Image collection »Defereggental«
Running from the west, the Defereggental runs into the Iseltal near Huben. The Schwarzach which drains the valley, has cut a deep bed into the outer section of the valley, so that settlements are limited to the sunny steep slopes or narrow flat areas on the slopes. The head of the valley only flattens out with the settlement of St. Jakob at an altitude of 1400 m and here the morphological conditions are such that they have made it possible for St. Jakob to become one of the most important tourist resorts in East Tyrol. The mountain chains on both sides of the valley (Deferegger Gebirge and Lasörlinggruppe), are made up predominantly of gneisses and mica slates. The inner Defereggental was settled from the South Tyrolean Antholzer Tal valley over the Staller Sattel (2055 m), and there has been a road connection to South Tyrol since 1974. Protestantism was also introduced into the valley through an early flourishing peddler trade (above all in hats). Then towards the end of the 17th century, many inhabitants were ingloriously forced to leave their native land as a result of the religious settlement of the Peace of Westphalia.