A handful of deep-eaved houses and traditional wooden barns gather loosely around the tall spire of the gothic church – the bells ring morning and evening. A tin mug hangs from a chain at the village fountain for thirsty passers-by returning from a day’s work in the surrounding meadows, and cows occasionally make themselves heard, lowing from their byres opposite the Gasthof. Green pastures slope gently down to the edge of the steep scarp that drops abruptly to the river. St Jakob combines with neighbouring Strajach to count less than a hundred inhabitants, but the 16 children attending the primary school show that the community is a strong one. The locals cherish their village, working the land and forest around it, attending the church and in winter creating a rink to compete with neighbours in the local version of curling.
