The muncipality of Ahrntal valley has a population of around 6,000. It comprises the villages of Luttach, the main village of Steinhaus set a slightly over 1,000 metres above sea level, St. Jakob, St. Johann, St. Peter and Weißenbach. Rural life and handcrafts are bound up with carefully upheld tradition here, with local farmers having been self-sufficient until late in the 20th century.

A museum tour
Three museums house the things most worth seeing in Ahrntal valley. Maranatha crib museum in Luttach has folk art in the form of imaginative nativity scenes from all over Europe on display over an area of 1,300 square metres. The workshop next door affords insight into woodcarving, one of the traditional handcrafts of Tauferer Ahrntal valley.

The 'Bergbaumuseum im Kornkasten', or 'mountain mining museum' in the 'Kornkasten' in Steinhaus tells the story of unremitting hard work and frugal living conditions. The 'Kornkasten' was a warehouse for keeping the necessary items for mountain mining in – from tools to corn for eating. Nowadays, the objects in the 'Kornkasten' illustrate the history and working routines of the mine. If you don't just want to look at photos, but see the mine for yourself, neighbouring Prettau has a show mine, where you can be taken underground to visit it.

Probably the most important mineral museum in the eastern Alps in Steinhaus came into being from a hobby. 1,000 individual examples from the rocks of the Zillertal Alps and the Hohe Tauern may be viewed here. The prettiest rock crystal comes from the mountain mine at Prettau, of course.

Teldra Köscht' 
The cuisine in Ahrntal valley or the 'Teldra Köscht', as the locals call it, reflects the living conditions and traditions in the municipalities. These rather frugal specialities enrich Pustertal cooking today. Farmers and villagers used to be self-sufficient until into the 1960s and ate what their 'Toul', or valley, produced. An example of this is 'Graukäse' cheese. The cream used for making butter was needed for other things and was skimmed off the milk, leaving just skimmed milk. This was then used for making 'Graukäse'. Making cheese used to be just the job of farmwomen and dairymaids until the 19th century, when it became a job for men. Because this cheese is so low in fat, it has been the focus of attention by gourmets and nutritionists for years and has thus been elevated in status and used in recipes by top chefs. It is still produced using the traditional methods. Guests to Ahrntal valley just have to try this cheese. It has always been eaten in slices with vinegar and onion rings. Genuine 'Pressknödel', or pressed dumplings, a regular meal enjoyed by dairy and forest workers, lends it its characteristically intensive taste.