Köflach

Köflach, town, southern Austria, west of Graz. Köflach received market rights in 1170 but did not achieve town status until 1939. It is a rail terminus and has glass and porcelain works. Lignite (brown coal) mines have operated nearby. The Lipizzaner horses (originating from the former Austrian imperial stud at Lipizza, near Trieste; see photograph) for the Winter Riding School in Vienna are bred at Piber, 2.25 miles (4 km) northeast. Pop. (2006) 10,227.