Tyrol (state)
Tyrol is an Austrian state. It consists of two non-contiguous parts, North Tyrol and East Tyrol, separated by the Austrian state of Salzburg and the Italian province of South Tyrol, which was part of Tyrol until 1919. It is a constituent part of the present-day Euroregion Tyrol–South Tyrol–Trentino. The capital of Tyrol is Innsbruck.
Tyrol is dominated by high mountain ranges, including the Ötztal Alps, the Zillertal Alps, and the Kitzbühel Alps, with the Grossglockner and other major Alpine peaks nearby. The region is traversed by important rivers such as the Inn and the Isel, and is noted for its valleys, glaciers, and alpine passes. Its strategic location has historically made Tyrol a key transit region between northern and southern Europe, with the Brenner Pass serving as one of the most important north–south routes across the Alps since Roman times.
Historically, Tyrol formed part of the County of Tyrol, which emerged as a distinct territorial entity of the Holy Roman Empire in the Late Middle Ages. It passed to the Habsburg dynasty in the 14th century, becoming an integral part of the Habsburg Monarchy. Following the end of World War I and the dissolution of Austria-Hungary, Tyrol was divided: South Tyrol and Trentino were ceded to Italy under the Treaty of Saint-Germain in 1919, leaving North and East Tyrol within the newly founded Republic of Austria. This division remains a defining feature of the region’s political geography and cultural identity.
Today, Tyrol is known for its strong alpine traditions, vibrant tourism industry, and role as one of Austria’s most popular destinations for skiing, mountaineering, and hiking. The state combines modern infrastructure with a strong preservation of local culture, evident in its folk music, festivals, and architectural heritage. Tyrol also plays an important role in Austria’s economy, with tourism, winter sports, and alpine agriculture complemented by modern industries and universities centered in Innsbruck.
Geography
Tyrol is separated into two parts, divided by a strip of Salzburg State. The two constituent parts of Tyrol are the northern and larger North Tyrol and the southeastern and smaller East Tyrol. Salzburg State lies to the east of North Tyrol, while on the south Tyrol has a border to the Italian province of South Tyrol, which was part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire before the First World War. With a land area of, Tyrol is the third-largest federal state in Austria.North Tyrol shares its borders with the federal states Salzburg in the east and Vorarlberg in the west. In the north, it adjoins the German state of Bavaria; in the south, it shares borders with the Italian province of South Tyrol and the Swiss canton of Graubünden. East Tyrol shares its borders with the Austrian state of Carinthia to the east and Italy's Province of Belluno to the south.
The state's territory is located entirely within the Eastern Alps at the Brenner Pass. The highest mountain in the state is the Großglockner, part of the Hohe Tauern range on the border with Carinthia. It has a height of 3,797 m, making it the highest mountain in Austria.
Lakes
- Achen Lake
- Buchsee
- Fernsteinsee
- Frauensee
- Gritzer See
- Moalandlsee
- Pfrillsee
- Taubensee
'''Climate'''
Mountain ranges act as weather divides, while air masses can flow around isolated mountain massifs. The Northern Limestone Alps consist mainly of mountain chains where precipitation occurs on windward slopes. The leeward sides are generally mild and dry. Like all of Central Europe, Tyrol is influenced by the westerly wind zone; therefore, the northern edge of the Alps is the wettest and snowiest.
The inner-Alpine valleys have a comparatively mild climate. While the average annual precipitation in Reutte is still 1,375 millimeters, around 2,000 mm on the northern edge of the Karwendel Mountains, and 1,330 mm in Kufstein, it amounts to about 900 mm around Innsbruck and only 600 mm in the uppermost Inn Valley. Large daily temperature ranges are also characteristic of the inner-Alpine valleys; for example, the average daily maximum temperature in July for Innsbruck, at 25.1 °C, is higher than that of most other weather stations in Austria.
The mean elevation of Tyrol has a major influence on temperatures. With the exception of the area around Kufstein, settlements are located above 500 meters above sea level. The mountainous terrain reduces potential solar radiation, particularly in narrow north–south valleys such as the Ötztal and Pitztal.
Winter is usually characterized by alternating snowy and snow-poor weather conditions. In the northern parts of the state, thick snow cover of 50 cm or more—even at elevations below 1,000 m above sea level—is not uncommon due to the northern blocking effect, which is especially pronounced during cold fronts. In contrast, inner-Alpine areas receive little or no snow under such conditions. Conversely, inner-Alpine regions can experience greater precipitation when warm fronts arrive. Because precipitation often falls as rain at lower elevations during milder weather, thick snow cover is much less common, especially in the Upper Inn Valley. As a result, it frequently occurs that there is less snow in Landeck and Innsbruck than in Wörgl or Kufstein.
