Pagan Church (Mooserboden)

At 2,040 meters above sea level, the Heidnische Kirche auf Mooserboden is located exactly adjacent to the Moosersperre dam of the Tauern power plant in Kaprun.A. in Pinzgau’s Kaprun Valley.

Between June and October, it is accessible by Mooserbodenstraße from the Lärchwand inclined lift.

It is a memorial to all of the engineers, construction workers, and prisoners of war who died while building the Glockner-Kaprun power plant group between 1947 and 1955 (161 deceased).The inscription ” Out of work and sacrifice, a work ” also serves as a reminder of the magnitude of this massive endeavor as well as the forces of nature in the Hohe Tauern.

The 14-meter-high work of art is composed of concrete and was designed by artist Josef Magnus.It portrays Saint Barbara’s mantle of protection over the power facilities and the Kaprun valley. It was built in the years 1959-1960 atop a divided piece of granite known as a Schliefstein in pagan folk belief.According to legend, anybody who crawls through the tight hole would be able to shed their sins and ailments.