Page 271 - (DK Eyewitness) Travel Guide - Austria

A USTRIA REGION B Y REGION  269
CARINTHIA & EAST TYROL

Carinthia and East Tyrol, Austria’s two southernmost regions,
are bordered by Slovenia and Italy in the south, and Styria
and Salzburger Land to the east and north. Between
them they have many attractions, including the
Carinthian lakes and the Hohe Tauern National Park.
East Tyrol is separate from the rest of Tyrol, and has
closer transport and cultural links with Carinthia.

The earliest inhabitants of what is now homes here. The most scenic route
Kärnten (Carinthia) were the Celtic Carnuni. in the Austrian Alps, the Grossglockner
In the 1st century AD it was part of the Hochalpenstrasse, separates Carinthia
Roman province of Noricum, and in from East Tyrol, passing through
the 6th century was overrun by the Slav Salzburger Land. Carinthia’s two main
tribe of the Carantani, from whom it towns are its capital Klagenfurt,
probably took its name. Although Carinthia and Villach.
belonged to the Habsburgs from 1335, After World War I, the southern part of
a Slav national minority has survived in Tyrol (Südtirol) became an autonomous
the area to this day. After World War I the province of Italy. Thus, geographically
newly formed state of Yugoslavia tried isolated from other parts of Tyrol, East
to annex part of Carinthia from the Tyrol (Osttirol) grew closer to its Carinthian
defeated Austro-Hungarian Empire, but neighbour than it was to the Tyrolean
a plebiscite kept the region with Austria. administration in Innsbruck. The entire
The beauty of its landscape and its province is surrounded by high mountain
pleasant, Mediterranean climate attract ranges and much of it is home to the Hohe
many foreign visitors to Carinthia, and Tauern National Park. The administrative
numerous Austrians also have second centre of East Tyrol is Lienz.

A giant relief model of the province of Carinthia in the Schillerpark pavilion in Villach
Impressive view from the 2,572-m- (8,438-ft-) high Edelweissspitze, Hohe Tauern National Park

268-269_EW_Austria.indd 269 12/09/17 3:05 pm