Lesachtal, valley in Austria
Lesachtal is a valley in Carinthia and East Tyrol that stretches from west to east, surrounded by tall mountains on all sides. The Gail river runs through the middle, while small villages like Liesing, Maria Luggau and St. Lorenzen sit on higher slopes above a gorge that reaches depths of 200 meters (656 feet).
Lesachtal was first settled by Slavic tribes around 600 A.D., later German settlers moved in and the valley came under the rule of the Principality of Carantania. In the late Middle Ages it was governed by local nobles and eventually fell under the control of the House of Habsburg.
The valley speaks a mixed dialect that blends East Tyrolean speech with traces of Slovenian words, a legacy of early Slavic settlement around 600 A.D. Visitors hear this distinctive language in daily conversations and notice it in the names of villages and local traditions that remain part of everyday life.
Roads through the valley are narrow with steep turns, so visitors should drive slowly and allow extra travel time to reach the area. Hikers, mountain bikers and winter sports enthusiasts find many marked trails, with the main access point being Kötschach-Mauthen at the valley entrance.
During World War I, the front line between Austria and Italy ran through the mountains, and visitors can still explore old trenches and fortifications on the mountain passes today. Another lesser-known fact is that wood from the Lesachtal forests was traditionally used to build the gondolas of Venice.
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