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Ferlach is an Austrian municipality of 7 118 inhabitants in the district of Klagenfurt-Land, Carinthia; it has the status of a city. In 1927 it incorporated the suppressed municipality of Unterloibl, in 1964 the municipality of Unterferlach and in 1973 the municipality of Windisch Bleiberg, the southernmost town in Austria on the border with Slovenia and the capital of Rosental. It is located 10 km south of Klagenfurt am Wörthersee, on the south bank of the Drau river. Near Ferlach there are several high mountains, including the Ferlacher Horn (1 840 m a.s.l.). Located at the foot of the Karawanken chain, Austria's southernmost town has a centuries-old tradition as a gunsmith's town. The unique manufacturing art of the Ferlach gunsmiths was declared an intangible cultural heritage by UNESCO in 2010. This traditional craft is presented at the "Büchsenmacher- und Jagdmuseum" (gunsmiths and hunting museum) in Ferlach Castle. The fascinating Carnica Bee Museum in nearby Kirschentheuer provides information on the beekeeping tradition. Here you can discover interesting aspects of the Carnica bee and its interaction with the human habitat. Ferlach is a good starting point for hikes in the Karawanken and bicycle tours on the Drau cycle path. Natural highlights include the romantic Tscheppaschlucht gorge with its adventure park, as well as the Meerauge lake and the "Märchenwiese" fairytale meadow in the Bodental valley. The idyllic bathing lake in Ressnig invites you to swim and fish. In winter, the romantic Bodental landscape is perfect for snowshoe hikes, downhill skiing, ski touring and cross-country skiing on the high-altitude slopes, which have been awarded the "Slope Quality Seal".
