LIVING WORKING PLAYING LEARNING VILLACHAUSTRIA . CITY – REGION – PLACE TO LIVE Welcome, willkommen, benvenuto, dobrodošli, bienvenue to the heart of Europe!

You are looking for an exciting professional Slovenia just across the border and also from challenge and an attractive place for your all over the world. The excellent reputation of family to live? A place where your work and regional educational institutions, such as the private life don’t have to compete with each University of Applied Sciences, also other and new perspectives abound at every draws a very diverse student population from level? a panoply of different countries to our region.

Villach might be just the perfect spot for you. A All of them have found Villach to be the ideal city for a new life and new career, with access place to pursue their career while spending to first-class education, an active lifestyle and time with their families and enjoying the a healthy environment. high quality of life offered by this lively town located at the crossroads Over the following pages of three different cultural we‘d like to give you a first regions. glimpse of the outstanding The cosmopolitan opportunities awaiting you City of Villach is We are confident that this in and around Villach. Learn modern and creative brochure will make you more about this place where and offers a wealth curious about this wonderful of work and educati- , Italy and Slovenia city that is our home and we onal opportunities. meet on the southern slopes look forward to welcoming Günther Albel (43, mayor of the City of Villach) with young people at the Holi festival at the , of the Alps in the heart of you and your loved ones celebrating the start of the annual swimming season. Europe. here in the not too distant future. Some of the most innovative companies and organizations of our city have teamed See you soon in our neighborhood, see you up to produce this guide providing an soon in Villach! www.villach.at overview of the broad range of offers in this region we call home. They include world- famous international brands and renowned local institutions alike, representing the entrepreneurial, intellectual and cultural variety of our region.

Günther Albel The success of these companies and many Mayor of the City of Villach other enterprises in the region rests on the work of thousands of highly talented employees VILLACH from the greater Villach area, Italy and LIVE. WHERE OTHERS GO ON A VACATION Just one of the many perks of living in the phenomenal City of Villach.

Located at the point where three cultures live for all those who call this region home. meet, the city on the Drau has long been an Lakes with drinking-water quality and the

Karin Hufnagel (SWE, 32, Market Development Manager at 3M) having important transport hub in the Alps-Adriatic extraordinarily clean air are a testament to lunch at the Frierss Feines Haus delicatessen store and restaurant. region. the high environmental standards of Villach and its surroundings. Due to its particular geographic location and the outstanding natural beauty of the region, In addition to the favorable geographic Villach and the whole province of Carinthia location, living in Austria also has many social, have for generations been popular holiday health-care-related and economic perks. The destinations for people from all over the country’s social and health care system is world. among the best in the world and for decades numerous international Centrally located at the surveys have singled out crossroads of three important Austria as a particularly safe European highways, in close The greater Villach and wealthy country with a proximity to the northern region with its broad high quality of life. ports of the Mediterranean culinary variety and and numerous airports in offering great value While the city’s population for money is a gour- the surrounding area, this enjoys an above-average met’s paradise. city in the south of Austria prosperity level and can easily be reached from comprehensive social any place in the world. And benefits, living in Villach www.kaernten.at naturally, it is also convenient to travel around proves surprisingly affordable when compared the globe from here. If you are dreaming of to many other international destinations. a fascinating vacation or paying a visit to Villach benefits from its status as a “small family members living abroad, you will find town,” offering everyday living at affordable that Villach is the ideal point of departure for prices in an outstanding setting. any kind of adventure. So it’s no surprise that the city on the Drau is The unique landscape, combining mountains considered the “home of work-life balance.” and valleys, lakes and rivers, city and countryside, draws hundreds of thousands of people to the region every year. No matter what season it is, fun, relaxation and inspiration are around every corner. At the same time, the diverse and pristine environment also LIVING makes Villach an extraordinary place to HERE. THAT‘S VILLACH‘S LOCATION AN UNMATCHED NATURE CON- Members of the Carinthian International Club at the JOYFUL NETWORKING SERVATION AND ENVIRONMENTAL traditional dragon boat race at the Ossiacher See. The region’s international community has been steadily PROTECTION PARADISE growing for years. The Carinthian International Club founded several years ago welcomes new arrivals and introduces them You will find more than70 electric filling to both expats and locals. stations, including a Tesla Supercharger New residents thus feel at home in Villach in no time at all. London station, all within a 30-minute drive from Moskva 3:15 Villach. The Club also organizes a large variety of courses and events 4:15 via LJU throughout the year. San Francisco via LJU 16:00 Carinthia boasts over 1,200 registered New York cic-network.at via MUC Paris 11:40 Shanghai lakes and ponds, almost all of which & LJU 3:00 via VIE 16:00 are of drinking-water quality. via LJU Dubai & KLU 09:00 via FRA via VCE & LJU About 28% of Villach’s surface area Delhi have been declared landscape Addis Ababa 11:10 conservation areas. Bogota 12:00 via Vie Singapore 14:30 via VIE & KLU 17:25 The City of Villach has been awarded the via FRA & KLU via IST & LJU & LJU European Energy Award Gold, recognizing its exemplary commitment to SZG saving energy. GRZ KLU Sydney Sao Paolo Johannesburg 24:10 VLH 15:45 14:05 via DOH via CDG via MUC & VCE TSF LJU & LJU & GRZ A GLOBAL LOOK TRS

