Mitteregg - Making hay at the most beautiful end of the world!

The sun rises, a new morning begins. For many people, the start of the day is accompanied by a lot of noises. But not in Mitteregg! When the first rays of sunshine touch the mountain peaks here, the inhabitants of the idyllic village are woken by the gentle chirping of birds. Instead of exhaust fumes, the scent of fresh hay and colorful meadow flowers fills the air. Some farmhouses nestle against the hills, with cows and goats grazing on its pastures. It almost feels as if time has stood still.

In the village's inn, owner Anita Haritzer-Wechner serves guests and locals with her homemade cooking. Everyone knows everyone here and the people work together to ensure that this idyllic atmosphere is maintained.

Visitors to Mitteregg can not only experience nature up close, but also marvel at its great diversity. The surrounding fields, meadows and forests are not only home to numerous wild animals, but also a wide variety of plant species. “This flora is one of the most species-rich in the entire Western Alps - and for good reason!” says guesthouse owner Anita Haritzer-Wechner. “There are no chemical fertilizers here, everything takes its natural course.” Rare flower species shine in all their colorful glory in summer. The odd deer or curious hare also like to drop by in the village. 

Haymaking is one of the reasons why animals and plants feel really at home in Mitteregg. Haymaking plays a particularly important role in the maintenance and cultivation of the Mitteregg landscape. “Without haymaking, the flora would be restricted,” explains Haritzer-Wechner. Without regular mowing, weeds not only overgrow private gardens. Therefore fields and meadows need the right care and attention as well.

“In Mitteregg, the hay is made twice during the year, with the so called first and second cut,” reports Haritzer-Wechner. “While elsewhere the first cut usually takes place in spring, here at an altitude of 1,349 masl it is usually only in June.” This is when the so-called “field hay” is cut. In late summer it`s time for the second cut. Traditionally, all the villagers cultivate their surrounding fields themselves. “This calls for perseverance and teamwork,” she sums up.

In the past, when the population was somewhat larger, the local families would get out their scythes and rakes and get to work. Even today, haymaking is still a communal task. With only 17 inhabitants, the number of hands is naturally limited. Nowadays, they usually only work in pairs or alone on a single field. “In the meantime, however, technology is making inroads, as motorized mowers are being used,” says the innkeeper. “It's too steep to work with large tractors.” Once the fields have been mowed, the villagers use traditional rakes and pitchforks. Some fields are so steep that they use special sledges to transport the hay from Mitteregg to the valley, explains Haritzer-Wechner.

Once the work is done, the four-legged inhabitants of Mitteregg can enjoy the hay harvest. Only two farms are still actively involved in livestock farming, which is why the farmers use most of the hay from Mitteregg to feed the game. The wild herbs from the second cut are particularly popular with deer and hares. The remaining hay also serves a purpose in winter. When the cold season sets in and snow covers the mountains, snow slides can sometimes occur on the surrounding hillsides. “Wooden trestles, which are planted, offer the buildings a certain amount of protection against this,” explains Haritzer-Wechner.

While the whole village gives the impression of having traveled back in time, one building in Mitteregg is particularly steeped in history: the old Mitteregg school. “Although it has not been actively used as a school for several decades, everything still looks exactly as it did back then,” describes Haritzer-Wechner. The rustic wooden desks and benches are still in the classroom, blackboards and maps adorn the walls.
The timetable also included arithmetic, reading, writing, sport and general studies. There was no gymnasium or sports field, but there was enough space outside in nature to get some good exercise. “There were also hiking days for the children and young people - but they could easily last the whole day and were really tough!” Haritzer-Wechner recalls. They were exhausting and time-consuming, but also fun.

Before the school was built, lessons took place in one of the farmhouses. “In 1926, the village got its own school building - which was also built as a community effort,” explains Haritzer-Wechner. “Nevertheless, everyone was taught together in one classroom, from year one to year eight.” When the classes were particularly small, children from the neighboring villages were added. This saved the school from being closed for many years.

In 1974, however, the time had come: with only three pupils left in the village. Today, the local children attend the school in Berwang, but the old building remains. The people of Mitteregg are proud of their old school and take loving care to ensure that it remains in such good condition. “This is our contemporary history,” emphasizes Haritzer-Wechner. 

“This is preserved in impeccable condition, as are numerous notebooks and records. The teachers recorded everything that moved the village in the chronicle: who was born, who died, who moved here,” she recaps. These records also tell of historical milestones, such as the earthquake in Namlos in the 1930s or the returnees from the Second World War. The teaching staff consisted exclusively of young people who gained their first work experience in Mitteregg. At that time, it was common for each teacher to stay in the village for a maximum of two years. Many would certainly have liked to stay longer, because the heart really blossoms in Mitteregg.