Jewish Heritage in Klagenfurt reveals a lesser-known layer of Austria’s southern Carinthia region, where Alpine lakes, Renaissance streets, and medieval alleyways conceal stories of vanished synagogues, Jewish soldiers, Holocaust victims, and centuries of Jewish life. Most travelers arrive here for mountain air, skiing, and the turquoise waters of Worthersee Lake, yet beneath the postcard scenery lies a remarkable Jewish history waiting to be uncovered.
Carinthia is the southern state of the Federation of Austria. It is a popular tourist area with lovely summer resorts, clear south Alpine's mountain air, forests, and many streams and rivers. In winter, Carinthia is a global skiing destination. Israelis are also beginning to discover Carinthia's tourist attractions
Last summer, a real estate company purchased the airport of Klagenfurt, the capital of Carinthia. Airport marketing director, Barbara Schmoczer-Kuchling, says that the new management plans to establish hotels, a convention center, and a high-tech industry park. And most importantly for us, soon they'll operate direct flights from Israel to Klagenfurt
Exploring Klagenfurt, the Dragon City of Carinthia
Many Israelis come to Carinthia for a one-week vacation, or one-day trip as part of a trip to neighboring Slovenia
The symbol of the city of Klagenfurt is a dragon. A large dragon statue stands in the "New Square" next to City Hall. There is a local history legend: the founders of the place settled in a fertile area that also covered by some swamps. In one of the swamps was living a huge terrible dragon, that was devouring farm animals and even humans. To eliminate the danger, the settlers built a tower near the swamp and plunged from the top of the tower a rope with a lam's bait. When the dragon came to devour the little cow, the hook stuck in his throat. Then the heroes came down from the tower and killed the dragon. After the elimination of the dragon, more settlers came there, and the place developed and became a city. This statue was placed there in 1593. 40 years later, another statue of Hercules was added next to the dragon
On the north side of the square there is the Old Town. Pedestrian streets with lovely Renaissance colored houses, some in the Baroque or Novo Art style. Beautiful! It's a pleasant to walk in the narrow beautiful streets. On sunny days, cafes put tables and chairs out in the street. The old town also has historic buildings, such as the old town hall built in 1582 as a palace, a memorial of 1918-20 civil war, and more. In many corners we see beautiful sculptures
Renaissance Streets, Lakeside Beauty, and Austrian Legends
Klagenfurt combines colorful Renaissance architecture, relaxed lakeside promenades, and old legends centered around the city’s famous dragon statue in Neuer Platz. Visitors strolling through the Old Town encounter elegant façades, outdoor cafés, quiet courtyards, and a city that feels both aristocratic and deeply provincial at the same time.
In the main street there is a paved square, which has mosaics symbols of Klagenfurt twin cities. One of them is Nazareth Illit in Israel. There are also many museums throughout Klagenfurt
The town lies on the shores of picturesque Worthersee Lake, and it is very worthwhile to spend at least one day by the lake, sail on a tourist boat, rent a boat, and also swim in the lake. Its beaches have excellent restaurants; with amazing views from their balconies
©FRANZGERDL
The favorite recreation place for our children is Minimundus Park. It is a large site with miniatures of world-famous buildings, such as the Taj Mahal, the Eiffel Tower. During this period, a performance called FOR FOREST is held at the Worthersee stadium. There are 300 different trees on the football field, some of which are endangered. The show is intended to illustrate the danger of global warming, causing people and children to think that maybe in the future we will only see some species of trees in reserved places, as we see animals in zoos. This performance ends at the end of October
The Jewish Cemetery and a Thousand Years of Memory
When we come to Klagenfurt, it is recommended spending at least half a day to tour Jewish heritage sites. There are rarely known, familiar only to few. Our tour of Judaism in Klagenfurt should start in the Jewish cemetery. The tombstones can tell us fascinating stories about Jewish history in the area
Ancient Gravestones, War Heroes, and Forgotten Stories
The oldest tombstone dates from 1130 and was brought here from the nearby town of Volkermarkt. 300 years after this man death, there was a pogrom in Volkermarkt and the 
surviving Jews were deported. The locals demolished the Jewish cemetery there and used the gravestones for construction. This particular stone shown in Klagenfurt cemetery, was discovered in a wall in the old church of Volkermarkt. The tombstone stands now in the air, to make it clear to future generations that this deceased was not buried under his tombstone
Once, Klagenfurt Jews were buried outside the city's Christian cemetery. The first grave that was excavated here is from 1841. In 1895, the Jewish community purchased the land including those Jewish graves and opened the Jewish cemetery
In the middle of the cemetery we see 3 rows of military gravestones. These are the graves of 17 Jewish soldiers who died in the First World War. None of them is originally from Klagenfurt, but they're from Hungary. A military hospital of the Austro-Hungarian army was located in Klagenfurt. Some of the wounded soldiers who were brought to this military hospital did not survive and died. One of the gravestones is of a Jewish military nurse girl worked in this hospital. The army brought its Jewish slains to burial in the nearby Jewish cemetery. On the wall near the gate, there is a memorial plate with the names of all these soldiers
The most important tombstone here is of Robert Preis. We see on it a military heroic medal decoration he got in his service at first world war. This young Jewish soldier was the hero in Klagenfurt. Later, when the Nazi party won the local election in Klagenfurt, Preis and two other senior Jewish officers came to the new mayor bureau, ripped off their ranks and medals, and threw them on his desk
