Lienz District

Lienz District lies in the far east of Tyrol, cut off from the rest of the province by a narrow strip of Salzburg and South Tyrol. It is the only part of Tyrol that borders Italy directly, with Veneto to the south and South Tyrol to the west. The district covers more than two thousand square kilometres of high valleys and towering ranges. The Hohe Tauern, Defereggen Alps and Lienz Dolomites rise above meadows and forests throughout the area. Lienz town sits where roads from the Drautal, Puster and Iseltal valleys meet before climbing over the Felbertauern pass. The district’s valleys have carried travellers and goods for centuries. The Iseltal follows the Isel river past small villages like Matrei and Virgen, while the Defereggen valley climbs toward the Venediger Group. The Kalser Tal leads to the Grossglockner massif, and the Gailtal branches off toward Carinthia. These routes once linked the Adriatic with the Danube basin, and traces of Roman and medieval trade remain. After the First World War the district became an Austrian exclave, separated from North Tyrol by a few kilometres of foreign territory. A visitor finds quiet villages arranged along the valley floors and high pastures above. Lienz itself has an old town centre with arcaded lanes and a parish church beside the Drau river. Matrei organises a yearly cattle drive that winds through its streets. In Virgen the pilgrimage church of Maria Schnee stands on a hill above the village. The Defereggen valley offers walks to alpine lakes such as the Schwarzsee, while the Lienz Dolomites provide short rock routes for climbers. From the Isel valley the road climbs to the Kalser Tauern pass, where views stretch across the Venediger peaks toward the Italian border.