Augstwiesalm, Mountain pasture in Altaussee, Austria.
Augstwiesalm is a mountain pasture on the southwestern edge of the Totes Gebirge range, near Altaussee, sitting at 1,415 meters (4,640 feet) above sea level. It is made up of around two dozen huts built in the local style, set within natural meadows inside a closed valley basin.
The pasture developed during the medieval period, when alpine farming in the Altaussee region expanded to higher ground. Archaeological finds on the nearby moraine point to human presence here going back roughly 800 years.
The huts on the Augstwiesalm show the typical Ausseer building style, with stables on the ground floor and living quarters above, a design shaped by the needs of alpine farming. Walking among them gives a clear sense of how people organized daily life at this altitude.
The pasture is reached from Albert-Appel-Haus via marked trail 201, and the walk takes roughly an hour through a mix of meadow and rocky ground. Sturdy footwear is a good idea, as the path can be slippery after rain.
On winter nights, cold air sinks and collects in the closed basin below the pasture, and temperatures can fall below minus 38 degrees Celsius. This makes the valley floor here one of the coldest spots in the whole region.
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