AT AUSTRIA’S VCE QUALITY OF LIFE

rd 3 /163 Travel durations according to rome2rio.com. Global Peace Index visionofhumanity.org Munich VILLACH’S CURRENT KEY INDICATORS BY NUMBEO.COM ALPS-ADRIATIC TRAFFIC HUB IN THE HEART OF EUROPE Zurich th 8 /57 Top Countries For Expats The City of Villach is located in the center of Carinthia, Austria’s southernmost province, in close proximity to the internations.org Cost Of Living: (moderate) Italian and Slovenian border. For centuries, this place has been an important transport hub in Central and Eastern 64.44 Europe, which is why the region is easily accessible and excellently connected by rail, road and air. th /163 Safety: 91.97 (very high) David Kretz (USA, 43, Director Business Management 9 There are direct rail connections to many major European cities, such as Rome, Belgrade, Zurich and Munich. The and Product Marketing at Lam Research) and his Good Country Index Austrian capital of Vienna is just a little more than a four-hour train ride away. Naturpark wife Jitske shopping at the weekly farmers’ Health Care: 90.51 (very high) goodcountry.org Vienna market in the old town of Villach. Well-developed highways also connect the region to crucial central, eastern and southern European cultural and economic regions. th Environmental Quality: 99.31 (very high) 15 /149 There are as many as seven international airports around Villach, which can be reached in about a two-hour drive. Prosperity Index prosperity.com Several flights a day ensure that all major European air traffic hubs can be reached conveniently, keeping transfer Get a direct comparison of your current city and Villach at times to destinations across the globe short. Venice 250 km Ljubljana welcome2villach.at/citycomparison WORKING. WHERE FUTURE IS MADE The perfect place for bright minds and future-oriented innovators. www.welcome2villach/jobs

The region excels in blending tradition, a Secure and well-paid jobs have made the cosmopolitan mindset and a high quality of life location an attractive destination for specialists with the perks offered by an innovative business and managers from all over the world. location. International companies and their The companies, among them both hidden highly qualified employees have always played champions and world-renowned market Bikash Dhar (LKA, 34, Project Manager at Intel) at his workplace looking out over Villach and its key roles in Villach’s success story. leaders, are well established in the region and landmark mountain Dobratsch. offer their staff many benefits in addition to the Villach has developed into a high-technology high quality of life in Villach. location thanks to its enduring ambition to reinvent itself. In order to maintain this pace of New arrivals can rely on support services development, the city has been investing effort ranging from assistance in administrative into its role as a research and issues to job hunting for their start-up hub for a number of partner or childcare facilities, years. In addition to research which help them settle into activities at the Carinthia I get to work on their new home. It is thus easy University of Applied Sciences, technology here to reconcile work and family trendsetting collaborations that will ensure life. A welcoming attitude and between academia and safety around the diversity are non-negotiable industry, as exemplified by the world in the future. principles that are not just Josef Ressel Center, pave the preached but also put into way for successful research practice here. into highly promising technologies of the future. Start-up initiatives Framework conditions for employees in such as the build! business incubator or the Austria also serve as an important pillar Smart Lab Carinthia, both located in the Villach supporting Villach‘s success. Employment law Technology Park, offer ideal starting conditions provides mandatory insurance that safeguards for entrepreneurs. employees financially in the case of illness, accident or unemployment. This comprehensive The industrial companies that have collaborated protective umbrella also covers family members. to produce this brochure are only a few examples And no less than 25 days of paid annual leave of the manifold of entrepreneurs active in also speaks for itself. Villach. The region is home to a diverse portfolio of businesses from a wide array of industries. Whether old or new economy, industrial, trade, service or crafts companies: all of them are WORKING always on the lookout for new talent. View from the Dobratsch Nature Park into the Villach Staff numbers refer to the Villach location only. GLOBAL BRANDS IN A LOCAL basin and the Carinthian lakes region. PARTNERSHIP The overview on the left page shows Villach and a 2,683 3.07% Stol, 7,339 ft. selection of its natural attractions as well as the is Austria’s research locations and key data of our partners. new companies were ratio, ranking the Ossiacher See, 4.05 sq. mi. founded in Carinthia country in the third The listed companies and organizations are the in 2016. place in the EU. Wörthersee, 7.49 sq. mi. initiators of welcome2villach.at and are responsible Gerlitzen Alpe, 6,263 ft. for the information provided here: Faaker See, 0.85 sq. mi. six world-renowned industrial companies, Drau, 465.41 mi. the local university, the region’s tourism organization and Dobratsch, 7,103 ft. the city administration of Villach.

