Salzburg, Austria (Duchy) - Comments

From LoveToKnow 1911

I am interested to note tha the area of Salzburg duchy(in square miles) is the same as the area of Salzburg Land (state) today. Encyclopaedia Britannica (1928 edition, reprinted 1938) says that in 1918 some districts that had been ceded to Tyrol in 1849 were returned. The districts are not named, but would presumably include lake Zeller-see which is specifically listed as part of Salzburg. This area is of interest to me, because it would appear to correspond with the area that officially adopted drive on the right in 1930. (Source: Rule of the Road by Peter Kincaid, Macquarie University, Australia) Until 1915 Austria-Hungary had two different rules of the road. Drive on the left was the rule in most of the Hapsburg Empire, except for three provinces: Tyrol, Vorarlberg and Carinthia. The difference in Tyrol and Vorarlberg is said to be because they were transferred to Bavaria during the Napoleonic period. I see from LovetoKnow 1911 that western Carinthia was also under the French for part of this period, which may explain why they adopted drive on the right (official from 1874). It is curious that Salzburg kept to the left, even though they were also ceded to Bavaria for a short period. In 1915 (no date given) the Imperial military regime ordered a standard rule throughout the Empire: drive on the left. Drive on the right was official restored in Vorarberg 1921, and in 1930 Tyrol (except East Tyrol)and three districts in Salzburg, included Zell um Zee. In 1935 this was extended to East Tyrol and Carinthia, this restoring the 1915 situation. In 1938 after the Nazi Anschlus driveon the right became the rule throughout Austria.