Tyrol is dominated by high mountain ranges, including theÖtztal Alps, theZillertal Alps, and theKitzbühel Alps, with theGrossglockner and other major Alpine peaks nearby. The region is traversed by important rivers, such as theInn and theIsel, 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 theBrenner Pass serving as one of the most important north–south routes across the Alps since Roman times.
Historically, Tyrol formed part of theCounty of Tyrol, which emerged as a distinct territorial entity of theHoly Roman Empire in theLate Middle Ages. It passed to theHabsburg dynasty in the 14th century, becoming an integral part of the Habsburg Monarchy. Following the end ofWorld War I and the dissolution ofAustria-Hungary, Tyrol was divided: South Tyrol and Trentino were ceded to Italy under theTreaty of Saint-Germain in 1919, leavingNorth andEast 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.
Tyrol is separated into two parts, divided by a 7-kilometre-wide (4.3 mi) strip ofSalzburg State. The two constituent parts of Tyrol are the northern and largerNorth Tyrol (Nordtirol) and the southeastern and smallerEast Tyrol (Osttirol). Salzburg State lies to the east of North Tyrol, while on the south Tyrol has a border to theItalian province ofSouth Tyrol, which was part of theAustro-Hungarian Empire before theFirst World War. With a land area of 12,683.85 km2 (4,897.26 sq mi), Tyrol is the third-largest federal state in Austria.
North Tyrol shares its borders with the federal states Salzburg in the east andVorarlberg in the west. In the north, it adjoins theGerman state ofBavaria; in the south, it shares borders with theItalian province ofSouth Tyrol and theSwisscanton ofGraubünden. East Tyrol shares its borders with the Austrian state ofCarinthia to the east and Italy'sProvince of Belluno (Veneto) to the south.
The state's territory is located entirely within theEastern Alps at theBrenner Pass. The highest mountain in the state is theGroßglockner, part of theHohe 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.
Tirol lies within the temperate climate zone and is situated at the boundary between Atlantic, continental, and Mediterranean influences. The prevailing climate is an inner-Alpine mountain climate with subcontinental characteristics. Relatively humid summers, dry autumns, snowy winters, and pronounced local variations characterize the 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 inReutte is still 1,375 millimeters, around 2,000 mm on the northern edge of theKarwendel Mountains, and 1,330 mm inKufstein, 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 theÖtztal andPitztal.
Winter is usually characterized by alternating snowy and snow-poor weather conditions. In the northern parts of the state (Unterland,Außerfern, and the Karwendel region), 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 inLandeck and Innsbruck than inWörgl orKufstein.
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 thePatscherkofel and up to 120 km/h in Innsbruck, and can bring temperatures above 20 °C even in late autumn and early spring.
When the Counts of Tyrol died out in 1253, their estates were inherited by theMeinhardiner Counts ofGörz. In 1271, the Tyrolean possessions were divided between CountMeinhard II of Görz and his younger brotherAlbert I, who took the lands of East Tyrol around Lienz and attached them (as "outer county") to his committal possessions aroundGorizia ("inner county").
The last Tyrolean countess of the Meinhardiner Dynasty,Margaret, bequeathed her assets to theHabsburg dukeRudolph IV of Austria in 1363. In 1420, the committal residence was relocated fromMeran (Merano) to Innsbruck. The Tyrolean lands were reunited when the Habsburgs inherited the estates of the extinct Counts of Görz in 1500.
Tyrol was aCisleithanianKronland (royal territory) ofAustria-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 andTrentino (Welschtirol) as well as three municipalities, which today are part of the adjacent province of Belluno. AfterWorld War I, these lands became part of theKingdom of Italy according to the 1915London Pact and the provisions of theTreaty of Saint Germain. From November 1918, it was occupied by 20,000–22,000 soldiers of the Italian Army.[5]
Heinrich Maier, Walter Caldonazzi and their group helped the allies to fight the V-2, which was produced byconcentration camp prisoners.
Tyrol was the center of an important resistance group against Nazi Germany around Walter Caldonazzi, which united with the group around the priestHeinrich Maier and the Tyrolean Franz Josef Messner. The Catholic resistance group very successfully passed on plans and production facilities forV-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 inAuschwitz. For after the war they planned an Austria united with South Tyrol and Bavaria.[6]
AfterWorld War II, North Tyrol was governed byFrance and East Tyrol was part of the British Zone of occupation untilAustria regained independence in 1955.
