Sixty-two years of slumber ended when Sebastian Feldbacher breathed new life into the Ruine Vierkaseralm. Imagine the scene. The hut lay abandoned. The alpine pastures were overgrown. The trail leading up was only passable for the most athletic hikers. No grazing livestock were present. No cultivation happened here. No future existed for the Vierkaseralm.
The Ruine Vierkaseralm sits at 1,590 meters on the Untersberg. It lies just outside Salzburg’s city gates. Sebastian Feldbacher from Großgmain brought his dream. He put in much effort. He revived the Vierkaseralm two years ago.
In 2020, the then 31-year-old young farmer began restoring the Alm. He received support from volunteers. They worked piece by piece. First, they repaired the path. They made it suitable for cows. Next, they removed many cubic meters of bushes. They fenced in areas. Currently, 8.5 hectares are usable as feeding area. The cultivated area in the upper part of the Alm is 45 hectares. The total area covers 85 hectares.
After countless hours of hard work the second Almsommer could be started. In 2022 from June to September a dozen animals grazed here. Mostly young cattle and oxen were on the Vierkaseralm. In 2021, Sebastian Feldbacher sent five head of cattle to the Alm for his first attempt.
Feldbacher says that he currently only goes up with his own Pinzgauer cattle. Between 10 and 12 cattle will be there again this year. His goal is to market the meat himself in the next few years. Feldbacher was already able to sell the first packages of meat. This meat came from the Untersberger Almweideochsen from the Vierkaseralm.
The main work in the first two years and currently involves pushing back the bush encroachment. It also entails clearing the alpine pastures. This laborious work is called Almschwenden. The Alpenverein Salzburg has maintained a sustainable cooperation from the beginning. In August 2022, the young farmer organized a so-called environmental construction site with the Alpenverein.
Feldbacher noted that on the strongest day, 17 volunteers helped with Schwenden. Some come because they enjoy it. Others get involved because they think the project on the Untersberg is great. The Untersberg is Salzburg’s local mountain. Sebastian Feldbacher is a full-time excavator operator. He has also completed training as an agricultural worker and passed the hunting exam.
Feldbacher writes an Almtagebuch for himself. When he goes up to the Alm, he notes where the cattle were. He also writes what he did and how much pure working time he put in. In recent years, 1,700 hours of voluntary work have come together. This makes Feldbacher proud. In times when more and more alpine pastures are abandoned in the Alpine region, the Salzburg project is outstanding. He has strong supporters.
Feldbacher had a serious accident in 2018. He had almost given up on his young life. He fought his way back into life. He spent 18 weeks in rehab. Afterwards, he sat in a wheelchair for some time. He was on sick leave at home for a long time. He had plenty of time to think. His thoughts kept revolving around the Vierkaseralm. His grandparents had once farmed it. As a child, he always liked being on the Alm. Over the years, he watched the decay of the Almhütte. He thought that it was a pity that they were no longer up here. He regretted that the Alm area was growing so much.
Alm farming, nature, and hunting go hand in hand on the Salzburg Untersberg. Last year, Feldbacher was walking away from the Alm. Eleven pieces of grouse ran across his path. It was a beautiful experience. During the rutting season in September the stags stood among the cows. It is very special for him when wild and grazing animals are in harmony.
The future of the Vierkaseralm seems secure. Feldbacher would like to see this for other threatened alpine pastures in Austria. He would be happy if more young people would again occupy alpine pastures. There are alpine areas in almost every region that are being lost. They are abandoned or rights are sold. This has fatal consequences for the natural and cultural landscape and biodiversity. The alpine pastures are very important for our cultural landscape, for wildlife and nature. There is an avalanche slope below his Alm. A severe avalanche occurred there in 2008. The forest is now being reforested. The avalanche protection also benefits from the cultivated Alm. The wildlife now stays more on the free Alm area and not in the avalanche cone.
The positive feedback from people encourages him. It feels right to cultivate the Alm again. For Feldbacher, it is nature conservation that is lived. He can count on the support of the Alpenverein Salzburg and landowners. Researchers from the University of Salzburg are also accompanying the revitalization of the Alm. They provide scientific documentation. From the perspective of these various parties, the work around the Ruine Vierkaseralm on the Untersberg is worthwhile.