East Tyrol

East Tyrol is a separate part of the Austrian state of Tyrol, cut off from the main region by Salzburg and South Tyrol. The district of Lienz covers the whole exclave, which lies between Italian and Austrian lands. The town of Lienz itself once belonged to the Counts of Gorizia, who ruled from the 12th century until their line died out in 1500. Emperor Maximilian I then brought the area under Habsburg control in the late 15th century. After the First World War, the Treaty of Saint-Germain forced Austria to hand parts of Tyrol to Italy, leaving East Tyrol as an island of Austrian territory. In 1947 it was returned to Tyrol and now borders Carinthia, Salzburg and two Italian provinces. The High Tauern National Park covers much of the landscape, protecting valleys, glaciers and wildlife across 1,856 square kilometres. Austria’s highest peak, the Grossglockner, rises inside the park at 3,798 metres. Another landmark is the Grossvenediger, a 3,657-metre mountain that dominates the Venediger Group. The park’s trails lead through alpine meadows and past waterfalls fed by melting snow. Visitors can follow routes that once served as Roman trade paths near the ruins of Aguntum. The park also shelters ibex, marmots and golden eagles in its high-altitude zones. Within the park, the Defereggental valley offers walking paths that climb past mountain huts and crystal-clear lakes. The town of Lienz sits where the Isel and Drau rivers meet, framed by the Lienz Dolomites. The 16th-century Schloss Bruck overlooks the town from a rocky outcrop. East Tyrol’s isolation has kept its traditions alive, from farmhouse architecture to local crafts. The region’s two railway lines bring visitors from Salzburg and Carinthia through scenic gorges. Away from the peaks, gentle hillsides give way to vineyards and orchards that supply fruit for the area’s distilleries.