Tyrol (state)
Tyrol (
Tirol in
German) is a
state or
Land, located in the west of
Austria. It comprises the Austrian part of the historical region of
Tyrol.
The mountainous region neighbors to
Vorarlberg in the west and
Salzburg and
Carinthia in the east. It is split into two parts, known as
North Tyrol and
East Tyrol separated by a 10-20 km wide band of the state Salzburg.
The larger, western part borders
Bavaria,
Germany in the North, and
Italy and
Switzerland in the South.
The highest mountain in the state is the
Großglockner in the
Hohe Tauern, with an elevation of 3.798 m (12.461 ft.). This is second only to the highest mountain of South Tyrol, the
Ortler, 3.905 m (12.812 ft.), a summit that was in the times of the Austro-Hungarian Monarchy the highest top of the empire.
The capital is
Innsbruck. The town is known for its university, especially the modern techniques in medicine. Tyrol is popular for its famous
skiing resorts, such as
Kitzbühel or
St. Anton. Other larger towns are
Kufstein,
Schwaz,
Reutte and
Landeck.
The state is divided into 8 districts (
Bezirke), and a
Statutarstadt,
Innsbruck. The districts and their administrative centers, in order from west to east, and north to south:
 |
The districts of Tyrol |
North Tyrol:
*
Landeck, (
Landeck)
*
Reutte, (
Reutte)
*
Imst, (
Imst)
*
Innsbruck-Land, (
Innsbruck)
*
Schwaz, (
Schwaz)
*
Kufstein, (
Kufstein)
*
Kitzbühel, (
Kitzbühel)
East Tyrol:
*
Lienz, (
Lienz)
Main article: Tyrol
Historically, Tyrol was a
County of the
Holy Roman Empire, later the
Austrian Empire and finally a
Kronland of Austria-Hungary, which extended beyond the boundaries of today's state. Historical references to Tyrol (before
World War I) include today's Tyrol (
North Tyrol and
East Tyrol), but also
South Tyrol and the
Trentino (
Welschtirol).
After World War I, South Tyrol and the Trentino came to Italy, according to the provisions of the
Treaty of Saint Germain. Considerable tension still pervades the region due to the large number of German speakers in Italian Tirol that consider themselves more Austrian than Italian.
*
Tirol Travel Guide*
Virtual 360° Tour through Tyrol - in
German
