For its relatively small size, Austria boasts an incredible topographic diversity. Between the flat steppe of the Pannonian lowlands in Austria’s east and the high Alpine regions in its west, there are luxuriant forests and gently rolling hills, wetlands and lake districts, and the almost Mediterranean landscapes of the south. The major landscapes forms include:
Wine and Warm Springs
South Styria owes its nickname “Styrian Tuscany” to its hilly landscape and excellent wines. But the comparison fails as the region south of Graz has it own, very distinctive, features and characteristics.
South Styria is comprised of the greater Leibnitz region and parts of the West and East Styrian Hill Country. The region’s climate is influenced by the Mediterranean Sea and therefore quite mild. In the fall high pressure areas in the Adriatic region usually bring long periods of fine weather and sunshine.
All in all these are great conditions for growing wine grapes; varieties like Blauer Zweigelt, Gelber Muskateller, Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot Blanc and Welschriesling do especially well in this climate. A wine unique to that region is the Schilcher, an unusual kind of rosé. South Styria’s three Wine Roads – the Südsteirischen Weinstraße, the Sausaler Weinstraße and the Klapotetz Weinstraße – boast a great choice of wine taverns and wine festivals, such as the one in Gamlitz (first weekend in October).
The health resorts of Bad Radkersburg and Bad Gleichenberg are also well worth a visit. Bad Radkersburg, which has the most sunshine hours in Austria, boasts a wonderful Thermal Bath which is fed with mineral-rich waters that bubble up from 250 meters below. They water is also used in special drinking cures. In Bad Radkersburger the water comes burbling from 2 kilometers underground and feeds one of Austria’s hottest and mineral-richest springs.
Cycle Your Way Through South Styria - Bad Gleichenberg is one of Austria’s oldest spa towns whose thermal springs have been put to use for some 170 years already. Patients have been relaxing and recovering in the spa’s beautiful parkland's since the early 19th century. A new spa, the Weinlandtherme, is scheduled to be built near the picturesque Ehrenhausen Castle in 2008.
The best way to explore South Styria is by bicycle. The 365-kilometre long Mur Cycle Path starts in Lungau (Salzburg), runs through Styria’s capital Graz and ends at the Slovenian border. Other beautiful cycleways include Sterzweg, Römerweg, Weinlandweg and Sulmtalradweg. Worthwhile attractions in South Styria include Seggau Palace, today a congress centre with a splendid renaissance courtyard, the old Roman metropolis of Flavia Solva and the Frauenberg Temple Museum with remains of an old Roman temple.
Landscapes as far as the eyes can see
The Pannonian lowlands are characterised by a mild climate, the steppe landscape of the Seewinkel, beautiful vineyards and bucolic villages.
The majority of the Pannonian lowlands belong to Hungary. The region is flanked by the Alps, the Carpathian Mountains, the Balkan Mountains and the Dinarian Mountains; the rivers Danube and the Theiss run through it. The Austrian part of the Pannonian lowlands is located in northern Burgenland, in particular the Lake Neusiedler See and Seewinkel regions. The lowlands are characterised by a relatively dry climate with hot summers and rather mild winters with plenty of sunshine. With over 300 sunny days per year Burgenland is nicknamed “Land of the Sun”.
Wine grapes thrive in this climate: the wine growing regions around Neusiedler See and in the Neusiedler See Hill Country make up one fourth of Austria’s wine growing acreage and boast some 7000 wine producers. Here you can find a superb selection of top reds and whites, passionate young vintners and spectacular architecture. As expected, the region’s culture too is strongly influenced by wine growing. The wine tows along the northern shores of Lake Neusiedler See celebrate the feast day of St. Martin (11 November) with a multi-day "Martiniloben", one of Austria’s largest wine festivals; the "Fest of 1,000 Wines” in Eisenstadt at the end of August is a celebration of music and wine.
Grey Cattle & Wallachian Sheep - The Pannonian flora and fauna is at its most typical at Neusiedler See and in the salt steppe of Seewinkel. This region on the eastern shores of Lake Neusiedler See is one of Europe’s most important steppe landscapes. Here you can find some 45 “puddles”, small salty ponds which, depending on the season, are either up to 70 cm deep or completely dried up.
Lake Neusiedler See is Europe’s western most steppe lake and Austria’s second largest lake. It is 33.5 kilometers long, 12 kilometers wide and up to 180 centimeters deep. Including its reed belt the lake has a size of 285 square kilometers, of which 220 square kilometers are on Austrian soil, the remaining 65 square kilometers are in Hungary. The lake forms the centrepiece of a joint national park of which 90 square kilometers are located in Austria. The park provides habitat to rare domestic animals such as gray cattle and Wallachian sheep as well as some 300 species of birds. The National Park Information Centre organises interesting nature excursions for all ages.
Storks in Rust & Operettas in Mörbisch - In 2001 the greater Neusiedler See regions in Austria and Hungary were inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List. Since then the old town of Rust with its famous stork’s nest is considered a World Heritage Site just as the Hofgasse lanes in Mörbisch, a town famous for its annual operetta festival, and the Roman Quarry, the venue for the opera and Passion play festival, in St. Margarethen.
Mönchhof, a charming open-air museum, documents everyday life in the small villages around the lake. The best way to learn about the region’s eventful history is to take a walk through Burgenland’s capital, Eisenstadt, which offers some beautiful cultural attractions such as the baroque Esterházy palace. In the 17th century the Esterházys were the most powerful dynasty in central Burgenland. Today you find traces of their legacy wherever you go in the Pannonian lowlands.
