Carinthia

Sources from old books

1635. Historia mundi: or Mercator's atlas. London. by Gerhard Mercator.

The Dukedome of CARINTHIA. * 1.6CARINTHIA, or Carnithia, (as Rithaimerus supposeth it should be written) was so called from the Carnians, who are the ancient Inhabitants thereof, whom both Pliny and other Geographers doe mention. But it is doubtfull, whether they were so called from Carnuntum an ancient Towne, often mentioned by Authors, or whether the Towne was so denominated from them. There is a place in Pannonia, almost seven miles distant from Vienna, where there are some ruines remaining of a famous Citty, which is now called D. Petronell. Moreover, the Carniolians are called in the Germane language, Karnten, Krain, Karst. This Country hath on the East and North S•yria, on the West and South, the Alpes Carniola is a part of it: there are many Valleyes and Hills in this Country which doe yeeld great store of wheat. Solinus cap. 30. saith,* 1.7 that the Country Noricia is cold and unfruitfull, but that part which is more remote from the Alpes is very fertile. The Metropolis of this Country is Santo-Vicus, which is a faire Citty by the River Lana. It hath a large Market-place, and a cleare fountaine of water. There is also the Towne Villacum, where the forepart of the houses are curiously painted with Histories set forth in colours, which are very pleasant to behold. It is seated on a plaine by the River Dravus, and environed with high Rockes, and it hath a stone Bridge: Clagenfurtum is a well fortified Citty, which as Lazius witnesseth was anciently called Claudia. Some doe write that the Citizens of this Citty are so severe and inexorable towards theeves, insomuch that upon suspition of felony, some have beene put to death without tryall, & three dayes after his execution they araigne him, and if they finde that he was not guilty they bury him honourably, but if they finde that hee was guilty, they let him hang on the Crosse or Gallowes. But Rithaymerus thinketh it to be a fabulous report: there is also Wolspergum which lyeth by the River Lavandus, also Santo Leonardus, &c. There are many Lakes in this Country,* 1.8 as Mulsetterse, O ssiachersee, Werdsee, Lavandtsee, Iudenburgersee, Weisee. The chiefe River is Dravus,* 1.9 which runneth thorow Stiria and Pannonia into Danubius. The next unto it are Savo, Glana, Schleiniza, and Lavand, all which Dravus doth receive. Mura also runneth into Dravus. But most of the aforesaid Rivers have their Spring-heads and Fountaines in this Country, which is every where full of Mountaines. For the high Alpes, as Strabo writeth, doe runne hither in one continued ridge,* 1.10 so that it seemeth one Mountaine, which is sometimes lower, and sometimes higher. I doe thinke there are parts of the Mountaine Taurus, which the Inhabitants call by divers name, on the West there is Gastein •aurn, Villacher Taurn, Rastatter Taurn, and Karn•n Taurn. But some of the Alpes doe keepe their owne names, as Modringalbin, Serbisalbin, Sanalbin, &c. Dietzperg hangeth over the River Dravus, and above it there is the Mountaine Argentatus, which the Inhabitants call Silber Berg: in the Mountaine Rasperg there are the Fountaines and Spring-heads of the Rivers Mura and Isara, the one running Southward, the other Eastward. And betweene these high Hills of Taurus and the Alpes, there are many woods, which are parts of the wood Hercynia, as Hirschpuhl, Priewalt, Adelwaldt, Eremus, commonly called in der Einod. The aforesaid Alpes have Gold, Silver, and Iron in them. Concerning the Ecclesiasticall government it is devided as Paracelsus saith, betweene the Bishop of Saltzburg, and the Patriarch of Aquilegium. Munster in his third Booke of Cosmographie, and Pius 2. in his Europe, doth describe a strange custome which they have in inaugurating their Princes.