Sankt Kathrein am Offenegg

coat of arms

Austria map

Basic data

Country:

Austria

State :

Styria

Political District :

Wheat

License plate :

WZ

Surface:

40.41 km²

Coordinates :

47 ° 18 ' N , 15 ° 35' E Coordinates: 47 ° 17 '58 " N , 15 ° 34' 36" E

Height :

972 m above sea level A.

Residents :

1,073 (January 1, 2020)

Postal code :

8171

Area code :

03179

Community code :

6 17 45

NUTS region

AT224

Address of the
municipal administration:

Dorf 2
8171 Sankt Kathrein am Offenegg

Website:

www.st-kathrein.at

politics

Mayor :

Thomas Derler ( ÖVP )

Municipal Council : (2015)
(15 members)

9

6th

9 6th

A total of 15 seats

ÖVP : 9
SPÖ : 6

Location of Sankt Kathrein am Offenegg in the Weiz district

Source: Municipal data from Statistics Austria

Sankt Kathrein am Offenegg is a municipality northeast of Graz in Styria ( Austria ). It has 1073 inhabitants (as of January 1, 2020) and is 972 meters above sea level.

geography

The community is located on the eastern edge of the Passail Basin in the Grazer Bergland , in the Almenland region . The highest point is the Plankogel on the Sommeralm . The Weizbach rises in the municipality of St. Kathrein, near the Sommeralm and leaves the municipality to the south through the Weizklamm .

Community structure

The community consists of two cadastral communities (area as of December 31, 2019):

Kathrein I. Quarter (1,503.04 ha)
Kathrein II quarter (2,531.66 ha)

Until February 2020, the municipality was divided into the two localities of Sankt Kathrein am Offenegg I quarter and Sankt Kathrein am Offenegg II quarter, since then there is only the only village Sankt Kathrein am Offenegg.

Neighboring communities

Neighboring communities of St. Kathrein are: Gasen , Birkfeld , Anger , Thannhausen , Naas , Passail , Fladnitz an der Teichalm and Breitenau am Hochlantsch .

history

In addition to the basic relief, the year 1848 saw the creation of the local communities as the smallest political administrative units; In 1850 the first municipal council elections were held in St. Kathrein.

In the difficult times after the First World War, the Pichler-Werke built the first overhead power line in the village. St. Kathrein was not spared from the terrible events of the Second World War. After the end of the war, Russian occupation troops arrived, which were soon replaced by British soldiers.

After years of construction, better times followed. Tourism became more and more important for St. Kathrein and its surroundings, which led to the increasing development of the Sommeralm for these purposes. In 1972 the village received public lighting and the overhead power lines were replaced.

Culture and sights

Parish Church of St. Kathrein

The parish church, dedicated to St. Catherine of Alexandria , is in an exposed position and is surrounded by a cemetery. First mentioned in a document in 1295, it has been its own parish since 1640. It is an early Gothic building that was expanded in the late Gothic and late Baroque periods . The first building consisted of a single nave nave with a well-fortified rectangular choir tower in the east. The outlines of the walled up early Gothic west portal are still recognizable.

In the middle of the 15th century, two octagonal pillars were put in place of the southern nave wall and a two-aisled, three-bay hall was formed by inserting a two-parallel ribbed vault. In 1742 a decisive reconstruction took place, which gave the church a new axis direction. The north nave wall was opened and a one-bay choir and sacristy were added.

The entrance to the now three-aisled and two-bay nave is through the small late Gothic south portal. Also worth mentioning are the high altar with the picture of the Holy Family, the figures by Johann Piringer (1767) and the choir chapel altar with Scourge Christ and Mary .

Site design

As part of the European competition “ Entente Florale Europe ”, St. Kathrein was named “Most Beautiful Flower Village in Europe” in 1990.

Economy and Infrastructure

The transport connection is through Rechberg Straße B 64. St. Kathrein has a kindergarten and a primary school. The community of St. Kathrein / Off. belongs to the Almenland Nature Park region . In this context, the municipality forms together with Fladnitz an der Teichalm, Gasen, Passail, Pernegg an der Mur and Breitenau am Hochlantsch the tourism association “Naturpark Almenland Teichalm-Sommeralm ”. Its seat is the municipality of Fladnitz an der Teichalm. The aim is to have a gentle, yet richly varied tourism, for example with the Holzmeistersiedlung on the eastern end of the Teichalm, which can be used in summer and winter.