Lienz (district)

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The Bezirk Lienz is an administrative district (Bezirk) in Tyrol, Austria. It is the only district in East Tyrol. The district borders the Pinzgau (Salzburg) in the north, the districts Spittal an der Drau and Hermagor (both Carinthia) in the east, Veneto (Italy) in the south, and Bolzano-Bozen (Italy) in the west.

Area of the district is 2,019.87 km², with a population of 50,404 (May 15, 2001), and population density of 25 persons per km². Administrative center of the district is Lienz.

In 1919, Trentino-Alto Adige/Südtirol was split from what is now the Austrian state of Tyrol in the Treaty of Saint-Germain (these two entities made up the old Austro-Hungarian county of Tyrol). Since this time, East Tyrol is parted from North Tyrol by about 5 km of border between the federal state Salzburg and province of Bolzano-Bozen. Accordingly, it forms an inner-Austrian exclave of the federal state Tyrol.

[edit] Geography

The district comprises parts of the Pustertal valley, the valleys Iseltal, Defereggen, Virgental, Kalser Tal, and the Tyrolean Gailtal. Mountain ranges in the district include parts of the Hohe Tauern with Venediger Group and Glockner Group, the Defereggen Alps, the Lienz Dolomits, and the Karnisch Alps.

Shortest road connection to North Tyrol is the Felbertauern road (P1), and the Felbertauern tunnel (about 5.3 km). Lienz is located at a road junction between the federal Felbertauern road (B108), a road to the Pustertal valley (B100) and Bolzano-Bozen, and a road to the Drautal valley and Carinthia. The district is also connected by the Austrian Southern Railway.