Paternion is a market town

Market town

Market town or market right is a legal term, originating in the medieval period, for a European settlement that has the right to host markets, distinguishing it from a village and city...

 in the district of Villach-Land

Villach-Land

Bezirk Villach-Land is a district of the state ofCarinthia in Austria.-Municipalities:Towns are indicated in boldface; market towns in italics; suburbs, hamlets and other subdivisions of a municipality are indicated in small characters.*Arnoldstein **Agoritschach, Arnoldstein, Erlendorf, Gailitz,...

 in the Austria

Austria

Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...

n state of Carinthia

Carinthia (state)

Carinthia is the southernmost Austrian state or Land. Situated within the Eastern Alps it is chiefly noted for its mountains and lakes.The main language is German. Its regional dialects belong to the Southern Austro-Bavarian group...

. It is located within the Drava

Drava

Drava or Drave is a river in southern Central Europe, a tributary of the Danube. It sources in Toblach/Dobbiaco, Italy, and flows east through East Tirol and Carinthia in Austria, into Slovenia , and then southeast, passing through Croatia and forming most of the border between Croatia and...

 valley about 18 kilometres (11.2 mi) in the north-west of the city of Villach

Villach

Villach is the second largest city in the Carinthia state in the southern Austria, at the Drava River and represents an important traffic junction for Austria and the whole Alpe-Adria region. , the population is 58,480.-History:...

.

Geography

Paternion is subdivided into six Katastralgemeinden: Feistritz an der Drau

Feistritz an der Drau

Feistritz an der Drau is a village in the municipality of Paternion, in Carinthia, Austria.The 1989 Biathlon World Championship was held here, the first joint Men and Women BWCH.The Windische Höhe Pass connects St...

, Kamering, Kreuzen, Nikelsdorf, Paternion and Rubland.

History

Settled since the Hallstatt culture

Hallstatt culture

The Hallstatt culture was the predominant Central European culture from the 8th to 6th centuries BC , developing out of the Urnfield culture of the 12th century BC and followed in much of Central Europe by the La Tène culture.By the 6th century BC, the Hallstatt culture extended for some...

, the place was first mentioned as St. Paternianus in a 1296 deed, named after Saint Paternian

Saint Paternian

Paternian or Paternianus is the name of an Italian saint. There are two figures, Paternian of Bologna and Paternian of Fermo, who are considered to be the same person. The first was bishop of Bologna from around 450 to 470. The second was a native of Fermo who escaped to the mountains during the...

, the Bishop of Fano, as the area south of the Drava then belonged to the Patriarchate of Aquileia. In 1530 Paternion received market rights from Archduke Ferdinand I of Austria

Ferdinand I, Holy Roman Emperor

Ferdinand I was Holy Roman Emperor from 1558 and king of Bohemia and Hungary from 1526 until his death. Before his accession, he ruled the Austrian hereditary lands of the Habsburgs in the name of his elder brother, Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor.The key events during his reign were the contest...

. With a percentage of about 30%, the municipality is today one of the centres of Protestantism

Protestantism

Protestantism is one of the three major groupings within Christianity. It is a movement that began in Germany in the early 16th century as a reaction against medieval Roman Catholic doctrines and practices, especially in regards to salvation, justification, and ecclesiology.The doctrines of the...

 in Carinthia.

Politics

Seats in the municipal assembly (Gemeinderat) as of 2009 elections:

• Social Democratic Party of Austria
  Social Democratic Party of Austria
  The Social Democratic Party of Austria is one of the oldest political parties in Austria. The SPÖ is one of the two major parties in Austria, and has ties to trade unions and the Austrian Chamber of Labour. The SPÖ is among the few mainstream European social-democratic parties that have preserved...
  
   (SPÖ): 13
• Alliance for the Future of Austria
  Alliance for the Future of Austria
  The Alliance for the Future of Austria , abbreviated to BZÖ, is a conservative liberal political party in Austria. The party has sixteen seats in the National Council....
  
  (BZÖ): 8
• Bürgerliste (Independent): 6