Tyrol (state) - Tirol (Bundesland)

The Austrian federal state Tyrol consists North Tyrol and East Tyrol. The state capital is innsbruck.

Regions

North Tyrol

• Except far - remote area facing Germany, which is only accessible via the Fernpass is connected to the rest of Tyrol.
• Oberland - everything west of Zirl, with the exception of the Ausserfern.
• Unterland - the eastern part of North Tyrol; the capital Innsbruck is included in the area, but this is disputed.

East Tyrol

• East Tyrolean Oberland - the area from Lienz to the border with South Tyrol
• Lienz valley floor - the area from Lienz to the border with Carinthia
• Iseltal - the area from Lienz to Matrei

places

North Tyrol

• Axams
• innsbruck - State capital of North and East Tyrol
• Hall in Tirol
• Hopfgarten im Brixental
• Imst
• Kaltenbach
• Kitzbühel
• Kufstein
• Kössen
• Landeck
• Neustift in the Stubai Valley, Hiking in summer and winter sports;
• Rattenberg
• Reutte
• Silandro
• black
• Serfaus
• Telfs
• Thiersee
• Vils
• Walchsee
• Worgl

East Tyrol

• Lienz
• Matrei in East Tyrol

Other goals

• Hohe Tauern National Park

background

language

In North and East Tyrol, German is spoken with the Tyrolean tongue, but this can vary greatly from region to region. Particular differences can be made out between the Unterland and Oberland.

getting there

By plane

In innsbruck there is an international airport, which is operated by Frankfurt am Main and Hanover is flown from. Innsbruck has direct rail connections with all major cities in Austria, such as Vienna, Graz, Salzburg, Linz and Bregenz.

Transfer Tyrol

Transfer Tirol is a shuttle service that started in December 2011 and connects all Tirolean locations with the airports innsbruck and Munich connects. The service can be booked online up to 72 hours before departure.

More information at www.transfer.tirol.at

By train

The website of the Verkehrsverbund Tirol provides information about public transport.

Innsbruck has direct train connections with all major cities in Austria, such as Vienna, Graz, Salzburg, Linz and Bregenz.

In the street

You can reach North Tyrol by car from the north via the Inntal motorway. In order to really get to know the region, it is advisable to use your own vehicle, with the exception of the Inn valley, as the train connection there works quite well.

mobility

Temporary driving bans on state roads in Tyrol

From mid-June 2019 to September 14, 2019, the Weekends from Saturday 7:00 a.m. to Sunday 7:00 p.m. on the State roads around Innsbruck Driving bans for all vehicles (including motorbikes) that are in transit in Tyrol.

• Traffic jams on the autobahn can no longer be avoided on state roads.
• The destination and source traffic is not affected by these measures.
• These driving bans do not apply on federal highways such as the Tiroler Straße, or the Seefelder Strasse.

Temporary driving bans on low-level road networks (state and municipal roads):

• Mittelgebirgsstraße from Hall towards Tulfes
• Ellbögener Landesstrasse Ampass roundabout houses
• Iglerstrasse and Aldranser Landesstrasse : Innsbruck-Mitte roundabout towards Igls or towards Aldrans
• Ellbögener Landesstrasse from Amras roundabout Bleichenweg (roundabout near DEZ) because exit here Innsbruck East
• Patsch: Crossing Patscher Strasse-Römerstrasse
• Völser Landesstrasse Völs roundabout both to the west and to the east
• Sellraintal state road Height of the Kematen roundabout (in the area of ​​the safety center)

Regional driving bans in the Nösslach area:

• In the area of ​​Gries am Brenner or Vinaders on the Nösslach municipal road, a driving ban is also to be enacted. Details are not yet known.

Transfer routes

Tyrol has always been one of the most important transit countries from the north to southern Europe. Several transfer routes with important Alpine passes and crossings lead through the region, to finance the costly maintenance of the road network, the authorities ask visitors to pay tolls and special tolls, for a stress-free journey, even during the busy vacation times, a few more points must be observed:

Highways: The toll (vignette) Tyrolean motorways of the through routes are generally well developed and can be used in normal weather conditions in summer and winter. However, it should be noted that the routes, which are heavily used by the heavy traffic, are also subject to heavy wear; This is supported by the sometimes extreme climatic conditions of the mountains: construction sites are not uncommon on the Tyrolean motorways. Danger: The 5 km long section of the Inntal motorway from the German border near Kiefersfelden to the "Kufstein-Süd" motorway exit has been toll-free since December 15, 2019!

