Wörthersee shipping

The articles Wörthersee # Wörtherseeschifffahrt and Wörthersee Schifffahrt overlap thematically. Help me to better differentiate or merge the articles (→ instructions ) . To do this, take part in the relevant redundancy discussion . Please remove this module only after the redundancy has been completely processed and do not forget to include the relevant entry on the redundancy discussion page{{ Done | 1 = ~~~~}}to mark. Coyote III ( discussion ) 5:26 pm, Sep 15. 2019 (CEST)

The Carinthia in Pörtschach

The Wörthersee Ferries , more WSG Wörthersee Schifffahrt GmbH is a shipping company that transports persons and excursions on the Wörthersee offers.

history

Newspaper advertisement about the Carinthia timetable , 1874

It is assumed that ships sailed on the Wörthersee long before written records. In 2007 an approximately 1000 year old dugout canoe was found near Pritschitz . How and in what form the lake was used at that time is still unknown. Lake Wörthersee was first mentioned in connection with shipping around 1240. The Duke Bernhard von Spanheim wanted to connect the city of Klagenfurt to the lake by means of a canal. The project failed because of the abbot of Viktring , who saw it as blasphemy . As a devout Christian, the duke abandoned his plan. In the Middle Ages, Klagenfurt was often the victim of large fires, which is why it was decided in 1527 to build the Lend Canal after all. From 1558 ships could travel from Lake Wörthersee to the city for the first time.

In the middle of the 19th century, a trip from Villach to Klagenfurt via stagecoach took about eight hours. When the Freiherr von Herbert'schen Dampfschifffahrtsgesellschaft announced the public service between Velden and Klagenfurt in October 1853 and thus reduced the journey time to 4 hours, the shipping was immediately well received by the population. The passengers were transported with the paddle steamer Maria Wörth . Just a year later, shipping on Lake Wörthersee suffered a severe setback. It was discovered that the waves caused by the steamship damaged the poorly built Lend Canal and several places were in danger of collapsing. This was followed by a long-term dispute between the shipping company, the city and the country, which resulted in a ban on steamships in the Lend Canal in 1873. Since Maria Wörth suffered a total loss in the same year , Herbert's free army gave up its company. A year later, a new shipping company was founded, which re-established the connection between Villach and Klagenfurt with the screw steamer Carinthia . The ships Neptun (1883) and Helios (1892) followed. At the turn of the century, the Wörthersee experienced increasing tourism. Due to the demand, a new steamer, the Thalia , was ordered.

In the early 20th century the city of Klagenfurt began to buy up shipping companies in order to achieve a monopoly . The main reason for this was its huge potential as a means of public transport. Places that were particularly on the south side of the Wörthersee were cut off from land traffic. The shipping company administered by the city became known as Wörthersee Schifffahrt ( WS for short ) . The WS expanded strongly under the leadership of the city. The new acquisitions from 1924 were called Koschat , today Loretto and Hülgerth , today Lorelei . The ships were already running on diesel. Both motor ships are now sailing for the Wörthersee nostalgic shipping company . In the 1930s, the Wörthersee shipping counted a total of 12 ships.

During the Second World War the WS got into trouble. More and more workers wanted to take the ships to Klagenfurt, but at the same time there was a shortage of materials and fuel in the region. The shipping company could only operate the small boats Loretto and Lorelei . Shortly after the war, the first and to this day the last fatal accident happened. A machinist connected oxygen instead of compressed air to the Wulfenia . The ensuing explosion killed the man and the ship sank. At the end of the occupation tourism flourished again. In the high season there was a ship every half hour. Around 1964 it was decided to shut down the old steamers, with the exception of the Thalia . The motor ships Wiesbaden and Maria Wörth were bought for this purpose.

In 1972 the Neptun was replaced by the Klagenfurt motor ship . Two years later, they wanted to do the same with the Thalia , which had been declared unusable. It should be replaced by the ship Kärnten . Voices from the population prevented this for the time being. It was not until 1982 that the decision was made to restore the Thalia . Meanwhile the ship was the last screw steamer on an Austrian inland lake. On July 2, 1988, the Thalia completed her second maiden voyage on Lake Wörthersee. In the 1970s and 1980s, shipping came more into focus as an attraction . Old routes were re-used and disused ships restored. From 1988 adventure trips became the main business of Wörthersee Schifffahrt. The offer was to round trips, charter trips, party boats, and much more. expanded. In 2008, Wörthersee Schifffahrt, which was now under the management of Stadtwerke Klagenfurt , was partially privatized. In October 2010 the entrepreneur Martin Ramusch, who until then held 49% of the shares, became the sole owner. When the company was taken over, all employees were taken over.

shipping

A round trip around the Wörthersee takes 3 hours and 45 minutes. The Klagenfurt – Velden route (short round trip) can be done in an hour and 45 minutes. A ticket is required for the ride, which is available on board or on the Internet. Kärnten Card holders receive a 20% discount.

The following route is used (as of 2019):

Klagenfurt - Krumpendorf - Reifnitz - Maria Wörth - Pörtschach Landspitz - Pörtschach Werzer - Dellach - Weißes Rössl - Forstsee power station - Velden (and back)
Klagenfurt - Velden (and back; non-stop connection)

fleet

The current fleet of ships
Surname	construction year	renewed augmentation	length	width	people	Others
Thalia	1909	1988	39.35 m	6.30 m	300	Steamship
Klagenfurt	1974	1988	38.10 m	7.70 m	300	Motor ship
Carinthia	1974	1993/2011	38.10 m	7.70 m	300	Motor ship
Velden	1966	1989	24.40 m	4.60 m	100	Motor ship
Maria Wörth	2012	-	18.90 m	5.10 m	60	Electric ship