Lesachtal

The Lesachtal 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.

History

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

The Landgericht Lesach was conferred to Burg Pittersberg in 1380 and was since then only an office of this Herrschaft. It belonged to the Grafen von Görz-Tirol, 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 und Liesing were consituted. 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 municipality were merged into the present municipality of Lesachtal.

During WW 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: Gebirgskrieg 1915–1918).