WHAT’S NEW!? #6 - VILLACH IN SEPTEMBER 2021

The welcome2villach team collects the most important news from around Villach in a compact, monthly “News Story”, with links to more information. In August there is news about how to get the COVID vaccine, the renovation and expansion of the city hall, new higher education possibilities, and all kinds of cultural events.

• With the Villach “Sommer-Spritzer” initiative COVID vaccinations are being offered every Wednesday and Saturday through September 17 from 4-9 p.m., no advanced registration necessary. Just bring your E-Card and a picture ID!
   
• An Austrian architecture team prevailed in the architectural competition to come up with plans to renovate and expand Villach’s outdated city hall (Stadthalle). The design stood out because of its simple elegance and small physical footprint. Construction is slated to happen in 2023 and 2024 and it is estimated to cost around €23 million.
   
• Europe’s most modern chip factory, which the Infineon Group decided to build in Villach in 2018, is soon having its grand opening. The €1.6 billion investment was the largest of its kind in Austrian industrial history until that time. Anyone who wants to attend can watch the livestream of the event on September 17 beginning at 1:30 p.m.
   
• The Carinthian University of Applied Sciences has had a campus in Villach since 1996, which started out by offering only one degree program: Electronic Engineering. Now there are 16 study programs offered, seven of which are in English, and beginning this fall there will be two more: Industrial Power Electronics (Engineering) and Digital Tax & Accounting (Management).

• With its €1.3 million investment in digitalization, Villach is an Austrian leader in this field. The Digitale Amt, an e-portal for the City of Villach where residents can make appointments and access services and official forms, is already fast, modern, and flexible. With the new investment, the storage and network capacity will be improved and projects like Smart City, Smart Living, and Smart Mobility will be carried out.
   
• Villach’s local mountain and its Nature Park are more popular than ever for both young and old. Now it has yet another attraction: a new geology trail takes visitors “From the Sea to the Mountains” and shows how Dobratsch mountain and the entire region were formed. This geology trail sets a great example - with its handicapped accessible design it can be enjoyed by everyone.
   
• Art and culture have always been very important in Villach. Since the 1950s the City has regularly bought works of art, and some of these will be on display beginning on September 16 in the Freihausgasse Gallery in an exhibition entitled FIGURATIV & ABSTRAKT. Among the works are pieces by Pablo Picasso, Hans Staudacher, Bruno Gironcoli, Cornelius Kolig, and Maria Legat. The exhibition will run until October 23, and parts of the collection can also be viewed online.
   
• Kulturhof:Villach has been an institution for a mix of concerts, lectures, theater, and exhibitions since 2011, and from September 9-11 it will be celebrating its 10th birthday. Program and ticket information can be found on the Kulturhof:Villach website.

• Additionally, September in downtown Villach has the following events in store for us: 
  • Villach will again become more colorful! Beginning on September 10 another Street Art Project will begin - this time it is the walls of Staubers Stadtschenke that will be transformed. Artists from all over Austria applied for this chance and it was Upper Autstria’s Nino Werner who prevailed - watch him at his work beginning on September 10th.
     
  • The Promusica Festival “Tonspur” is taking place until September 2.
     
  • On September 17 the Neue Bühne Villach comes back from its summer break with “The who and the what”. Tickets are available anytime online or in the Villach Ticket Office.
     
• On September 24 and 25 the second part of the Crux Lauf race will take place in Villach. The obstacle course can be run individually or in a team, and more information about the categories and registration can be found on the event host’s website.