East Tirol Attractions
The mountainous region of East Tirol in southwest Austria, within the administrative district of Lienz, takes in the uppermost reaches of the Drau valley, the Isel valley and its side valleys, and the area around the source of the River Gail. It is ringed by a series of lofty peaks: to the north the Hohe Tauern with the Grossglockner and the Grossvenediger, to the east the Schober group, to the west the Riesenferner group, and to the south the Carnic Alps and the Lienz Dolomites. Cut off from Innsbruck, the traditional capital of Tirol, by the area in southern Tirol which since 1919 has been Italian (see below), East Tirol is closely linked, in terms of communications and the tourist trade, with the neighboring province of Carinthia.
History
The remains at Aguntum (5km/3mi east of Lienz) bear witness to the Roman occupation of this area. In the early medieval period the eastern Tirol was settled by Slavs. Thereafter it became part of Carinthia, and was long attached to the county of Görz (Gorizia), with which it passed to Austria in 1500. In 1805 it became Bavarian, and from 1809-14 it was French. The cession of South Tirol to Italy in 1919 separated the eastern and northern parts geographically, but administratively they were still joined together. During the Nazi period East Tirol was incorporated in Carinthia, and between 1945-55 it was in the British occupation zone of Austria. Since then, as part of the Land of Tirol, it has shared the destinies of the rest of Austria.
Art
In the much ramified Alpine valleys of East Tirol, particularly in the Defereggental and Virgental, the art of woodcarving has been practiced for many centuries. Among the artists of East Tirol two painters have established a reputation extending beyond the boundaries of their homeland - Franz von Defregger and Albin Egger-Lienz. Franz von Defregger (1835-1921) painted charming, often idealized, pictures of peasant and popular life and scenes from local history. Albin Egger-Lienz (1868-1926) painted stark and stylized pictures showing the frugal existence led by the peasants. In the field of folk art, East Tirol has maintained the tradition of folk plays.
History
The remains at Aguntum (5km/3mi east of Lienz) bear witness to the Roman occupation of this area. In the early medieval period the eastern Tirol was settled by Slavs. Thereafter it became part of Carinthia, and was long attached to the county of Görz (Gorizia), with which it passed to Austria in 1500. In 1805 it became Bavarian, and from 1809-14 it was French. The cession of South Tirol to Italy in 1919 separated the eastern and northern parts geographically, but administratively they were still joined together. During the Nazi period East Tirol was incorporated in Carinthia, and between 1945-55 it was in the British occupation zone of Austria. Since then, as part of the Land of Tirol, it has shared the destinies of the rest of Austria.
Art
In the much ramified Alpine valleys of East Tirol, particularly in the Defereggental and Virgental, the art of woodcarving has been practiced for many centuries. Among the artists of East Tirol two painters have established a reputation extending beyond the boundaries of their homeland - Franz von Defregger and Albin Egger-Lienz. Franz von Defregger (1835-1921) painted charming, often idealized, pictures of peasant and popular life and scenes from local history. Albin Egger-Lienz (1868-1926) painted stark and stylized pictures showing the frugal existence led by the peasants. In the field of folk art, East Tirol has maintained the tradition of folk plays.
Drau Valley
The upper Drau, which rises in Italy, flows through narrow gorges between Sillian (at the mouth of the Villgratental, a valley still little frequented by holiday visitors) and Lienz and then continues eastward towards Carinthia through the wide and sunny Lienz basin, in which lies the Tristacher See.
East Tirol - Holiday Resorts, Austria
Restful holiday resorts in East Tirol's imposing mountain scenery are to be found in the Defereggental, Virgental and Kalser Tal, which run up to the southern foothills of the two glacier-clad giants, the Grossglockner and the Grossvenediger. For skiers who prefer the simple life the remote Villgratental north of Sillian can be recommended. With ample snow in winter, it also enjoys the abundant sunshine of the southern slopes of the Alps. The Villgraten valley has one branch going northwest to the Villgrater Törl (2,052m/6,735ft) and one going northeast, meeting again at Ausservillgraten.
Felber-Tauern Strasse
The chief town of East Tirol, Lienz, is reached from the north (Mittersill) on the Felber- Tauern-Strasse, which from the province of Salzburg passes under the mountains into East Tirol through the Felber-Tauern Tunnel, more than 5km/3mi long. This passage through the Alps is one of the most important of Austria's north-south links, and can be used right through the year.
Grossglockner Road
An approach to Lienz, practical in summer, is by way of the impressive Grossglockner Road and the Iselberg between the Möll and Drau valleys, along the summit of which runs the boundary between East Tirol and Carinthia. There are also roads to Lienz from the Val Pusteria (Pustertal) in Italy, the Plöcken Pass (see Carnic Alps) and the Gailberg saddle.
Isel Valley
Apart from the Drau valley the principal traffic route of East Tirol is the more pleasant Isel valley, with its various side valleys (the Virgental, the Tauerntal, the Kalser Tal and the Defereggental).
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