Klagenfurt

Klagenfurt became the provincial capital in 1518, so most of the delightful sights you can see date from the 16th century or later. However, a group of attention-getting Carinthian architects have also breathed new life into old buildings. The town is also an excellent base for excursions to the rest of Carinthia. In the city center you can hardly overlook the Lindwurm, Klagenfurt's emblematic dragon with a curled tail beside a tower, which adorns the fountain on Neuer Platz (New Square). Legend has it that the town was founded on the spot where the beast was destroyed by resident peasants back in days of yore (but the notion of Klagenfurt's dragon became more intriguing when the fossilized cranium of a prehistoric rhinoceros was found nearby).