The capital, Innsbruck, is known for its university, and especially for its medicine. Tyrol is popular for its famousski resorts, which includeKitzbühel,Ischgl andSt. Anton. The 15 largest towns in Tyrol are:
Religious affiliation according to the 2021 census
Roman Catholicism (66.2%)
Evangelical (Protestant) (3.00%)
Orthodox Church (3.10%)
Other Christian denomination (0.90%)
Islam (8.70%)
No religious affiliation (17.8%)
Other religion (0.30%)
Since the 2001 census,[8] Tyrol—like the rest of Austria—has seen a significant increase in the proportion of people with no religious affiliation, as well as in the shares of Muslims and Orthodox Christians, while the proportion of Catholic Christians has declined. Tyrol thus had the highest proportion of Catholics of all Austrian federal states. The share of Evangelical Christians has also increased slightly.
The economic structure of Tyrol varies considerably by region. The greater Innsbruck area features a concentration of educational and administrative infrastructure alongside the presence of larger industrial enterprises. In the rest of the state, the economy is predominantly characterized by small and medium-sized enterprises; this small-scale structure is particularly pronounced in the Oberland, the district of Kitzbühel, andEast Tyrol. However, the district of Kitzbühel is also home to industrial and service companies of Europe-wide significance in sectors such as particleboard manufacturing, pharmaceuticals, insulation materials, and tourism (both incoming and outgoing).
Industry is mainly concentrated in the greater Innsbruck area, in the districts ofSchwaz andKufstein (Lower Inn Valley), and in theReutte area. In the Oberland and the district ofKitzbühel, tourism predominates and plays a major role throughout the entire state. The district ofSchwaz features both significant industrial areas and important tourism regions (theZillertal andAchensee). Tyrol has around 360,000 guest beds, about half of them in hotels and around one third in holiday apartments. Tourism in Tyrol employs approximately 52,040 workers, although many of them are not employed year-round. Agriculture plays only a minor economic role, but it is important for the state’s self-image and for the preservation of the cultural landscape.
In 2014, the regional gross domestic product per capita, expressed in purchasing power standards, stood at 138% (EU-28: 100%; Austria: 129%).[9] Compared with residents of other Austrian federal states, people in Tyrol earn the least. While the median gross annual income across Austria in 2005 was €22,611, a resident of Tyrol earned an average of €20,671 in the same period.[10]
The federal state'sgross domestic product (GDP) was 34.6 billion euro in 2018, accounting for 9% of Austria's economic output. GDP per capita adjusted for purchasing power was 40,900 euro or 136% of the EU27 average in the same year.[12]
Tourism is an important economic sector in Tyrol. On average, it accounts for 17.5% of Tyrol’s gross regional product. In 2024, Tyrol’s share of all overnight stays in Austria was around one third. Tyrol is followed by Salzburg and then Styria. In addition, around 52,400 people are employed in the hotel and catering industry. Nearly 70% of all employees in this sector come from abroad.[1]
In the 2024/25 tourism year, 12.4 million guests visited the various municipalities of the federal state, accounting for a total of 49.6 million overnight stays. The average length of stay was 3.9 days—slightly longer in winter at 4.4 days and shorter in summer at 3.5 days. The strongest month of the 2024/2025 winter season was February, with 7 million overnight stays, while in the summer of 2025 August recorded the highest number, with 6.5 million overnight stays. As a result, 53% of overnight stays occurred during the winter season and 47% during the summer season, making winter tourism slightly stronger than summer tourism.[1]
In 2025, about half of all tourists came from Germany, accounting for 55% or 26.8 million overnight stays. In addition, many visitors came from the Netherlands (11.0% with 5.6 million overnight stays), Austria (8% with 4.1 million overnight stays), Switzerland (5% with 2.2 million overnight stays), and Belgium (3% with 1.6 million overnight stays). Other nations, which only a few years ago played a rather minor role, are becoming increasingly important.[1]
The highest numbers of overnight stays were recorded by the Ötztal tourism association with 4.5 million, followed by Innsbruck with 3.8 million andPaznaun–Ischgl with 2.7 million.Sölden, located at the upper end of the Ötztal valley (district of Imst), has for years been the municipality with the highest number of overnight stays in Austria. In 2024, Sölden recorded 2.6 million overnight stays.[13]
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 theRoman Empire, theVia 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 northernWipp valley to Hall. From there roads branched along theRiver Inn. TheVia Raetia went westwards and up onto theSeefeld Plateau, where it crossed intoBavaria where Scharnitz is today. ThePorta Claudia, built in the early 17th century is a fortification that underlines the importance of the road in the Early Modern Period.