Together they stand for Villach as a modern business loca- tion, innovative research hub and outstanding place to live.

Carinthia University of Our industrial partners employ Imerys Fused Minerals Applied Sciences & C.A.R.R.D. about 4,700 employees from Since 1996 over 56 countries in the City of Since 1943 3M Precision Grinding Students: about 2,000 Villach alone. Staff: about 350 Since 1954 Flowserve Control Valves Staff: about 350 Intel Austria Since 1961 For vacancies at our partner organizations see Staff: about 280 Since 2010 Warmbad-Villach welcome2villach.at/jobs. Staff: about 165

Business Beach in Drobollach on Faaker See is a one-of-a-kind alternative to the typical day in the office.

Infineon Technologies PLENTY OF ROOM FOR THE IDEAS OF FOUNDERS Austria Lam Research Since 1970 OTELO, an “open technology laboratory,” provides space for creative minds Since 1986 City of Villach Staff: about 3,100 experiment and grow. Well-equipped co-working spaces in both the old town Staff: about 450 Region Villach Tourism (Co-Quartier) and more rural outer districts (Bizfarm) are convenient places to Since 878 Population: about 61,000 work and network. The Business Beach is your office right on the shore of a lake Overnight stays: about and Gründergaragen (founders’ garages) provide all the infrastructure a start- 2.6 million every year www.welcome2villach.at/partners up requires. PLAYING. ENJOYING AND COMING TO LIFE Whatever spare time activity strikes your fancy, you will find it around Villach.

The meeting point of three European cultural spa with its unique architectural design, regions is not only full of career opportunities, combined with the world-renowned culture of but you are also spoilt for choice when it Austrian hospitality make Villach a wonderful comes to nature, entertainment, culture and spare time destination. fine cuisine. Culture aficionados will not be disappointed Take a day trip to the picturesque Lagoon of either: they can explore the eventful history Venice, stroll through the historic old town of Europe at countless historic sites, stroll Roel Pleunis (NLD, 43, GAD Drawing Coordinator at of Salzburg or climb the highest peaks of the through museums and galleries or choose Flowserve) with his tuba in the Villach-based music www.region-villach.at store Dany’s Music Shop. Alps. A trip by car or on the country‘s modern from a wide selection of events. trains will bring you to major European cities such as Ljubljana, Munich Once you have checked and Vienna in no time. off your sports or culture Adventure will be right on I love the cultural program of the day, you your doorstep in your new variety the can look forward to the home. region offers and Alps-Adriatic region’s as a member of culinary delights: authentic While the short distances a band playing in dishes from the area’s to many European towns traditional costume three countries as well as and sights certainly add to I help preserve it. delicacies from all over the Villach’s appeal, the city’s world. Going out for Italian immediate surroundings food in Villach may very well also offer a myriad of spare time activities. mean embarking on a quick trip to Italy. The region has been among the most popular vacation destinations in Central Europe for If you feel like doing some shopping in the more than a century, attracting visitors with course of such a culinary journey, you can go a high-class mixture of history, nature and window-shopping in the historic old towns adventure. or bargain-hunting in the region’s numerous malls and outlet malls. Only one thing is for Especially sports enthusiasts and nature sure, you’ll never get bored. lovers will find the greater Villach area to be heaven on earth. From swimming and cycling in summer to skiing and snowshoe hiking in winter, each season seems to offer an endless variety of activities suitable for both the young and the young at heart. A modern tourism PLAYING infrastructure, such as the KärntenTherme Boundless winter sports opportunities in the Dreiländereck ski resort. MUNICH

LINZ VIENNA BRATISLAVA

SALZBURG

ZURICH INNSBRUCK SO CLOSE TO EUROPE’S VARIETY GRAZ BUDAPEST WHERE THREE CULTURES MEET A drive from the city center will take you only... Villach’s location at the point where three large influential European cultural regions merge is unparalleled. Germanic, Romance and Slavic LJUBLJANA influences have left their mark on everyday life VENICE and surely also play a part in the local population’s cosmopolitan and vivacious spirit.

