“You really needed strength to drive the hoes in, force them forward and throw out the peat. Tree trunks and rootstocks also came to light, and there was no chainsaw to cut them away."

Walter Hairer, farmer, Fließ,
on peat cutting in the peatland

Walter Hairer is a farmer from Fließ and has supported Naturpark Kaunergrat from the very beginning. He led guided tours, campaigned for the preservation of the peatland and helped remove scrub. He never worked as a peat cutter himself, but he witnessed peat extraction first-hand. His memories can be heard in the audio piece “A Job for Strong Young Men. Peat Extraction in the Piller Peatland”.