Adjacent to his tomb we see the tomb of his father, who was the head of the Jewish community, and one of the city's richest men. We'd also look on the back of the tombstone, where names of his other sons are engraved. We will meet their names later on in the city tour
In summary, the local Jewish cemetery teaches us that Jews have lived in Carinthia for almost a thousand years, most of the time being rejected by their non-Jewish neighbors. About 125 years ago, the local Jewish community was large and strong enough that could purchase land for a Jewish cemetery. Jewish soldiers fought in the Austro-Hungarian army, and few even died in battles. The local hero was a Jewish soldier from a wealthy family. Between the two world wars, Jews were involved in the lives of the residents, and they were honored with prestige and equality. But it also caused them complacency, and they thought their status is safe forever, so they would not be harmed by the Nazis. Unfortunately, the Nazis eliminated Klagenfurt Jews too
The Lost Synagogue of Klagenfurt
An important Jewish heritage site is the location of the Klagenfurt synagogue. There were 4 identical houses on Platzgasse Street, one of them still stands today
The Jewish community purchased the house next door. The first floor was converted into a synagogue prayer hall, and the second floor was the rabbi's residence and the community offices. This was what the synagogue looked like on the outside and inside
Kristallnacht, Destruction, and the Struggle for Remembrance
In the 'Crystal Night' in November 1938, the Nazis burned the synagogue. The Torah scrolls were taken out to the street and burned there. The furniture and the contents were burned, but the scorched stone structure remained standing. In 1944, a part of the synagogue was destroyed by a bomb in the war. After the war, a local mechanic invaded the synagogue, cleared the wreckage, and used what was left as a car repair garage. In 1959 ownership was transferred to the Jewish community in Vienna, because no Jews were living in Klagenfurt. The building had no Jewish clergy use, so the Vienna community sold the place to a contractor, which turned it into a parking lot for a veterinary clinic's clients he was building nearby
In 1988 a monument was erected on the sidewalk in front of the synagogue's site. Initially, only the middle stone was placed. This had upset the Jews because the German text translation of the Hebrew text downsized the Jewish people's disaster. Jews were allowed to change the monument only after the death of anti-Semitic Carinthia Governor, Jurg Haider. In 2015, two more memory stones were added to the monument, with texts and pictures that fit the sanctity of the synagogue. On that occasion, they removed the fence and bushes that separated the monument from the sidewalk
The struggles on this monument continue today. It is not easy for tourists like us to find the humble monument, because cars parking beside it are hiding it from the street. There have been many approaches to the municipality to prohibit parking there, but those requests were ignored. I also contacted the mayor, Mrs. Maria Mathiaschitz, but she did not even bother to comment. (Could Jorg Haider's anti-Semitic spirit still contaminating Klagenfurt municipality corridors?…)
Stolpersteine and the Jewish Families of Klagenfurt
Our Klagenfurt Jewish tour continues in the beautiful pedestrian streets of the Old City. Small Stolpersteine copper-stamped were imprinted on sidewalks facing few houses, commemorated to Jews who were taken during the Holocaust from these homes to their death. The name of every Jew who lived in this house is engraved on each Stolpersteine. In front of one of the houses we see 4 Stolpersteine engraved names of the distinguished Preis family
In front of another house in the best location in the city, we see another Stolpersteine in memory of the family mother, Hermina Preis, who lived there after her husband and children were deported. The Nazis confiscated the house for their own needs but allowed her to continue living in only one room of her big apartment. A few months later, she was deported from here to Auschwitz
Walking Through the Lives Behind the Brass Plaques
In front of another house we see a Stolpersteine in memory of Mrs. Miriam Hauser, the wife of the city's chief Rabbi. She was a dentist, and her clinic was here. In the middle of her work, she was taken to the Gestapo headquarter
An eyewitness was quick to inform this to the Rabbi, who immediately hid with his children outside their home. Shortly after, the Nazis arrived at their home to pick them up as well, but didn't found them. A few days later they were able to escape and immigrated to Israel. One of the rabbi's sons, Emil Hauser, became in Israel the well-known pianist and composer, and founded the Israeli Conservatory of Music. There are other Stolpersteines in town in memory of other Holocaust victims
The Medieval Jewish Quarter and Gestapo Prison
Various alleyways going out the main pedestrian street. One of them is Badgasse, leading into what used to be the Jewish Quarter. The alleys in this area are mentioned in ancient documents. Today there are no Jewish features, but it is pleasant to walk through the medieval alleys and to inhale the aroma of the ancient Jewish quarter
"Preis House"
In the old square on Alter Platz pedestrian street is the old town hall. At the adjoining house we see an OTTO GRAF designers clothing store. From the beginning of the last century there was on the first floor a popular clothing store belonged to the Preis family. Two members of the family returned from the Holocaust camps and reopened the store. Inside the store, they also held upscale fashion shows. When they passed away in the 1970s, their children sold the building. But the local adults continue to call this house "Preis House" up to this days
Another site related to Judaism is Klagenfurt Burg. Today the inner extension of the castle serves as an open cinema, and the second floor is a Museum of Modern Art. During the Holocaust, the castle was used as the Gestapo headquarters. The basement below served as a detention center where Jews were also imprisoned before being sent to camps. In this basement, the Nazis interrogated and tortured Jews to find out where they hid assets, and where are other Jews are hiding in the city. The painful cries of torture were heard outside, and the neighbors complained about the noise. (Not about Jewish human rights).
