Gurk

GURK

State : Kärnten
District : Sankt Veit an der Glan

Official blazon

Origin/meaning

The arms were officially granted on February 20, 1969 and again on June 8, 1973.

From the Middle Ages on, a bishop resided at Gurk to take care of the Carinthian parts of the archdiocese of Salzburg. A beautiful Cathedral was built at Gurk, a well-known example of the Romanesque style in Austria.

According to tradition, St. Hemma, the inofficial patron-saint of Carinthia, supervised the building personally. It is said that every labourer received his just wages - even when he tried to grab more than his due out of the money-bag at the accounting table.

The arms refer to this tradition, depicting the Cathedral at Gurk.