4) Tirol, Austria

ASSALAMUALAIKUM AND SALAM SEJAHTERA..

Tirol is a federal state of Austria and located in the Western part of the country between Italy and the Southern part of Germany. 

After the defeat of Austria in the first world war, Tirol was divided into two pieces. The Northern and the Eastern part of Tirol stayed in Austria, and the Southern part was taken by Italy as victory trophy. 

The scenery of Tirol is strongly influenced by Alpine mountains. The highest moutains of Tirol are the Ortler (3905 m), Königspitze (king's top) in Southern Tirol, the Grossglockner (3798 m) in Eastern Tirol and the Wildspitze (wild top) in den Ötztaler Alps in Northern Tirol.

The area of Tirol is colonized since more than 10.000 years. The first culture in Tirol was the mining culture. The oldest metallurgical plant was found in Brixlegg and dates from the year 4.000 BC. The exploitation was dominated by copper. 

The time before the Roman Empire was called "La-Tene". In that period the inhabitants of Tirol consists of people who were expelled by Celtic tribes from their original settlements. Most of those expelled people were Illyric by origin. In the year 15 BC the first Roman soldiers came and Tirol was taken by the Roman Empire. Drusus and Tiberius were the names of the two responsible Roman generals who realized the successful campaign.

In the period of the late antiquity (since 476) Tirol belonged to the Italian empire of the Eastern Gothics. The Italian empire broke down in 500, and Bavarians were coming from the North to settle in Tirol.

Since that time Tirol was a part of the duchy Bayern. In 1363 Tirol became a part of Austria when the mighty lady "Margarethe von Tirol" gave her land as a valuable present to Rudolf IV of Habsburg. I have no idea about the reason of such a generous gift. In that time Tirol has a very high strategic importance for the Habsburg dynasty.