Jagdhausalm 2.009 m

The Jagdhausalm is nestled in a picturesque natural setting at 2.009 metres above sea level at the far end of the Defereggental. It consists of 17 stone houses and the Maria Hilf chapel and is one of the oldest alpine pastures in Austria. As early as 1212, there is evidence that 6 alpine huts existed here, which were called "Schwaighöfe" in the vernacular. As the settlement is located above the tree line and therefore hardly any timber was available, the houses were built almost entirely from locally available stone. Over the centuries, vast alpine pastures were created high above the tree line, grazed by livestock and tended by hard-working farmers. Situated at 2.000 metres above sea level and nestled between rocks and grass mats, they are often referred to as the "Little Tibet" of the Alps. Just a few decades ago, the alpine dairymen led an archaic life here.

As finds dating back to the 7th millennium BC prove, the region around the nearby Klammjoch was already a popular camp site for hunters and gatherers in the early Stone Age. Today, the houses of the Jagdhausalm itself are mostly used as stables, storage facilities and dwellings for the dairymen. Even today, despite some modernisation, you still feel as if you have been transported back to times long past. A special feature is the nearby Oberhauser Zirbenwald, the largest closed stone pine forest in the Eastern Alps. A popular photo motif is the so-called "Pfauenauge", hidden a few minutes' walk behind the Jagdhausalmen.