Stone art of an unexpectedly high quality can be admired in the late Gothic church of St. Andreas. This cultural achievement was possible on the one hand because there were sufficient funds available to employ skilled craft workers, because over the centuries the Pittersburg castle near Laas was home to …
Just like everywhere else, people here too had to build wooden and stone buildings to protect themselves against the threats of nature and enemies. By their very nature wooden structures offered less security against enemy attacks, which explains why stone buildings were preferred for fortifications and castles. Of the primary …
One of the most important raw materials known to mankind is iron, as this can be used to produce high quality weapons and robust tools. In the past, it was mined in the Gailtal and Carnic Alps and brought affluence to the area. Two excavation sites also operated close to …
In the gently babbling brook, gravel ranging from turquoise blue to jade green can be spotted among the red stones. Dark gravel and stones containing voids are even more common, resembling the stones found near volcanoes. They are the first indication along the Geotrail of man’s attempts to use raw …
When people are unable to obtain any immediate practical benefit from natural formations, at best they go unnoticed – however valuable they may be to scientists. This is the case of the petrified tree in Laas, the largest fossilised plant to be found in Austria. It was uncovered around 1930 …
Read more The petrified trees of Laas – an underestimated treasure
As well as good soil, water is essential to the existence of a village. Laas has this in abundance. On the one hand, this is due to its climate, as the Gailtal valley is one of the regions of Carinthia with the highest levels of precipitation. However, the fact that …
Read more The waterworks – plenty of water thanks to a former desert
At first glance, it is not obvious that for the residents of the village the development of this beautiful cultural landscape was linked with fear and horror. Here you are standing on an alluvial fan, a typical landscape feature of valleys. It starts out as a ravine and widens as …
In order for a village to develop, two essential foundations of life are required: water and fertile soil. The writing over the door of Laas Mill reminds us of the latter. Soils have a great deal to do with geology because they consist almost entirely of minerals and rocks. In …