Stams in the Oberinntal has a long tradition and is of supra-regional scale importance. The church devoted to St. Johannes has been a pilgrimage site since the Middle Ages. The Cistercian abbey, with its striking baroque onion domes, was founded by the Tyrolean Count Meinhard II (1273) and has been the spiritual centre of the region. The pedagogical academy, the study centre of the diocese of Innsbruck, the Meinhardinum grammar school and the boarding school for Alpine and Nordic winter sports (with ski jumps) clearly show that Stams is a centre for education. In 1995 the provincial exhibition took place in the abbey. Next to the various schools the monasterial businesses characterize the village.