the City of Villach or at villach.at/summertime.
   
• New features for Villach's service apps: The citizen participation portal of the city, "Augen Auf!," has been optimized and now includes improved location determination, personalized profiles, and instructions for smartphone settings. With these upgrades, users can effortlessly keep track of their own reports as well as the contributions of people they follow. At the same time, the service portal kaerstin.at presents expanded features, including a redesigned interface for a user-friendly experience and the ability to download and archive documents digitally.
   
• The Villach event season starts with a new highlight: From February 16th until the 18th, Stadtmarketing Villach invites people to the Ice Stock City Cup at the "Eiszeit" ice rink on Rathausplatz for the first time. Companies, clubs, families, and friends are welcome to participate in exciting ice stock and curling competitions. Further information and registrations are available at villach.at/stadtmarketing.
   
• Top Events of the Villach Carnival: Those who have taken a fancy to Villacher Fasching can once again look forward to a colorful and entertaining spectacle this year, with a diverse program around Carnival Saturday. On Friday (February 9th), the Villach Stadthalle invites people  from 2 to 4 p.m. to the Carnival Public Ice Skating. On Carnival Saturday (February 10th), visitors are welcome to the city center where they can enjoy a children's party on the upper Kirchplatz (from 10:30 a.m.), followed by the ceremonial key handover (12 p.m.), the spectacular parade from Hans-Gasser-Platz to the main station (from 2 p.m.), and the awarding of the most beautiful masks (4:30 p.m.). The Carnival disco then ensures a lively atmosphere in the city center until midnight.

• Events: Although February in Villach is dominated by Carnival, the upcoming month offers a diverse range of events. For example, on Shrove Monday (February 12th), Villacher Musikverein invites to an entertaining concert at the Congress Center Villach, featuring musical works from Brahms to Rossini. A captivating dance evening awaits on February 17th at 7:30 p.m., where the Tanz Theater Pforzheim combines Maurice Ravel's "Boléro" with a new composition by Fabian Schulz.