The federal state is divided into ninedistricts (Bezirke); one of them, Innsbruck, is astatutory city. There are 277 municipalities. The districts and their administrative centres, from west to east and north to south, are:
Traditional long-skirteddirndls fromLienz in Tyrol
The traditional form ofmural art known asLüftlmalerei is typical of Tyrolean villages and towns.
Kletzenbrot is asweet bread made with dried fruits and nuts for theAdvent season. Because it is associated with Tyrol it is also known as "Tyrolean Dried Fruit Bread".
Tyrol also has a strong history of folk theater, which has influenced the culture since the late Middle Ages and well into the 19th century.[14] Today in Tyrol, particularly in Innsbruck, there are folk theatre summer festivals and evening shows catering to traditional Tyrolean theatre, music, and dancing.
The question of which regional unit was the bearer of primary identification was raised in the 1987 Austrian Consciousness Survey. The possible answers were: the hometown (local patriotism), one's own province (regional patriotism), (Central) Europe (European consciousness), the world (cosmopolitanism).[15]
Emotional connectedness according to territorial units (1987)
in:
Vienna
Lower Austria
Burgenland
Tyrol
Carinthia
Vorarlberg
Styria
Upper Austria
Salzburg
Homeplace
38
30
31
16
23
21
25
35
24
Bundesland
8
16
24
58
53
44
39
23
33
Austrian
46
55
44
19
24
28
32
37
35
German
1
0
-
1
-
-
2
1
2
(Middle-)European
4
1
-
1
-
4
2
1
4
World Citizen
4
-
1
2
-
3
1
2
-
other
2
0
-
-
1
-
0
0
3
A research project led by Peter Diem[16] offers a thoroughly comparable picture: In Vienna and Lower Austria, Austria patriotism dominated (1988) over territorial consciousness.[clarification needed] In Upper Austria, Salzburg and Styria, national patriotism slightly outweighed federal state patriotism.[clarification needed] In Carinthia, Tyrol and Vorarlberg, national patriotism clearly dominated. When asked to rate their own national patriotism on a ten-point scale, 83% of Carinthians, 69% of Tyroleans, 63% of Vorarlbergers, Burgenlanders and Styrians, 59% of Upper Austrians, 55% of Lower Austrians, 47% of Viennese and 43% of Salzburgers gave it the highest value.
The results of this study underline the assumption of a highly developed sense of national identity in most Austrian provinces. Peculiarly, the federal provinces are also largely "endogamous" in relation to other provinces, i.e. they correspond to what ethnologists would call a gentile association, a "tribe".
It is therefore also permissible to identify the inhabitants of the Austrian provinces as the "tribes" that a book published in London would like to portray.[17]
The first thirteen of theChalet School series of books byElinor Brent-Dyer, and part of the fourteenth,The Chalet School in Exile (1940), are set in Tyrol, onPertisau on Lake Achen.[18] Brent-Dyer had visited the Tyrol in the 1920s.[19] Nancy G. Rosoff and Stephanie Spencer have written that Brent-Dyer "used the setting of her fictional school in the Austrian Tyrol to give her readers some hard lessons about Nazi persecution".[20]
^abcd"Basisdaten Bundesländer"(PDF). Retrieved1 September 2023.Cite error: The named reference ":0" was defined multiple times with different content (see thehelp page).
^Elisabeth Boeckl-Klamper, Thomas Mang, Wolfgang Neugebauer:Gestapo-Leitstelle Wien 1938–1945. Vienna 2018,ISBN978-3902494832, pp. 299–305; Hans Schafranek:Widerstand und Verrat: Gestapospitzel im antifaschistischen Untergrund. Vienna 2017,ISBN978-3707606225, pp. 161–248; Christoph Thurner "The CASSIA Spy Ring in World War II Austria: A History of the OSS's Maier-Messner Group" (2017), p. 35.
^Bernhart, Toni. “Imagining the Audience in Eighteenth-Century Folk Theatre in Tyrol.” InDramatic Experience: The Poetics of Drama and the Early Modern Public Sphere(s), edited by Katja Gvozdeva, Tatiana Korneeva, and Kirill Ospovat, 269–88. Brill, 2017. http://www.jstor.org/stable/10.1163/j.ctt1w76w7w.16.
^Österreichbewußtsein im Wandel, Ernst Bruckmüller, 1994
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