Lesachtal

• Name — Lesachtal • Type — Municipality • Shield Size — 80x110px • Subdivision Type — Country • Subdivision Name — Austria • Subdivision Type1 — State • Subdivision Name1 — Carinthia • Subdivision Type2 — District • Subdivision Name2 — Hermagor • Parts Style — para • Leader Title — Mayor • Leader Name — Johann Windbichler • Elevation M — 1044 • Population Density Km2 — auto • Time Zone — CET • Time Zone Dst — CEST • Utc Offset — +1 • Utc Offset Dst — +2 • Postal Code Type — Postal code • Postal Code — 9653 • Area Code Type — Area code

• Illustration — Sankt Lorenzen The Lesach Valley is located in the southwest of Carinthia. In adjacent East Tyrol, the uppermost continuation of the Gail river course is called Tilliach Valley. The lower eastern third of the Lesach Valley around the village of Sankt Jakob is part of the neighbouring Kötschach-Mauthen municipality. The narrow valley borders the Lienz Dolomites range of the Gailtal Alps to the north and the Carnic Alps up to 2780 m high Mt. Hohe Warte (Coglians) to the south, forming the border with Italy. Most settlements and paths are on the northern slopes over 300 m above the Gail River gorge. The municipality of Lesachtal (area 19.62 km 2, pop. 1,665) comprises the cadastral communities of Kornat, Liesing, Maria Luggau, and Sankt Lorenzen im Lesachtal.

The language spoken in the Lesachtal valley is linguistically remarkable, because the Southern Bavarian dialect is not Carinthian, but rather East-Tyrolean with slight variations. Slovenian elements have also survived in local common speech.

• Illustration — Our Lady of Snows pilgrimage church, Maria Luggau The Lesach Valley (derived from Slavic: les 'forest') was inhabited by Slavs about AD 600. In the 8th century, it was one of the first valleys in the Principality of Carantania to be Germanised after Prince Boruth acknowledged the overlordship of Duke Odilo of Bavaria about 740. In 1380, the Lesach circuit (Landgericht Lesach) was transferred to the lordship of Pittersberg, named after a nearby rock castle, then an administrative seat held by the East Tyrolean Meinhardiner Counts of Gorizia. After their branch died out in the male line, the last countess Margaret bequeathed the lordship to the reigning princes of the House of Habsburg in 1363. Later it fell to the Carinthian Counts of Ortenburg. With the creation of the Austrian municipalities (Ortsgemeinden) in 1850, the three municipalities Luggau, Sankt Lorenzen, and Liesing were constituted. The cadastral communities (Katastralgemeinden) Kornach and Strajach merged with the municipality of Mauthen, but in 1182 obtained independent status as the municipality of Unterlesach. Ten years later the two localities Birnbaum and Sankt Jakob became independent municipalities as well. Through Carinthian local government reform in 1973, the eastern Lesach municipality of Sankt Jakob merged with Kötschach-Mauthen, while the four western municipalities were merged into the present municipality of Lesachtal. During World War I the Italian front between the Austro-Hungarian Army and the Royal Italian Army was located on the ridge of the Carnic Alps. Many old positions and fortifications bear witness to the attritional mountain war from 1915 to 1918.

In 2024, the municipality of Lesachtal had 1,269 inhabitants, of which 95.9% were Austrian citizens. The population has been declining in recent decades. ImageSize = width:550 height:200 PlotArea = width:450 height:150 left:50 bottom:30 AlignBars = late DateFormat = yyyy Period = from:0 till:3000 TimeAxis = orientation:vertical ScaleMajor = unit:year increment:1000 start:0 PlotData= color:blue width:15 bar:1869 from:start till:2165 bar:1880 from:start till:2015 bar:1890 from:start till:2188 bar:1900 from:start till:2149 bar:1910 from:start till:1980 bar:1923 from:start till:1947 bar:1934 from:start till:1984 bar:1939 from:start till:1997 bar:1951 from:start till:2014 bar:1961 from:start till:1915 bar:1971 from:start till:1950 bar:1981 from:start till:1823 bar:1991 from:start till:1665 bar:2001 from:start till:1560 bar:2009 from:start till:1490 TextData= pos:(55,0,3) text:"Statistik Austria"

The municipal assembly (Gemeinderat) consists of 15 members. Since the 2021 local elections, it is made up of the following parties: • Austrian People's Party (ÖVP): 8 seats • Social Democratic Party of Austria (SPÖ): 7 seats The mayor of the municipality, Johann Windbichler, was re-elected in 2021.

• Matthias von Lexer (1830–92), lexicographer

• Illustration — Farmhouses in Klebas • Illustration — Liesing • Illustration — Ulrich und Martin Church, Lesachtal • Illustration — Folk Music School in Liesing • Illustration — Saint Ann's Church in Obergail • Illustration — Saint Radegund • Illustration — Saint Joseph's Church in Tscheltsch • Illustration — Tuffbad • Illustration — Fourteen Holy Helpers Chapel in Wiesen • Illustration — Chapell in Xaveriberg • Illustration — Holy Trinity Chapel in Frohn