It's our first trip to Southern Burgenland with Murphy and Archie. And golden autumn in mid-October is truly showing its most beautiful side. The state, which advertises 300 days of sunshine, definitely doesn't disappoint us.
In our last post we already introduced you to our lovely accommodation at Weinloft 1. Today I'll tell you about our wonderful activities and day trips in the region around Güssing.
Güssing Castle
Murphy conquers Southern Burgenland
On our first full day we're out early and head off to Güssing Castle. Well signposted, we easily find the car park and set off. The climb is steep, but not long. Those who prefer can also take the funicular for currently € 2,-. Archie would have been all for it — he kept pulling me towards it, but I managed to talk him into walking. Since a few sharp stones line the path, we put his latex socks on him and off we go!
The castle has been in the possession of the Batthyány family since 1524. From mid-March to the end of October, exhibitions are regularly held in the castle museum. The castle can also be hired for events such as weddings.
Murphy finds Burgenland's oldest castle absolutely fascinating and breathtaking. The sweeping views are totally his thing!
The prince has conquered the castle ;)
The Kellerviertel Heiligenbrunn
The Kellerstöckl — a unique feature of Southern Burgenland
This village of 744 inhabitants lies southeast of Güssing and is famous for its wine cellar quarter. 120 privately owned wine cellars, all dating from the 17th and 18th centuries, can be admired here, and around 50 of them are still thatched with straw. The Kellerviertel has been a protected landscape area since 1969 and is NOT a museum.
A particularly lovely lady asks us whether we'd like to see a Stöckl from the inside. "Of course!" we would. Curious, we step into the cosy communal room with its seating corner, wooden table, fridge and dresser. The friendliness shown towards us — and towards the dogs — runs right through the whole of Southern Burgenland, by the way.
What is an Uhudler?
The name "Uhudler" comes from the idea that after drinking too much (i.e. "dudeln" — tippling away), you supposedly end up looking like an owl (Uhu) :D
The grape variety has been grown around Güssing and Jennersdorf for over 100 years, but originally descends from American vines. The Uhudler is a so-called direct producer and a purely natural product. It is resistant to phylloxera and fungal diseases and therefore requires no chemical pesticides.
In Heiligenbrunn you walk from the past right into the present, breathing in the sweet scent of the Uhudler grape at every turn.
You can read more about the history of the Kellerviertel and the Uhudler here.
Restaurant recommendation: Gasthof Hotel Krutzler
After a journey like that through the past, the stomach starts to rumble. So we pay a visit to the traditional Gasthof Hotel Krutzler and treat ourselves to a Schnitzel and a typical Burgenland Feuerfleck.
Delicious! Scrumptious! Highly recommended!
Hiking on the Eisenberg in the Municipality of Deutsch-Schützen
On the Border Path Between Austria and Hungary
The owners of our Kellerstöckl near Edlitz share a few tips for excursions in the area — which is how we ended up doing the loop around the Eisenberg. That's also where the modern Weinlofts 2 and 3 are located, by the way. We really wanted to reach the "Weinblick" viewing platform (see photo above) and soak in the panorama stretching across Hungary, the Pinkaboden, the Styrian hill country, Carinthia and Slovenia.
A friendly man who watches our attempts at a "family selfie" kindly offers to take the photo for us. And a little while later, at the Kellerstöckln on the Eisenberg, a local woman strikes up a conversation with us about the region and the Uhudler wine. As I mentioned earlier, we find the people of southern Burgenland wonderfully warm, chatty and helpful.
Interesting Facts About the Eisenberg
Eisenberg an der Pinka is a village in the municipality of Deutsch Schützen-Eisenberg with a current population of 435. As the name suggests, the area's clay soils are rich in iron, which gives the wines their earthy, spicy, mineral character. The most important grape variety, Blaufränkisch, is marketed under the designation "Eisenberg DAC".
The Reservoir at Urbersdorf
Along the Trails of a Nature Discovery Path
A 2.5 km walking trail circles the Urbersdorf reservoir, which is not far from Güssing. It seems to be a popular fishing spot — several anglers had made themselves comfortable near the car park.
According to online research, the Clusius nature wildlife park was renovated in 1999/2000, and 12 hand-painted nature interpretation boards share interesting facts about the local flora and fauna.
We didn't actually notice those boards, and we didn't spot the wildlife enclosure either. But the autumn colours, the ancient towering oaks and the peaceful atmosphere were more than enough for us to switch off completely and bring our little getaway to a perfect close.
In that last photo, by the way, you can see Archie's face when he's "lost" me — slightly stressed ;)
No need to worry: he found me again.
We enjoyed the area around Güssing so much that we soon went exploring around Rechnitz as well. You can find that article here!
