Things To Do in Lienz
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Lienz Attractions
- Historic Site
Schloss Bruck and Osttiroler Heimatmuseum
The showcase of Lienz, and the focal point of its civic pride, is this former stronghold of the counts of Gorz, who controlled vast medieval estates from this strategically located castle that dominated most of the access routes to the Isel Valley. In the early 1500s, it fell to the… - Religious Site
St. Andrä
If you have time, visit the Church of St. Andrew, with its outstanding collection of 16th-century tombstones carved of marble quarried outside Salzburg. The last Gorz count is buried here. The church, consecrated in 1457, was restored in 1968. During the restoration, workmen…
Lienz Shopping
More energy seems to be devoted to folkloric clothing in Lienz than to virtually any other product in town. Consequently, you'll find lots of outlets scattered throughout the tourist zone, one of the best of which is Krismer, André-Kranz-Gasse 4 (tel. 04852/62497). The store has stacks of old-fashioned clothes (dirndls, lederhosen, loden coats, alpine hats with pheasants' feathers, embroidered suspenders) that correspond to East Tyrolean traditions. And if you're hankering for a sampling of the local breads, cheeses, sausages, and bundnerfleisch (air-dried alpine beef that's reminiscent of beef jerky), consider dropping into any of the well-stocked local delicatessens, a particularly worthwhile example of which is Feinkost Zuegg, Rechteiselkai (tel. 04852/669930).
Lienz Nightlife
No one ever seems to get thirsty in Lienz, where virtually every hotel and guesthouse has a gemütlich-looking stube (tavern) lined with varnished pine that's ready, willing, and eager to dispense steins of beer and East Tyrolean folklore. But if you're interested in equivalent bars that play dance music, consider Life, within the Dolomite hotel, Dolomitenstrasse 2 (tel. 04852/62962). It features a woodsy, alpine-derived decor where dozens of steins of beer have been spilled over the years, and has been known to extend the dancing even onto the tabletops.
Incidentally, if your visit to Lienz happens to fall between early July and late September, at least part of your evening entertainment will be free. Every Saturday, Sunday, and Wednesday, beginning at 8pm, the city sponsors a 75-minute concert of traditional Tyrolean music, performed by musicians in trachten (traditional Tyrolean garb), from a perch within the Hauptplatz. The only problem with these love fests of Tyrolean nostalgia is that they simply don't last long enough.
The second weekend in August in Lienz is the scheduled time for Stadtfest, a public celebration of the contributions of Lienz to East Tyrolean culture. Expect kiosks scattered throughout the town's historic center selling food, wine, beer, and enough sausages to ring the city. There's also an ongoing series of afternoon and evening concerts by singers and musicians in folkloric garb, warbling away -- a la Maria von Trapp -- their odes to Tyrolean nostalgia.
