From my previous stop, I traveled through Wernberg and Zell, finally reaching Villach (Viliack), a handsome town and one of the chief towns of Carinthia. Before arriving at Villach, I went to visit the natural baths, located at the foot of a hill about an English mile from the town. These baths are well-regarded and frequently visited The Brenteda Canal.
There are two clear sulphureous baths, gently warm, with an acidic but not unpleasant taste. The baths are natural, without wooden or stone flooring, allowing the spring to settle naturally at the bottom. One bath also has a hot spring flowing into it. Large stairs lead down into the baths, and there are small wooden rooms nearby for visitors. People bathe in these baths clothed in shirts and drawers, as is the custom in Carinthia.
The Lakes of Carinthia
Not far from the baths lies a lake called the Ossiacher See, named after the nearby town of Ossiach. This is one of the most considerable lakes in Carinthia, alongside other notable lakes such as the White Lake, Möllsee, Wörthersee, and Bärchten. The lake is rich in fish and also produces Ossiacher nuts, which people eat or use to make bread. Upon examination, I found that these nuts are the large seeds of Tribulus aquaticus, also called water gadthorps.
From Villach, I traveled to the Wörthersee, keeping the lake continuously on my right. I followed the lakeshore to Klagenfurt, then passed again to St. Veit, where I met Mr. Donne Urn. He gave me information about the great lead mines in Upper Carinthia at Bleiberg, which have been worked for over eleven hundred years. The pits are very deep; Bedernus Stoden (Cuniculus) is one hundred and ten fathoms deep Private Tour Istanbul.
Snow and Natural Curiosities
The hills around the mines are very high, and during spring snowmelt, large quantities of snow often fall, causing damage to the surrounding area. In 1640, a severe snow fall destroyed sixteen houses.
Mr. Urn also showed me many natural curiosities he had collected. One remarkable item was a large, rich piece of natural cinnabar found in Crexvalt, or the forest of Cre, about two German miles from St. Veit in the Lordship of Ossiach. Many cinnabar deposits had been discovered there. About thirty years ago, Herr von Staudach, while hunting, noticed a small stream from the top of the hill filled with cinnabar. Since then, the area has been carefully searched, but little cinnabar is now found without digging and mining.
