Since the beginning of time, humans have felt the need to demarcate and enclose the land they were using and to protect it from intruders. The formation of fences has always been a prerequisite for orderly land cultivation and livestock farming. Farmers in the province of Salzburg were obliged early on to fence off not only their estates but also their pastures from neighbouring regal forests.

Over the centuries, typical fencing styles have developed in the Pinzgau and the neighbouring Tyrolean region. Apart from the buildings typical for the region, such as the Einhof and the Paarhof farmhouse types and hay barns, the fences are the characteristics elements of the landscape that are visible from afar.

A common characteristic of our historic fences is that they were built almost entirely from wood. Nails and wire were rather scarce on early farmsteads, whereas wood was plentiful.

Unfortunately, these beautiful fences, which fit into the landscape so well, are disappearing more and more. To assemble a fence like this, a lot of wood and time is needed. They are often replaced by barbed wire and electric fences that are not so aesthetically pleasing but are rather practical.

With the re-forming of historic fences in Leogang, valuable cultural assets are brought back to the townscape and thereby also remembered.

The assembly of traditional fences is the oldest rural craft. It requires great skill, a sense of distance and proportion and a feeling for harmony. Sadly, very few younger farmers today master the old way of building fences.

The historic fences in the town centre of Leogang and along the most important roads are being built by experienced craftsmen. Through this activity, some helpers will learn to build these fences again.