Federal highways: On some of the main transfer routes there are the older routes of the federal highways, often parallel to the newer motorways. With regard to the traffic conditions, the following should be noted here: The important Tyrolean federal highways on the through routes are generally well developed and can be used in normal weather conditions in summer and winter. However, these "secondary lines" also serve for the locally given feeder traffic and to supply the regional infrastructure in the predominantly agricultural regions of Tyrol:

• Working days including Saturdays During the day, from the morning onwards, you can always expect brisk rush hour traffic from trucks to tractors, because of the often extremely winding mountain roads, safe overtaking of these extremely slow vehicles, especially on inclines, is then only very rarely possible.

• At Sundays and Holidays There is no rush hour traffic and is replaced by regional excursion traffic from the early hours of the morning during vacation times and when the weather is nice, making rapid progress is rarely possible.

• Generally The following applies: Only in the late evening hours is it possible to make relatively quick progress on the North Tyrolean federal highways compared to federal German federal highways, at the rest of the day the time disadvantage of the secondary routes along the main routes of the transfer routes is generally considerable. Depending on your personal driving style, you always have to take into account a not inconsiderable increase in fuel consumption, which together with the additional traffic noise also contributes to the further burden on residents on these secondary routes.

The Austrian regulatory authorities are particularly keen to monitor secondary routes, often with regard to compliance with traffic regulations. Radar pistols and permanently installed machines are popular tools.

See also the topic article with the Complete overview of the Alpine passes.

Brenner route

Detailed information about the Brenner Pass see also in the article on burner.

The Brenner route leads from the Inn valley to South-Tirol and is busy on the autobahn and federal highway all year round and all day.

For those passing through, tolls for the North Tyrolean motorway, the special toll for the Brenner and the Italian motorway toll are due on the motorway route.

A toll-free Crossing the main Alpine ridge on the Brenner route is only possible when coming from Germany via Garmisch, Mittenwald and the accident-prone Zirler Berg to Innsbruck. Then the city of Innsbruck has to be driven through, the approach to the Brenner is possible via the extremely winding Brennerbundesstraße and in some areas also on a third route on the other side of the valley, the old (historical) Brennerstraße, a fourth route, here only for the sake of completeness, is possible the partially preserved Roman road. From the Brenner (village) there is also the toll-free descent to to on an extremely winding route Sterzing possible, but the saved fee is low at € 1.00 per car.

The total length of the route on the federal highway is, calculated from Munich, even slightly shorter than the motorway route, but the total loss of time compared to the faster motorway route is usually well over an hour. When the motorway is overcrowded, the main road is always just as overcrowded. As a plus, this route can come up with an intense mountain road experience in various sections for those who like something like that, but the motorway route is also not without scenic highlights.

Felbertauern route

The Felbertauern route is the most important connection Upper Bavaria and North Tyrol to East Tyrol and further to the Adriatic Sea, it also runs partly in the State of Salzburg.

The approach from Germany is initially on the German Inntal motorway A93 (Rosenheim - Kiefersfelden) and is still toll-free here.

Since December 2013, the Austrian Inntal motorway A12 from Kufstein and from the state border has been subject to a vignette, including the section up to the exit Kufstein-South (previously toll-free). Only from here does the route run on federal highways similar to expressways and is therefore free of vignettes over its entire length. If you want to drive through the short section past Kufstein without buying a vignette, you have to leave the autobahn in Germany and at the latest at the Kiefersfelden exit and drive through the whole of Kufstein on the main road. Fees are due for the Felbertauern tunnel.

The route runs as the federal road B173 from Kufstein, on the B161 (Pass-Thurn Straße) from Kitzbühel, Pass Thurn (1,274 m) to Mittersill, crosses under the as federal highway 108 in the Felbertauern tunnel Hohe Tauern and then achieved Matrei in East Tyrol and then also Lienz.

