Copper mining in Viehhofen

The history of Viehhofen runs deep. Long before visitors came here to find peace, nature and beautiful views, the slopes surrounding the village were already being worked, mined and smelted. Copper mining is one of the oldest traces of Viehhofen’s history – and remains one of the most impressive to this day.

What today looks like a tranquil mountain landscape was, in the Bronze Age, part of a vast and complex industrial landscape. Around the Wirtsalm, the Herma Tunnel and other sites, a mining landscape emerged where ore was extracted, processed and refined. This is precisely what makes it so special: Viehhofen was not merely a site of discovery, but part of a highly specialised mining district.

Recent archaeological investigations have significantly clarified the picture. Between 2017 and 2020, known sites were re-surveyed and further sites discovered. In total, eight previously known smelting sites were rediscovered and seven new ones identified. For the first time, this has made it possible to establish that Viehhofen was in intensive use between the 14th and 12th centuries BC.

The excavation at Kressenbrunn proved particularly revealing: smelting furnaces, roasting beds and other work areas were uncovered there. Other sites such as Raggensteinalm, Gröbenbach and Hecherhütte also demonstrate how closely extraction, processing and smelting were linked here. This makes it clear that ore was not merely found in Viehhofen – it was processed here within a clearly organised landscape.

Among the best-known artefacts are the Bronze Age mining traces at the Wirtsalm and the cavities created by fire-setting discovered in the Herma Tunnel. Wooden artefacts found in the tunnel and at the smelting sites are now helping to date the history more accurately. This transforms old tales into reliable research – and makes Viehhofen a particularly fascinating historical site in the Pinzgau region.