Obertilliach, with its small community of 708 inhabitants, is located in the Tyrolean Lesach- or Gailvalley. Walking through its narrow alleys you can marvel at landmarked farmhouses, especially in summer when they are adorned with beautiful flowers. The river flowing through the valley is called the large Gail. The climate in Obertilliach is sometimes perceived as being a bit harsh, which, however, also accounts for the rough but stunningly beautiful landscape. Obertilliach was already mentioned in the second half of the 11th century. There is no definite evidence, but it’s assumed that at that time Romanic immigrants discovered this beautiful corner of the world, settled down and used Obertilliach as a horse pasture. Obertilliach is referred to as the “wooden village”. The buildings are clustered quite densely and made almost entirely from wood. Therefore it’s not surprising that Obertilliach can boast the last remaining night-watchman in Austria, regularly making his rounds through the streets, its own. The village is scattered with several sacral edifices as well as profane buildings which are under monumental protection, relating back to the rich history of Obertilliach. The newly refurbished parish church Hl. Ulrich alone makes a walk around the village worth your while.
Obertilliach is also well known as a hiking village, from where hikers and mountaineers embark on their tours on the Gailvalley or Carnic high altitude trail or up the northern face of the Porze, where they are rewarded with stunningly beautiful views of the Dolomites Felsenburg.
The biathlon centre East Tyrol and its 60 km long “Grenzland” trail have made the village famous for being the perfect training location for cross-country skiers. So it’s not surprising that even Ole Einar Bjorndalen has chosen Obertilliach as his permanent place of residence. In winter, regular competition events such as the Dolomitenlauf, Europe cup etc. are major attractions in Obertilliach.
Since winter 2014/15, Obertilliach has become even more known due to its showing up in a James Bond movie. For shooting the new James Bond “Spectre”, the lovely village Obertilliach has been chosen as the perfect setting for snowy winter scenes.