The decisive section between Mittersill (790 m) and Matrei (980 m) is the Felbertauernstrasse and crosses under the main Alpine ridge of the Tauern, the section of the route consists of the north ramp, Felbertauern tunnel and south ramp, is around 36 kilometers long and has numerous avalanche galleries and tunnels. The section of the route has gradients of an average of four percent up to a maximum of nine percent and is extended to three lanes on half of the route.

The Felbertauern tunnel is the highest point of the route with a peak height of 1650 m, it is 5.3 km long, Austria's eleventh longest tunnel and was opened to traffic in 1967. The normal rate for people passing through is € 10. There is no possibility of bypassing the Felbertauern tunnel via a mountain pass.

On arrival and departure dates during the summer and winter vacation periods, the route and handling at the tunnel portals are regularly overloaded, and there is a little less traffic in the evening.

Responsible for Felbertauernstrasse and Felbertauerntunnel is the Felbertauernstrasse AG.

Fernpass route

Detailed information about the Fernpass see also in the article on Except far.

The Fernpass route leads out of the room Kempten / Feet through the Except far and the Gurgltal in the Upper Inn Valley From there, other important routes lead to the west of Tyrol, to the Vorarlberg, in the Engadine (in the Switzerland) and over the Reschenpass to Italy.

The route is toll-free and tax-free and extremely busy all year round. The part of the route in Ausserfern is a well-developed expressway, the part between the Fernpass and Nassereith is curvy, mountainous and is considered a hot spot for accidents.

In Imst is the Fernpass route to the toll Inntal motorway A12 im Upper Inn Valley connected, further routes branch off from the Oberinntal:

• From Landeck The route branches off from the Upper Inn Valley to the Engadin and Reschen; the toll-free Tyrolean federal road 171 to Landeck runs parallel to the motorway that requires a vignette from Imst for around twenty kilometers. This route leads through numerous places and is very busy, in addition to the necessary local passage through the picturesque, winding Landeck, the use of the Landeck bypass tunnel, which was completed in 2000 and requires a vignette, is not possible. The time disadvantage of a toll-free bypass of the short section of the motorway that requires a vignette is always considerable here as well.

B179 Fernpassstraße: Traffic situation and webcams

Tourist Attractions

• Achensee. The largest body of water in Tyrol is particularly popular in summer. The fjord-like mountain lake is also known as the "Tyrolean Sea" because of its winds.last change: not specified

• Bergisel ski jump. The Bergisel ski jump redesigned by the star architect Zaha Hadid won the Austrian State Prize for Architecture in 2002. Built in 1925 and expanded and adapted for the Olympic Games in 1964 and 1976, the entire ski jumping facility was redesigned in 2001 according to plans by the architect Zaha Hadid and is considered an architectural sensation. Sporty people can reach the jump tower at a height of 50 meters via 455 steps. It is much more convenient to take the inclined elevator and the visitor lift in the tower up to the café and restaurant as well as to the panoramic viewing platform with a 360-degree view of the Tyrolean mountains.last change: not specifiedType is group designation

• Swarovski Crystal Worlds. A water-spouting botanical giant guards the entrance to the Crystal Worlds designed by André Heller, which enchant their visitors with an underground nesting of imaginative, glittering chambers of wonder. Originally intended as a gift to employees, collectors, customers and partners on the occasion of the 100th anniversary of Swarovski in 1995, the Crystal Worlds in Wattens near Innsbruck have now become a crowd puller. In autumn 2003, André Heller expanded the most popular tourist facility in Tyrol to include additional magical rooms that elicit new, exciting sensory impressions from the mysterious material crystal. A journey into a cosmos of sparkling ideas, contemporary art and the famous Swarovski crystal objects that will remain unforgettable.last change: not specifiedType is group designation

• Kufstein Fortress. The impressive complex, which dates back to the 13th century, covers an area of ​​over 26,000 m², which is larger than the old town of Kufstein.last change: not specified