WRTHERSEE Minten OSSIACHER SEE FAAKER SEE LAKE LAKE WRTHERSEE mintes GERLITZEN ALPE m ins trkislae asser es aaker ltre iestyle Min ees hpen. GERLITZEN ALP wimmin min to ive into the rereshin troise Sailing & surfing ivin waters o the aaker ee. ikin each volleyall ayakin 87 Min m athentische asta n ia in ivin PYRAMIDENKOGEL talien essen knnen. kiin riathlon Surfing min to ine on athentic talian pasta an limin pia in taly. ontain ikin trollin TABORHHE ennis mountain peaks higher Min m ie erhmten remeschnitten as oatin le in lowenien enieen. araliin TABOR HEIGHT limin than 3,000 m (9,843 ft.) min to enoy the amos le cream slice in AFFENBERG & ADLERSCHAU lovenia. rekkin MONKEY MOUNTAIN & EAGLE SHOW await mountaineers in um auf Europas größter Natureisfläche SILBERSEE KANIANIBERG Min am eiensee eislaen. ITRUSGARTEN Carinthia alone. to skate on ropes larest natrally CITRUS GARDEN MOUNT KANZIANI min roen ice rink at the eissensee. KANELBAHN m rch eine von ropas rnsten KANZEL CABLE CAR DRAU FLUSS Min tound take lebenswertesten a stroll in one oHauptstäde ropes ree zu- & GAIL RIVER min nestmmeln. capital lana cities renowne or its hih LAKE VASSACH MAIBACHL MAY CREEK mality en o lltaler lie lana. letscher erreichen ST. LEONHARDER SEE ALTSTADT ishin Min wo man ast as ane ahr kiahren kann. WARMBAD to reach the lltal lacier where yo can LAKE ST. LEONHARD OLD TOWN oin min ski almost all year ron. WARMBAD SPA ALL OF VILLACH IS A STAGE Min m as eer riechen n am wner- trollin katin toschnen smell theriastran ocean an in rao rela on relaen.raos VILLACHER ALPENSTRASSE hermal spa Villach’s locals love their celebrations. The Villach Carnival min ltre yclin eatil riatic each. VILLACH ALPINE ROAD wimmin is famous around the world and the Kirchtag fair is the lar- Min m en hchsten er er stalpen NATURPARK DOBRATSCH hoppin gest event celebrating traditional customs in Austria. The toesteien. clim the rolockner hihest montain o the lps DOBRATSCH NATURE PARK oin min east o the renner ass rosslockner. inin ot “Carinthian Summer,” a music and culture festival featuring m ie malerische ltstat von alr ars an parties itness first-class performers, is known far across the borders. The Min to payeschen a visit to oartsthe pictrese ertsstat historic n city rekkin ealth an well-ein Villach’s Kirchtag fair is the largest min center o alr eltkltrere. oarts irth place an event of its kind in Austria. largest Harley Davidson meeting in Europe takes place in ikin September and the Villach Christmas market is considered ma eine asinierene orl ltral onelahrt eritae site. rch Min ie anen von enei machen. ki torin a special gem in the Alps region, drawing over a hundred min to emark on a ascinatin onola rie ki mpin thousand guests from Italy and Slovenia. throh the laoons o enice. leih ries Just a few of Villach’s numerous spare time and sports activities. LEARNING. WITH FUN AND PURPOSE A suitable educational offer for every stage in life.

