Sankt Jakob in Defereggen: Nature, Water and Culture

When choosing a hotel in Sankt Jakob in Defereggen, you can start by considering which themes you would like to shape your stay: protected nature, water-based experiences or historic places. The landscape and the individual attractions each offer a different focus.

Landscape and Activities in Different Seasons

123 km² of the municipal area of St. Jakob in Defereggen is protected within the Hohe Tauern National Park. One distinctive feature of the landscape is the Oberhauser Zirbenwald, considered the largest contiguous stone pine forest in the Eastern Alps. These two nature-related highlights offer a glimpse of the area’s landscape.

The winter season also offers a range of activities: cross-country skiing is available throughout the season, with many kilometres of trails. The Bruggeralm route is a freeride trail with ten downhill options. Cross-country skiing and freeriding are therefore two distinct options, offering different experiences.

For mountain bike tours, the Hintere Alpe Stalle No. 110 route starts and ends at the Maria Hilf church in St. Jakob im Defereggen. It is at an altitude of 1,422 m and is 6.3 km long. The Trojer Alm No. 151 route also starts in Sankt Jakob in Defereggen and ends at the Trojeralm snack station; it is 4.8 km long. These stated distances give you a concrete basis for comparing the routes when planning your day.

Water as an Experience and a Theme

The Haus des Wassers (House of Water) is west of the centre of St. Jakob in Defereggen, in the district of Oberrotte. Its programme includes practical water analyses and water experiments in which participants take part themselves. At the southern edge of the village, an extensive water-themed nature playground lies right beside the Schwarzach. A small side channel branches off from the main river there.

Another water-related attraction is Wassermythos Ochsenlacke at the Mooseralm in the St. Jakob im Defereggental ski centre. Along the circular trail around the reservoir are activity stations featuring water creatures that visitors can play with. The attraction can be reached by gondola and chairlift to the Mooseralm. Unlike the hands-on water experiments at the House of Water, the focus here is on discovering the stations along the circular trail.

The Deferegger Heilwasserwelt includes a Kneipp fountain. Exclusive guided tours for groups are available there year-round by prior arrangement. They can be booked with or without a walk along the Mythenweg to the Heilwasserwelt; sculptures by East Tyrolean artists stand along this route. Advance arrangements are part of the planning, and the walk is optional, not a necessary part of every tour.

Archaeology, Architectural History and Historic Places

The “Zeitreise Defereggen” valley museum opened in 2005 in the basement of the music pavilion in St. Jakob in Defereggen. It focuses on archaeological finds; it is not a local folklore museum. The largest object on display is a dugout canoe made of stone pine: it was recovered in 2000, is around 1,000 years old and was found at Obersee, also known as Staller Sattel, at an altitude of 2,000 m. So far, it is considered the only known dugout canoe made of stone pine.

The parish church of St. Jakob in Defereggen was first mentioned in a document in 1299. Architecturally, it is a relatively rare example of a Neoclassical church in Tyrol: the simple hall church has three shallow domes. Those interested in its architectural history can distinguish two specific points of interest: the church’s long-documented history and its distinctive architectural form.

The Jagdhausalm settlement also brings together different periods. Its origins date back to the 13th century, while the stone houses date from the 16th century. Together with the archaeology-focused museum and the parish church, this offers cultural interests ranging from early settlement history to specific finds and architectural styles.

Discover more destinations: Schlaiten, Gsaritzen, Sillian, Hinterbichl, Bruggen, Heinfels, Erlsbach, Amlach.

For the main travel overview: Lienz.