The settlement of
Velach was first mentioned in a 10th-century deed issued by the Bishop
Abraham of Freising (d. 993/94), a
Bavarian missionary among the
East Alpine Slavs in the
Duchy of Carinthia (former
Carantania), known for the Slovene
Freising manuscripts. The name is probably derived from Slavic
bela ("white"). The local church was mentioned as 'Freising basilica' in 1072, it later became the seat of a
deanery of the
Salzburg archbishops. The traditional
gold and
silver mining area from the 12th century onwards was a possession of the comital
House of Gorizia (Görz); in 1164 their
ministeriales took their residence at
Falkenstein Castle high above the valley. The Counts of Gorizia also held nearby Groppenstein Castle, first mentioned in 1254. Obervellach market rights were attested in 1256. After an armed conflict over the inheritance of late Count
Ulrich II of Celje, in which the Count
Leonhard of Gorizia and his brother
John II were defeated by the forces of Emperor
Frederick III, the area of Obervellach in 1460 finally was incorporated into the
Inner Austrian possessions of the ruling
House of Habsburg. The town remained an important mining area; the Habsburg emperor
Maximilian I himself confirmed the market rights and in 1509 decided on Obervellach as the seat of the Inner Austrian mining authority (
Oberbergmeisteramt). The present-day
Late Gothic church building was built around 1500, it was consecrated by Bishop
Berthold of Chiemsee. A notable
Renaissance altar was installed about 1520 at the behest of the Imperial captain
Christoph Frankopan (Frangipani), brother-in-law of the Salzburg prince-archbishop
Matthäus Lang von Wellenburg; it includes several pieces by the
Dutch painter
Jan van Scorel (1495–1562). In the 17th century, gold and silver deposits were progressively depleted, they were replaced by new
copper mines. When the travel writer
Joseph Kyselak toured the region in 1825, he found Obervellach a still prosperous town. The Obervellach municipality was established in 1849, it then also comprised neighbouring Mallnitz,
Flattach, and the cadastral community of Penk (part of the
Reißeck municipality since 1973), which all became independent in 1896. The Tauern Railway line was inaugurated in 1909, with a station near the village of Kaponig high above the Obervellach centre, which was accessible by a
cable car until 1975. The station was finally closed in 1999, today trains stop at the
Tauernschleuse car shuttle station in Mallnitz (
Mallnitz-Obervellach). == Landmarks ==