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St. Jakob in Defereggen is a municipality in the Austrian state of Tyrol, district of Lienz (East Tyrol). With 823 inhabitants, St. Jakob is today the main village of the Defereggen valley.
The second largest municipality in the district in terms of area is the most sparsely populated area in East Tyrol with only 5 inhabitants per km². Economically, tourism is the most important source of income for the population. After Matrei in Osttirol, the municipality counts the most overnight stays in East Tyrol and is a leader in winter tourism.

The municipal area includes the rear Defereggen valley as well as its side valleys. Extensive parts of the municipality belong to the Hohe Tauern National Park.

Culture and sights

    Jagdhausalm
    Catholic parish church St. Jakob in Defereggen

In the Äußere Großrotte there is the Filialkirche zum Heiligen Leonhard, which was built in the second half of the 15th century and was originally under the jurisdiction of the Vicariate of St. Veit.

Several facilities still bear witness to the former importance of mining. The trading house in the main village of the municipality was built in 1627 and served as the operating and administrative building of the mining company.

In the Schwarzach valley, on the edge of the Oberhauser Zirbenwald near the Oberhausalm, stands the 22-meter-high Oberhaus lookout tower, which, as part of the "Oberhauser Zirbenwald Nature and Culture Trail", mainly serves as a wildlife observation tower.