For many years the horrors of the Nazi prison have been concealed from public knowledge in Austria. Only in 2015 the staircase that led to the cellar were painted in black color, and hung a sign that read in German: "From 1938 to 1945, here was the Gestapo headquarters. People were tortured here because of ideology and ethnicity. The moral of what happened to them should be a reason for us to fight for freedom, democracy, and human rights". No explicit word about Jews. Only "ethnicity". Shame! I
Nowadays, Judaism in Carinthia seems to be dead. Of the dozens of synagogues that were in Carinthia, none is active anymore. There is no kosher restaurant in the entire district. Today there is no organized Jewish community in Klagenfurt, but apparently there are a number of Jews here, who hide their Jewishness. If a Chabad house will be opened in Klagenfurt, the Shaliach will have a great deal of work to expose and discover the Jews of the city and return them to Judaism. Apparently a Chabad House will be open in Klagenfurt only if we and many Israelis like us will come to visit Carinthia. Thus, such a trip can be a combination of fun and a Mitzvah too
Jewish Heritage in Klagenfurt is not displayed with grand museums or crowded tourist attractions. It survives quietly in cemetery stones, hidden courtyards, Stolpersteine plaques, and the silence of medieval alleys where Jewish life once flourished. Travelers who come to Carinthia for its lakes and mountains often leave with something far more lasting: a deeper understanding of how Jewish history in Europe can disappear almost completely, yet still whisper from beneath the surface of an elegant Austrian city.
There are additional Jewish heritage sites in Austria’s Carinthia region, including in the cities of Villach. You can also read about them at this link.
FAQ
What are the main Jewish heritage sites in Klagenfurt?
The most important Jewish heritage sites in Klagenfurt include the Jewish cemetery, the former synagogue location, Stolpersteine memorials, Badgasse Jewish Quarter, and the former Gestapo prison at Klagenfurt Burg. Together they tell the story of Jewish life in Carinthia across nearly a thousand years.
Is there an active Jewish community in Klagenfurt today?
Today there is no organized Jewish community in Klagenfurt and no active synagogue. However, traces of Jewish history remain visible throughout the city for travelers interested in Jewish heritage tourism.
What happened to the Klagenfurt synagogue during the Holocaust?
The Klagenfurt synagogue was burned by the Nazis during Kristallnacht in November 1938. After the war, the damaged structure was eventually demolished and replaced by modern development.
Why is the Jewish cemetery in Klagenfurt important?
The cemetery preserves evidence of Jewish life in Carinthia dating back centuries, including ancient gravestones and memorials to Jewish soldiers of the Austro-Hungarian army. It offers rare insight into the region’s forgotten Jewish past.
What are Stolpersteine in Klagenfurt?
Stolpersteine are brass memorial plaques embedded in sidewalks outside former homes of Holocaust victims. In Klagenfurt, they commemorate Jewish families who were deported and murdered during the Nazi era.
Is Carinthia worth visiting for Jewish heritage tourism?
Carinthia offers a unique combination of Alpine landscapes, lakeside resorts, and overlooked Jewish history. Travelers can combine nature, culture, Holocaust memory, and Austrian history in one destination.
Thanks to the ladies Alena Van Dijk, Barbara Schmoczer-Kuchling, Dr. Nadja Danglmaier, Martha Mann, and the KRALL hotel for assisting in the research for writing this article