“If your only tool is a hammer, then every At about age 14, young people can again select problem looks like a nail.” This quote by world- the school at which they will continue their famous Villach-born communication studies educational path, choosing, among others, scholar Paul Watzlawick hits the proverbial from a wide range of vocational schools and nail on the head. At the place where Paul’s schools for higher vocational education with educational journey started many years ago, a technical, commercial or social focus in children and young people can today choose and around Villach. These schools offer ideal from a wide array of educational offers that learning environments for students to receive give them all the tools they will need in their a high level of vocational training. Some professional lives. of them also lead up to the Matura school- leaving examination, enabling graduates to www.cic-network.at/en/education As a city of artists, enroll in university. Austria researchers, inventors and is the only country in developers, Villach sets The region’s Europe offering this unique great store by education educational op- combination of vocational and offers (lifelong) learning portunities for our and academic training at opportunities to people of all children are out- pre-university level that ages. standing. What’s produces young graduates more, most of who are ideally prepared for them are very Rashmi Dudda Krishnamurthy (IND, 35, Engineer Innovation More than 240 preschools their future careers. Management at Infineon) and Srivatsa Raghunath (IND, 33, Application close by. Engineer at Infineon) playing with their two children in the International and close to 100 primary Daycare Center. schools in the greater Villach And finally, the Alpen-Adria- area give our youngest citizens a head start on Universität Klagenfurt (AAU), the Carinthia their educational paths. Parents can choose University of Applied Sciences (CUAS) and from a wide array of care and educational the University College of Teacher Education offers for their children, including those with a Carinthia (PH) as well as a number of further multilingual focus, Montessori education and well-known universities in the region and in inclusive schooling. The International School neighboring Italy and Slovenia offer graduate Carinthia and its outstanding International and post-graduate programs. The country’s Baccalaureate program round off the broad research institutions, in turn, provide range on offer. attractive opportunities to conduct research in a vast array of fields. Upon graduating from primary school at about age 10, children can choose from many different (specialized) secondary schools, LEARNING catering to diverse interests and talents. International School students participate in a play staged by the CITY OF KNOWLEDGE, RESEARCH AND TECHNOLOGY Vienna English Theatre. Villach Slovenian Faaker See The region has lived up to its reputation as a dynamic technology hotspot for years. Not only is it Tourist Board Tourist Board Snapshots from the home to the largest research unit in the field of microelectronics, but has also been the location of the Tourism and News from our warmest recreational industrial company with the highest research rate in Austria since 2014. vacation news Slovenian neighbors lake In addition to independent research bodies such as Carinthian Tech Research, in-house re- search institutions, such as Kompetenzzentrum Automobil- und Industrieelektronik facebook.com/ twitter.com/ instagram.com/ (center of excellence for automotive and industrial electronics) and C.A.R.R.D., form the core of the regionvillach sloveniainfo faaker_see region’s innovation scene.

The High Tech Campus Villach is home to the Silicon Alps technology and innovation clus- ter, which connects stakeholders in the field of electronic-based systems in the south of Austria. INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL The Carinthia University of Applied Sciences with locations in Villach and the nearby cities CARINTHIA Friuli- of Spittal, Feldkirchen and Klagenfurt frequently cooperates with companies in innovative research Social Wall projects. One example is digital.lab, which offers help to the public administration and enterprises The International School Carinthia (ISC) in Velden offers Venezia-Giulia Snapshots from the to master the digital transformation process. The University also directly cooperates with the regional top-class education to children of both Austrian and Spots from region industry, for instance in the Josef Ressel Center. international families in the region. The curriculum is the neighboring region based on the Austrian system and the educational snapshotboard.com/ WELCOME Last but not least, the Austrian Research Center for Primatology at Landskron’s “monkey approach of the International Baccalaureate mountain” is an interesting counterpoint on the otherwise technology-focused Carinthian research (IC). This outstanding school is located a few minutes youtube.com/FVGlive villach TO OUR NEIGHBORHOOD landscape. outside of Villach by car. isc.ac.at

Webcam Villach City of Villach VILLACH‘S VARIETY Pictures of everyday 85+ 60+ Live footage of IN SELECTED LINKS the old town life in the city degree programs are secondary schools can be offered at AAU, CUAS reached from Villach by a instagram.com/ villach.it-wms.com and PH. 30-minute car ride. villach_city

A product of the “Industrie + Tourismus Villach” cooperation. VILLACH’S GREAT CHILDREN For further information please visit www.welcome2villach.at. The city on the Drava is a mecca of innovation. Villach Ossiacher See has produced many famous personalities, such as the 20% Picture gallery featuring Contact: Region Villach Tourismus GmbH, Töbringer Straße 1, 9523 Villach, Austria, Europe, revolutionary physician Paracelsus, the painter and [email protected] sculptor Bruno Gironcoli and the philosopher Paul the greater Villach area of the young people Concept & content: thefanmedia.com Watzlawick. Today it is the many researchers employed enrolled at AAU and 10% Research & consulting: heinzjosef.at in the local industry who bring groundbreaking flickr.com/ at CUAS are international Pictures: hphoto.at, region-villach.at, mg-projects.at, arnoldpoeschl.com, infineon.com, Florent Polge (FRA, 34, R&D Engineer at C.A.R.R.D.) at innovations to the city. And it is the very active cultural his workplace in Imerys’ research center. students. groups/ossiachersee insanity-arts.at, isc.ac.at, istockphoto.com/hannagottschalk, slovenia.info, turismofvg.it, scene that keeps the creative juices flowing. villacherkirchtag.at Printing: kreinerdruck.at home of work | life balance

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