A Tripoint is a geographical location where three countries come together. There are 176 international tripoints, but over half of these are in water. Of the remaining ones, Austria has nine, which makes it the country with the most tripoints in Europe.

Most tripoints have a marker of some sort erected at the point of intersection. The one above, found in the south of Carinthia, brings together Austria, Italy, and Slovenia (in 1975, when this photo was taken, it was still part of Yugoslavia).

The sign reads “Attention! National border!”

Usually a tripoint is accessible, and though the “official” country border comes up to the monument, there is often a more ominous border set back from the attraction itself. Back in those days, Yugoslavia was still a communist country and you didn’t want to get caught on the other side.

The Old Wolf has spoken.