• Innsbruck Alpine Zoo. As the only "themed zoo" in the world, the highest zoo in Europe (727 m) depicts the animal world of the Alpine region in historical and contemporary times. 2000 animals of 150 species invite you to an eventful visit.last change: not specified

• Schwaz silver mine. Here you can experience first hand how more than 10,000 miners looked for silver and copper 500 years ago and made Tyrol one of the richest countries in Europe.last change: not specified

• Ambras Castle. Visible from afar over the Tyrolean capital. It is one of the most important sights in Innsbruck and has several superlatives to offer. Not only is it one of the most beautiful Renaissance castles in Austria, it also houses the oldest art and armament collection in Europe.last change: not specified

activities

winter

Tyrol offers numerous possibilities in winter. If To ski, Snowboarding or tobogganing, there are plenty of options for every winter sports enthusiast.

summer

• hike
• Mountain biking
• swim

Golf is particularly well represented in the Kitzbühel region, around 20 golf courses can be reached within an hour.

kitchen

Knödln, Nudln, Nockn, Plenten (polenta), these are the four Tyrolean elements. The Tyrolean cuisine has its roots in the rural kitchen of the 18th and 19th centuries and is characterized by a very economical use of meat. Certain Italian influences are of course present, as does the cuisine in South Tyrol, Friuli and the Veneto - which differ from region to region - have strong North Tyrolean influences.

Typical Tyrolean dishes include bacon dumplings, cheese spaetzle, Tyrolean Gröstl and Schlutzkrapfen. Specialties such as donuts (not to be confused with carnival donuts) and kiachl (made from yeast dough = yeast dough) should also be mentioned. Ham is a typical national specialty, especially bacon. Among the types of bread, the long-lasting bread "Schüttelbrot" and the Vinschgerl, originally from Vingschau, are flat rye breads with spices.

nightlife

security

Emergency numbers:

• Fire Department 122
• Police 133
• Ambulance / Emergency Doctor 144
• Mountain Rescue 140
• Medical emergency service 141
• Accident and breakdown assistance, towing service: 120 (ÖAMTC), 123 (ARBÖ)

climate

Large temperature fluctuations both in summer and in winter. Heat thunderstorms in summer. Rarely a longer period of good weather, even more so in winter. Of course, the temperatures depend on the altitude of the village.

Rules and respect

The Tyrolean identity results from the history of the mountain region and belongs as a regional identity, similar to the neighboring one Old Bavaria, one of the most pronounced self-definitions of an ethnic group in Central Europe: a Tyrolean sees himself as a Tyrolean in the state of Tyrol, he does not see himself as an Austrian and not in the state of Austria. If a traditional Tyrolean is referred to as an Austrian by a non-Tyrolean, this is often accepted out of courtesy to a stranger, but it is considered to be ignorance of the circumstances.

Furthermore, the Tyrolean identity is then a multiple identity with, from the Tyrolean point of view, great cultural and mentality differences in the individual regions. The Unterländer from the Tyrolean lowlands were previously exposed to the strong influence of Bavaria under Napoleon and are considered livelier and more modern within Tyrol Oberländer from the Oberland are considered more deliberate and serious. The Zillertal has a certain independence from both, and the Tyrolean lowlands east of the river Ziller historically belonged to the archdiocese of Salzburg and not to Innsbruck and Tyrol. East Tyrol as a former part of South Tyrol and only since 1919 in an isolated location to the other parts of the state of Tyrol also has an independent position. This is even more true for him Except far with its historical connection to the Alemannic language area (Augsburg) in the otherwise Bavarian Tyrol. The situation in South-Tirol is to be seen against the special background that the South Tyroleans after the forced separation from Tyrol in the country Italy long for their own cultural identity had to fight.

• The future of Tyrolean identity in Europe (pdf) by Univ.-Prof. Peter Pernthaler.

• Information on Tyrolean identity at Andreas-Hofer-Bund (from a South Tyrolean perspective));

trips

literature

Web links

• www.tirol.at: official, nationwide tourism site;

• Tyrolean protected areas (Protected area coordination office, Office of the Tyrolean Provincial Government)

• Online illustrated book of the Alps