Spring in the Alpine region is usually very unsettled and rainy, and cold spells may occur. In summer, most precipitation falls in the form of thunderstorms. Autumn is often characterized by long periods of fair weather. A special weather phenomenon is the föhn wind, which occurs mainly during the transitional seasons; it can reach wind speeds of up to 200 km/h on the Patscherkofel and up to 120 km/h in Innsbruck, and can bring temperatures above 20 °C even in late autumn and early spring.
History
Ancient and Early Middle Ages
In ancient times, the region was split between the Roman provinces of Raetia and Noricum. From the mid-6th century, it was resettled by Germanic Bavarii tribes. In the Early Middle Ages it formed the southern part of the German stem duchy of Bavaria, until the Counts of Tyrol, former Vogt officials of the Trent and Brixen prince-bishops at Tyrol Castle, achieved imperial immediacy after the deposition of the Bavarian duke Henry the Proud in 1138, and their possessions formed a state of the Holy Roman Empire in its own right.Medieval and Early Modern Eras
When the Counts of Tyrol died out in 1253, their estates were inherited by the Meinhardiner Counts of Görz. In 1271, the Tyrolean possessions were divided between Count Meinhard II of Görz and his younger brother Albert I, who took the lands of East Tyrol around Lienz and attached them to his committal possessions around Gorizia.The last Tyrolean countess of the Meinhardiner Dynasty, Margaret, bequeathed her assets to the Habsburg duke Rudolph IV of Austria in 1363. In 1420, the committal residence was relocated from Meran to Innsbruck. The Tyrolean lands were reunited when the Habsburgs inherited the estates of the extinct Counts of Görz in 1500.
19th Century and WWI
In the course of the German mediatization in 1803, the prince-bishoprics of Trent and Brixen were secularized and merged into the County of Tyrol, but Tyrol was ceded to the Kingdom of Bavaria in 1805. Andreas Hofer led the Tyrolean Rebellion against the French and Bavarian occupiers. Later, South Tyrol was ceded to the Kingdom of Italy, a client state of the First French Empire, by Bavaria in 1810. After Napoleon's defeat, the whole of Tyrol was returned to Austria in 1814.Tyrol was a Cisleithanian Kronland of Austria-Hungary from 1867. The County of Tyrol then extended beyond the boundaries of today's federal state, including North Tyrol and East Tyrol; South Tyrol and Trentino as well as three municipalities, which today are part of the adjacent province of Belluno. After World War I, these lands became part of the Kingdom of Italy according to the 1915 London Pact and the provisions of the Treaty of Saint Germain. From November 1918, it was occupied by 20,000–22,000 soldiers of the Italian Army.
WWII
Tyrol was the center of an important resistance group against Nazi Germany around Walter Caldonazzi, which united with the group around the priest Heinrich Maier and the Tyrolean Franz Josef Messner. The Catholic resistance group very successfully passed on plans and production facilities for V-1 rockets, V-2 rockets, Tiger tanks, Messerschmitt Me 163 Komet and other aircraft to the Allies, with which they could target German production facilities. Maier and his group informed the American secret service OSS very early on about the mass murder of Jews in Auschwitz. For after the war they planned an Austria united with South Tyrol and Bavaria.After World War II, North Tyrol was governed by France and East Tyrol was part of the British Zone of occupation until Austria regained independence in 1955.
Towns
The capital, Innsbruck, is known for its university, and especially for its medicine. Tyrol is popular for its famous ski resorts, which include Kitzbühel, Ischgl and St. Anton. The 15 largest towns in Tyrol are:| Town | Inhabitants January 2025 | |
| 1. | Innsbruck | 132,499 |
| 2. | Kufstein | 20,212 |
| 3. | Telfs | 16,439 |
| 4. | Hall in Tirol | 14,698 |
| 5. | Schwaz | 14,480 |
| 6. | Wörgl | 14,412 |
| 7. | Lienz | 12,107 |
| 8. | Imst | 11,183 |
| 9. | St. Johann in Tirol | 9,891 |
| 10. | Rum | 9,493 |
| 11. | Kitzbühel | 8,281 |
| 12. | Zirl | 8,250 |
| 13. | Wattens | 8,138 |
| 14. | Landeck | 7,711 |
| 15. | Jenbach | 7,339 |