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Virgen is a municipality in the district of
Lienz Lienz (; Southern Bavarian: ''Lianz'') is a medieval town in the Austrian state of Tyrol. It is the administrative centre of the Lienz district, which covers all of East Tyrol. The municipality also includes the cadastral subdivision of ''Pat ...
in the
Austria Austria, , bar, Östareich officially the Republic of Austria, is a country in the southern part of Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine states, one of which is the capital, Vienna, the most populous ...
n state of
Tyrol Tyrol (; historically the Tyrole; de-AT, Tirol ; it, Tirolo) is a historical region in the Alps - in Northern Italy and western Austria. The area was historically the core of the County of Tyrol, part of the Holy Roman Empire, Austrian Emp ...
. It includes part of the Virgen valley in the
Venediger Group The Venediger Group (german: Venedigergruppe) is a mountain range of the Central Eastern Alps. Together with the Granatspitze Group, the Glockner Group, the Goldberg Group, and the Ankogel Group, it forms the main ridge of the High Tauern. The hi ...
mountain range, and extensive parts of the municipality are in
High Tauern National Park The High Tauern (plural, pl.; german: Hohe Tauern, it, Alti Tauri) are a mountain range on the Main chain of the Alps, main chain of the Central Eastern Alps, comprising the highest peaks east of the Brenner Pass. The crest forms the southern bor ...
. The history of the area goes back to 500 BC, when copper mining played an important role. After the end of the
Roman Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy *Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD *Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *''Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a letter ...
period
Slavs Slavs are the largest European ethnolinguistic group. They speak the various Slavic languages, belonging to the larger Balto-Slavic branch of the Indo-European languages. Slavs are geographically distributed throughout northern Eurasia, main ...
settled in the Virgen valley, who were gradually assimilated by
Baiuvarii The Baiuvarii or Bavarians (german: Bajuwaren) were a Germanic people. The Baiuvarii had settled modern-day Bavaria (which is named after them), Austria, and South Tyrol by the 6th century AD, and are considered the ancestors of modern-day Bavar ...
settlers beginning in the
8th century The 8th century is the period from 701 ( DCCI) through 800 ( DCCC) in accordance with the Julian Calendar. The coast of North Africa and the Iberian Peninsula quickly came under Islamic Arab domination. The westward expansion of the Umayyad E ...
. The simultaneous
Christianization Christianization ( or Christianisation) is to make Christian; to imbue with Christian principles; to become Christian. It can apply to the conversion of an individual, a practice, a place or a whole society. It began in the Roman Empire, conti ...
of the area led to the creation of one of the first
parishes A parish is a territorial entity in many Christian denominations, constituting a division within a diocese. A parish is under the pastoral care and clerical jurisdiction of a priest, often termed a parish priest, who might be assisted by one or m ...
in the region. During the middle ages Virgen was a part of
Carinthia Carinthia (german: Kärnten ; sl, Koroška ) is the southernmost States of Austria, Austrian state, in the Eastern Alps, and is noted for its mountains and lakes. The main language is German language, German. Its regional dialects belong to t ...
and the
County of Gorizia The County of Gorizia ( it, Contea di Gorizia, german: Grafschaft Görz, sl, Goriška grofija, fur, Contee di Gurize), from 1365 Princely County of Gorizia, was a State of the Holy Roman Empire. Originally mediate ''Vogts'' of the Patriarchs of ...
, and by 1500 it was annexed by Tyrol. With a population of 2,200 (as of January 1, 2020), Virgen is the fifth largest community in east Tyrol in terms of population. Agriculture and tourism both play important economic rolls, but a lack of jobs and structural problems lead to a very high commuter rate. Virgen has won awards for being the most beautiful municipality in Tyrol several times.


Geography


Location

Virgen lies in northern East Tyrol and has an area of 88.8 km² being the sixth larges municipality in
Lienz Lienz (; Southern Bavarian: ''Lianz'') is a medieval town in the Austrian state of Tyrol. It is the administrative centre of the Lienz district, which covers all of East Tyrol. The municipality also includes the cadastral subdivision of ''Pat ...
district. With around 42 km² being part of High Tauern National Park, almost half of the municipality's area is under nature preservation. Virgen comprises the eastern part of the Virgen valley, through which the Isel river flows, from the Isel gorge to the village (part) of Mitteldorf. Because the Isel is pushed to the right side of the valley by the Virgen alluvial cone, all the settlements in the valley are to the left of the river with the exception of Welzelach. The highest point in the municipality is Hoher Eichham (3371 m) in the
Venediger Group The Venediger Group (german: Venedigergruppe) is a mountain range of the Central Eastern Alps. Together with the Granatspitze Group, the Glockner Group, the Goldberg Group, and the Ankogel Group, it forms the main ridge of the High Tauern. The hi ...
. Also, the highest mountain in the
Lasörling Group The Lasörling Group (german: Lasörlinggruppe) is a subgroup of the Central Alps within the Eastern Alps. The boundaries of this mountain range in East Tyrol are principally delineated by the valleys of the Virgental in the north and the Defereg ...
, the
Lasörling The Lasörling is a mountain, , and the highest summit in the eponymous range that stretches from the Virgental to the Defereggental valleys opposite the Großvenediger. Occasionally the mountain is also called the "''Großer'' Lasörling" ("G ...
(3098 m), is on the border of the municipality.


