The Schneeberg sawmill is situated at Hengstbergbach and is the last original sawmill still maintained in the region, one which was first recorded back in 1631.

The mill was broadly based on the technical innovation which Leonardo da Vinci first introduced with the construction of the sawmill prototype. In this instance the saw blade is not led to the "log", as was once the case, but instead the timber is shunted forwards slowly on the "saw carriage" and pressed against the saw blade.

The region's farmers have always known how to use the forests of Schneebergland to economic ends. Timber hauling and processing have formed the basis of a modest prosperity.

The Schneeberg sawmill was still water-powered until 1965, and it was run with a diesel engine until its closure in 1974, when it was left to ruin.

It was only thanks to the intiative of the "Friends of the Schneeberg Sawmill Association", formed in 1997, that this cultural monument was able to be maintained in its original 17th century design.

Information and contact addresses can be found at: www.schneeberger-saege.at