Tyrol (; german: Tirol ) is a
state (''Land'') in western
Austria. It comprises the Austrian part of the historical
Princely County of Tyrol. It is a constituent part of the present-day
Euroregion Tyrol–South Tyrol–Trentino (together with
South Tyrol and
Trentino in
Italy). The capital of Tyrol is
Innsbruck.
Geography
The state of Tyrol is separated into two parts, divided by a strip. The larger territory is called
North Tyrol (''Nordtirol'') and the smaller area is called
East Tyrol (''Osttirol''). The neighbouring Austrian state of
Salzburg stands to the east, while on the south Tyrol has a border with the
Italian province of
South Tyrol (
Trentino-Alto Adige/Südtirol) which was part of the
Austro-Hungarian Empire before the
First World War. With a land area of , Tyrol is the third-largest state in Austria.
Tyrol shares its borders with the federal state of Salzburg in the east and
Vorarlberg in the west. In the north, it adjoins to 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 also shares its borders with the federal state of
Carinthia to the east and Italy's
Province of Belluno (
Veneto) 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 (12,457.35 ft), making it the highest mountain in Austria.
History
, Innsbruck]]
thumb|File:Berghof_soelden_2016.jpg.html" style="text-decoration: none;"class="mw-redirect" title="Berghof (Sölden)">File:Berghof soelden 2016.jpg">thumb|[[Berghof (Sölden), a typically old tyrolean farmstead, now an alpine lodge – tourist accommodation for guests
In
ancient times, the region was split between the
Roman provinces of
Raetia (west of the Inn River) 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 [[Duchy of Bavaria|Bavaria]], until the [[County of Tyrol|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.
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 it (as "outer county") to his committal possessions around
Gorizia ("inner county").
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
Merano to Innsbruck. The Tyrolean lands were reunited when the Habsburgs inherited the estates of the extinct Counts of Görz in 1500.
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 (which in the next year became a constituent land of the
Austrian Empire), 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'' (royal territory) of
Austria-Hungary from 1867. The County of Tyrol then extended beyond the boundaries of today's state, including North Tyrol and East Tyrol; South Tyrol and
Trentino (''Welschtirol'') 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. Since November 1918, it was occupied by 20,000–22,000 soldiers of the Italian Army.
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 again 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:
Economy
The
Gross domestic product (GDP) of the state was 34.6 billion € in 2018, accounting for 9% of the Austria's economic output. GDP per capita adjusted for purchasing power was 40,900 € or 136% of the EU27 average in the same year.
Transport
Tyrol has long been a central hub for European long-distance routes and thus a transit land for trans-European trade over the Alps. As early as the 1st century B.C. Tyrol had one of the most important north-south links of the
Roman Empire, the
Via Claudia Augusta. Roman roads crossed the Tyrol from the Po Plain in present-day Italy, following the course of the Etsch and Eisack in present South Tyrol over the Brenner and then following the northern
Wipp valley to Hall. From there roads branched along the
River Inn. The
Via Raetia went westwards and up onto the
Seefeld Plateau, where it crossed into
Bavaria where Scharnitz is today. The
Porta Claudia, built in the early 17th century is a fortification that underlines the importance of the road in the Early Modern Period.
Today Tyrol has international road, rail and air connections.
Innsbruck Airport is Tyrol's international airport. In addition there are several smaller airports in various places such as
St. Johann in Tirol,
Höfen in the
Außerfern or
Langkampfen. Many
public transit companies operate a common tariff scheme as part of the
Tyrol Transport Association.
Administrative divisions
thumb|Districts of Tyrol
The state is divided into nine
districts (''
Bezirke''); one of them, Innsbruck, is a
statutory city. The districts and their administrative centres, from west to east and north to south, are:
North Tyrol:
*
Landeck District, (capital:
Landeck)
*
Reutte District, (
Reutte)
*
Imst District, (
Imst)
*
Innsbruck-Land, (
Innsbruck, not part of the district)
*
Innsbruck Stadt
*
Schwaz District, (
Schwaz)
*
Kufstein District, (
Kufstein)
*
Kitzbühel District, (
Kitzbühel)
East Tyrol:
*
Lienz District, (
Lienz)
Sister relationships
*
Special Region of Yogyakarta
Culture
The traditional form of
mural art known as
Lüftlmalerei is typical of Tyrolean villages and towns.
Kletzenbrot is a
sweet bread made with dried fruits and nuts for the
Advent season. Because it is associated with Tyrol it is also known as "Tyrolean Dried Fruit Bread".
See also
*
Tyrol
*
History of Tyrol
*
North Tyrol
*
East Tyrol
*
Euroregion Tyrol-South Tyrol-Trentino
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Tyrol (State)
Category:NUTS 2 statistical regions of the European Union
Category:States of Austria