Local Communities

Virgen consists of seven subdivisions with seven
hamlets A hamlet is a human settlement that is smaller than a town or village. Its size relative to a parish can depend on the administration and region. A hamlet may be considered to be a smaller settlement or subdivision or satellite entity to a lar ...
. Starting from the East, going along the state highway, the first subdivision is Mitteldorf with the hamlet of Bach. Further along the road is the Virgen village subdivision, the main center of the municipality, with the hamlet of Weite. Northeast of Virgen center is the subdivision of Mellitz on the stream of the same name, and northwest on the Virgen stream is the subdivision of Göriach with the Marin hamlet. Göriach and Mellitz are however partially merged with Virgen center. West of the municipality center is the Obermauern subdivision on the Nillbach stream, and south of Obermauern is the Niedermauern subdivision with the Gries und Rain hamlet. The westernmost subdivision is Welzelach. In addition to the subdivisions and hamlets, there are also high altitude individual farms such as Sonnberg above Mellitz, east of Obermauern. The town of
Matrei in Osttirol Matrei in Osttirol is a market town in the Lienz District in the Austrian state of Tyrol (East Tyrol). It is situated about north of Lienz within the Hohe Tauern mountain range of the Central Eastern Alps. Its municipal area comprises parts of th ...
, with the second largest population in Lienz district, functions as an economic, social, and medical center in Northeast Tyrol and is of particular importance to Virgen.


Neighboring Communities

The municipality of Virgen is bordered in the south by the Lasörling Group separating it from the Deferegen valley and the municipalities of (from west to east) St. Jakob,
St. Veit Sankt Veit is the German name for Saint Vitus in place names (cf. wiktionary:Sankt). Places named Sankt Veit in Austria include: * Sankt Veit an der Glan, Carinthia ** Sankt Veit an der Glan (district), Carinthia * Sankt Veit an der Gölsen, Low ...
, and Hopfgarten. To the west of Virgen is Prägraten municipality, and to the north and east is the market town of Matrei.


Land Use

The largest part of the municipality's area cannot be used due to its high alpine location in the
High Tauern The High Tauern ( pl.; german: Hohe Tauern, it, Alti Tauri) are a mountain range on the main chain of the Central Eastern Alps, comprising the highest peaks east of the Brenner Pass. The crest forms the southern border of the Austrian states of ...
mountain range. Around 41% of the area is barren with sparse vegetation. Secondly, alpine pastures and meadows take up 29% of Virgen's area. Forests in Virgen also play an important part. With just over 20% of the land area forests make up the third largest type of land. All other land types make up a proportionally insignificant area. Meadows make up 9%, while farmland and gardens put together make up less than 1%.


Geology

The northern part of the municipality, the Virgen North Chain, is geologically part of the Alpine
shale Shale is a fine-grained, clastic sedimentary rock formed from mud that is a mix of flakes of clay minerals (hydrous aluminium phyllosilicates, e.g. kaolin, Al2 Si2 O5( OH)4) and tiny fragments (silt-sized particles) of other minerals, especial ...
layer. This slate layer, which lies above a
gneiss Gneiss ( ) is a common and widely distributed type of metamorphic rock. It is formed by high-temperature and high-pressure metamorphic processes acting on formations composed of igneous or sedimentary rocks. Gneiss forms at higher temperatures an ...
layer, consists of multiple layers of shale one on top of the other. The upper shale layer consists of
calcareous Calcareous () is an adjective meaning "mostly or partly composed of calcium carbonate", in other words, containing lime or being chalky. The term is used in a wide variety of scientific disciplines. In zoology ''Calcareous'' is used as an adje ...
shale and calcareous
phyllite Phyllite ( ) is a type of foliated metamorphic rock created from slate that is further metamorphosed so that very fine grained white mica achieves a preferred orientation.Stephen Marshak ''Essentials of Geology'', 3rd ed. It is primarily compo ...
, which are recognizable by pale yellow and lead-grey colors or their characteristic "panel" or "board" shape. Directly under this upper layer is an under layer, which is horizontally articulated and made of
greenschist Greenschists are metamorphic rocks that formed under the lowest temperatures and pressures usually produced by regional metamorphism, typically and 2–10 kilobars (). Greenschists commonly have an abundance of green minerals such as chlorite ...
. Due to a favorable hillside location and susceptibly to
erosion Erosion is the action of surface processes (such as water flow or wind) that removes soil, rock, or dissolved material from one location on the Earth's crust, and then transports it to another location where it is deposited. Erosion is distin ...
, fertile soils have formed over the shale layer which are suitable for alpine farming. The south on the municipality including the Lasörling Group belongs to an old crystalline zone. This zone consists of
mica Micas ( ) are a group of silicate minerals whose outstanding physical characteristic is that individual mica crystals can easily be split into extremely thin elastic plates. This characteristic is described as perfect basal cleavage. Mica is ...
, gneiss, and calcareous shale. Some parts also consist of
garnet Garnets () are a group of silicate minerals that have been used since the Bronze Age as gemstones and abrasives. All species of garnets possess similar physical properties and crystal forms, but differ in chemical composition. The different s ...
, calcareous
quartzite Quartzite is a hard, non- foliated metamorphic rock which was originally pure quartz sandstone.Essentials of Geology, 3rd Edition, Stephen Marshak, p 182 Sandstone is converted into quartzite through heating and pressure usually related to tect ...
, and small collections of
limestone Limestone ( calcium carbonate ) is a type of carbonate sedimentary rock which is the main source of the material lime. It is composed mostly of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different crystal forms of . Limestone forms whe ...
and
dolomite Dolomite may refer to: *Dolomite (mineral), a carbonate mineral *Dolomite (rock), also known as dolostone, a sedimentary carbonate rock *Dolomite, Alabama, United States, an unincorporated community *Dolomite, California, United States, an unincor ...
. In the east of the municipality are small parts of the Matreier zone, which consists of numerous, intermingled, rocks (phyllite, quartzite,
gypsum Gypsum is a soft sulfate mineral composed of calcium sulfate dihydrate, with the chemical formula . It is widely mined and is used as a fertilizer and as the main constituent in many forms of plaster, blackboard or sidewalk chalk, and drywall. ...
, bright dolomite and dark limestone,
greywacke Greywacke or graywacke (German ''grauwacke'', signifying a grey, earthy rock) is a variety of sandstone generally characterized by its hardness, dark color, and poorly sorted angular grains of quartz, feldspar, and small rock fragments or lit ...
, and greenschist) of various origins. The Matreier zone runs in a narrow band from Mitteldorf to Berger Törl.


