Lesachtal

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Lesachtal
Coat of arms Location
Coat of arms of Lesachtal
Lesachtal (Austria)
Lesachtal
Administration
Country Flag of Austria Austria
State Carinthia
District Hermagor
Mayor Franz Guggenberger
Basic statistics
Area 190.69 km² (73.6 sq mi)
Elevation 1,044 m  (3425 ft)
Population 1,492  (10/06/2008)
 - Density 8 /km² (20 /sq mi)
Other information
Time zone CET/CEST (UTC+1/+2)
Postal code 9653
Website [1]

Coordinates: 46°42′0″N 12°49′0″E / 46.7, 12.81667

The Lesachtal (Slovenian: Holz) valley is located in the Austrian state of Carinthia. It is the uppermost part of the valley formed by the Gail River, and stretches from the border between East Tyrol and Carinthia to Kötschach-Mauthen (alt. 705 m).

In East Tyrol the valley dug by the Gail River is called the Tilliach valley. The Lesachtal valley borders the Lienzer Dolomite mountains and the Gailtal Alps to the north, and the Karnisch Alps to the south. Most settlements and paths are over 300 meters above the bottom of the valley.

The Lesachtal valley is located in the administrative district of Hermagor. The municipality of Lesachtal (area 19.62 km², pop. 1,665) comprises the villages of Liesing, Maria Luggau, and Sankt Lorenzen im Lesachtal.

[edit] History

The Lesachtal was inhabited by Slavs in 600 A.D. It was one of the first Carinthian valleys to be Germanised.

The Landgericht Lesach (District Court of Lesach) was conferred to Burg Pittersberg in 1380 and was since then only an office of this Herrschaft. It belonged to the Counts of the County of Gorizia and, after their decease, to the Landesfürsten and, finally, together with Goldenstein, to the Grafschaft Ortenburg.

With the creation of the municipalities (Ortsgemeinden) in 1850, the three municipalities Luggau, St. Lorenzen and Liesing were constituted. The localities (Katastralgemeinden) Kornach and Strajach merged with the municipality of Mauthen, but obtained in 1882 independent status as the municipality of Unterlesach. Ten years later the two localities Birnbaum and St. Jakob became independent municipalities too. With the Carinthian local government reform in 1973, the eastern municipality St. Jakob merged with Kötschach-Mauthen, while the four western municipalities were merged into the present municipality of Lesachtal.

During World War I the frontline between Austria-Hungary and Italy was located on the ridge of the Carnic Alps. Many old positions and fortifications bear witness to the War in the mountains (see: War of the Mountains 1915–1918).

Liesing
Liesing
Lumkofel seen from Liesing
Lumkofel seen from Liesing
A traditional wooden house on the Hauptplatz (main square) in Liesing
A traditional wooden house on the Hauptplatz (main square) in Liesing
Volksmusik Akademie and fountains on the Hauptplatz in Liesing
Volksmusik Akademie and fountains on the Hauptplatz in Liesing
Sankt Lorenzen
Sankt Lorenzen
Radegund in Lesachtal
Radegund in Lesachtal
Tuffbad in Lesachtal
Tuffbad in Lesachtal
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