District Spittal/Drau
The district of Spittal an der Drau is by far the largest district in Carinthia and stretches from the 3000m peaks around the Großglockner and the Hohe Tauern National Park to the Mölltal, the upper Drautal, the Maltatal and Liesertal to the highest alpine lake, the Weissensee in the south , and the deepest lake in Carinthia, the Millstättersee, and ends in the east at the next national park, the Nockberge.
Spittal/Drava
The urban center of Upper Carinthia has approx. 16,000 inhabitants and is located at the intersection of the valleys and the lake area at the foot of its local mountain, the Goldeck.
It is an economic center, school center and transport hub. It offers general secondary schools, vocational higher schools and a technical college for architecture and civil engineering.
The Upper Drautal
The upper Drautal extends from Lienz to Möllbrücke. In Greifenburg there is a small turnoff up to Weissensee.
Other important places are Dellach, Oberdrauburg, Steinfeld or the herbal village of Irschen and Sachsenburg.
The Drau and the Weissensee characterize the habitat here. Cycling on the Drava, water sports on the Drava and enjoying the lake all year round.
Here, too, soft tourism is in the foreground.
The Lieser-Malta Valley
The Liesertal stretches from the artist town of Gmünd to the Millstätter See region.
Gmünd is a lovely medieval town that has developed into the artistic center of Upper Carinthia in recent decades. Here, art lovers will find everything from exhibitions (contemporary and historical), numerous small galleries, studios to handicraft markets, culture cinema to concerts and museums.
The Maltatal is known as the valley of the waterfalls and home of the Kölnbreinsperre. Wildly romantic, it attracts a special clientele, from ice climbers in winter to long-distance hikers in summer.
This region is separated from Salzburg by the Katschberg, which is a very popular ski resort.
The Mölltal
A large part is taken up by the Hohe Tauern National Park, the largest national park in Austria and the Alps.
Here, gentle tourism and environmental protection are the top priorities.
The main towns are the mountaineering village of Heiligenblut, Großkirchheim, Mörtschach, Winklern, Rangersdorf, Stall, Flattach at the foot of the Mölltal Glacier, the cultural center of Obervellach, Reisseck, Mühldorf and finally Lurnfeld.
Ideal for absolute nature lovers, mountaineers, hikers, skiers but also water sports enthusiasts, especially fly fishermen.
The most important side valley is the Mallnitztal with the main town of Mallnitz, which also offers a quick connection to Salzburg (Tauernschleuse).
nock region
The Nockberge Mountains with their Biosphere National Park form the eastern end of the district. The main towns are Bad Kleinkirchheim, Arriach, Ebene Reichenau and Gnesau.
Hiking, cycling and of course winter sports are on the leisure menu. Of course there is also the Carinthian attitude to life with the Afritzer See and the Feldsee.
The area is also famous for its fish specialties. The living space is conveniently located between the cities of Spittal and Villach and offers a lot in terms of infrastructure through the municipality of Radenthein.
Millstätter See region
The lake area stretches from the district capital of Spittal an der Drau to the Nockberge National Park.
Along the northern shore of Lake Millstatt are the main towns of Seeboden, Millstatt and the town of Radenthein.
The tourist region offers opportunities for recreation at the lake or in the mountains all year round.
The culinary focus is on slow food and there is also a lot on offer culturally. The region is close to the city of Spittal and has a connection to the motorway.