Mountains

Virgen lies within the Venediger Group between the Virgen North Chain in the north and the Lasörling Group in the south, whose main ridges mark the borders in the north and the south. There are several mountains over 3000 meters directly on the borders of Virgen. The tallest mountains in the Virgen North Chain on the municipality's border are Hoher Eichham (3371 m), Säulkopf (3209 m), and Ochsenbug (3007 m). The most important summits in the Lasörling Group on Virgen's border are the
Lasörling The Lasörling is a mountain, , and the highest summit in the eponymous range that stretches from the Virgental to the Defereggental valleys opposite the Großvenediger. Occasionally the mountain is also called the "''Großer'' Lasörling" ("G ...
(3098 m), Berger Kogel (2656 m), and Donnerstein (2725 m).


Rivers and Bodies of Water

The most important river in Virgen municipality is the Isel, which enters the municipality through the Isel gorge and flows east. The Isel drains the right side of the Virgen Valley by the Virgen alluvial cone, which means there is hardly any space for settlement on the right bank of the river. In its course through the municipality ten streams drain into the Isel. The left tributaries, fed from the Virgen North Chain, are the Nillbach, Virger Stream, Mellitzbach, and the Mitteldorfer Stream, and the right tributaries from the Lasörling Group are the Berger Stream, Mullitzbach, Fratnikbach, Saumitzbach, and the Arnitzbach. There are also several mountain lakes within the municipality, with the Berger See and the Zupalsee being the most well-known.


Climate

Virgen, due to its location between the Virgen North Chain and the Lasörling Group, has a favorable climate. This is indicated in the name ''Virgen'', which is derived from Slavic, that means ''sunny place''. The reason for Virgen's sunny location, which is marketed as the "
Merano Merano (, , ) or Meran () is a city and ''comune'' in South Tyrol, northern Italy. Generally best known for its spa resorts, it is located within a basin, surrounded by mountains standing up to above sea level, at the entrance to the Passeier V ...
of East Tyrol", is the orientation of the Virgen Valley, through which the pat of the Sun follows. As a result, Virgen loses only a third of its total possible sunshine duration in December, and only a seventh in June. Comparatively, the sunshine loss in the
Ötztal The Ötztal is an alpine valley located in Tyrol, Austria. The Ötztaler Ache river flows through the valley in a northern direction. The Ötztal separates the Stubai Alps in the east from the Ötztal Alps in the west. The valley is long. The no ...
is as high as between one and two thirds. Due to the mountains in the north, Virgen is shielded from the cold ''Tauernwind'', which reaches unprotected Matrei to the south. Since cold air can flow down the Isel, there are hardly any cold lakes in Virgen. The greatest rainfall in Virgen occurs during June and July. On average Virgen receives 900 mm of precipitation per year, where the precipitation in higher locations is strongly increased. Virgen receives relatively little snow in terms of height and consistency of the snow cover (around 110 days). January and February are the driest months. The average annual temperature in Virgen between 2000 and 2002 was 6.8°C when January was the coldest month at -2.9°C and August was the warmest at 15.9°C.Zentralanstalt für Meteorologie und Geodynamik, Wetterdienst Klagenfurt: Klimadatenauswertung Virgen (1198 meters above sea level)


Population


References


External links

Cities and towns in Lienz District {{Tyrol-geo-stub