Diversity Between Waldviertel and Mühlviertel
The Bohemian Massif north of the Danube is Austria's oldest mountain range and was part of the ancient super continent of Gondwana.
The Austrian part of these highlands is made up of the expansive forests and plains of the Waldviertel and the old hilly landscape of the Mühlviertel.
The region above Manhartsberg has a rather dry and rough climate and is dominated by agriculture, forestry and fish farming. Granite, an intrusive rock, is ubiquitous here. The Blockheide Nature Park near Gmünd is famous for its huge rocking stones (boulders so finely poised upon their foundation that they can be moved slightly backward and forward with little force). Another typical feature of the Waldviertel is its high lying moors. The Heidenreichstein Moor boasts a 2.5 kilometre long wooden trail which allows visitors to explore this beautiful landscape.
Scenic Diversity in Bandlkramerland The pristine landscape between Nebelstein (1017m) in the North and Peilstein (1061m) in the South makes for great hiking, cycling and skiing. There are beautiful trails along the rivers Krems, Ysper and Kamp – with three impressive reservoir power stations –, and guided tours are offered in the Thayatal-Dobersberg in nature park. There are many lakes and ponds which attract fishing aficionados; spa facilities abound for wellness buffs (Harbach Moor Bath, Therme Laa Thermal Baths, Bad Großpertholz and Gars am Kamp).
The museums along the “Textile Route” in Groß-Siegharts, Waidhofen/Thaya and Weitra are reminiscent of the Waldviertel’s textile history. The area’s nickname “Bandlkramerland” (Ribbon Dealer Land) comes from the itinerant textile merchants which once used to travel the country. Cultural attractions include the monasteries and convents in Zwettl, Altenburg and Geras, Heidenreichstein Castle and the castles in Weitra, Rosenau, Ottenstein and Rosenburg.
Between Danube and Böhmerwald Stately farmhouses, impressive fortresses and splendid palaces dot the Mühlviertel which is named after its main river, the Mühl, and extends from the Strudengau at the Danube in the South to Plöckenstein (1379m) in the North. Characteristic for the region are the river valleys with their deep gorges at the Danube as well as the agricultural plains which, in parts, are considered mountain farming regions due to their altitude (for instance near Rohrbach or Freistadt).
In the past the region was strongly influenced by the salt and iron trade between Upper Austria and Bohemia. Europe’s first horse-drawn train was built between Linz and Budweis in 1832. Today castles and castle ruins like Clam (plays, concerts), Piberstein (culture centre) and Haichenbach (vista point) stand as silent witnesses to the past.
Romantic Mühlviertel Journey Visitors await beautiful panorama trails, dozens of museums, national parks and demonstration factories presenting old handicrafts such as weaving, blue printing and candle making. Well worth a visit are the Premonstratensian abbey dating from 1218 and the Wilhering Cistercian abbey founded in 1146. Lovers of glass painting should go to Sandl or to Freistadt where the Mühlviertler Heimathaus boasts Austria’s largest glass painting collection. The over 500-year old winged altar designed by an unknown master in the parish church of Kefermarkt attracts both pilgrims and art lovers.
The Vienna Basin
Austria’s most heavily populated, industrialized and trafficized region offers great leisure opportunities and charming attractions in front of Vienna’s city gates.
The Vienna Basin (German: Wiener Becken) extends from south of the Danube to the Vienna Woods in the West, from the Semmering and the Bucklige Welt in the South to the Rosalien and Leitha mountains in the South East and East. The region is subdivided into four small landscapes of which the probably most interesting is the so called Thermal Line from Bad Fischau to Wien-Oberlaa where hot thermal springs bubble up with water that has passed through hot rocks below and is used in the region’s many spas. This area is mainly known for being Lower Austria’s southernmost wine growing region. With its fairly mild Pannonian climate the region is ideal for producing light and spicy whites; grapes include the indigenous Zierfandler and the Rotgipfler.
The region’s main town is Baden, a famous spa resort with beautiful thermal baths from the Biedermeier period, the Art Deco thermal pools with an extensive sandy beach, a Casino, a racetrack and a golf arena.
Romantic Castles and an Imperial Past Nearby is Mödling, a charming town situated amid rugged rocks which is famous for its City Theatre and annual comedy festival. Worthwhile attractions in Laxenburg are the palace with its outstanding park and large pond (ideal for boating) and the romantic Franzensburg castle. Other interesting outing destinations include the wine towns of Gumpoldskirchen and Perchtoldsdorf (summer festival), Bad Fischau / Brunn (thermal baths) and the health resort of Bad Vöslau which boasts a vista point on Harzberg (487m) from where you enjoy great views of the Vienna Basin.
The centrepiece of the Vienna Basin is the “Feuchte Ebene” (Wet Plains), a farming, fruit growing and horticulture region; the main towns are Ebreichsdorf and Mitterndorf. Southeast of the Feuchte Ebene is the third small landscape: the barren “Steinfeld” (Stone Field) which large makes up the surroundings of Wiener Neustadt. The city was founded by Duke Leopold V who financed the construction of the city with the ransom paid for the English king Richard the Lionheart, who had previously been held as a hostage. In the 15th century Emperor Friedrick III took up his residence in Wiener Neustadt. The city’s landmarks are the late-Romanesque cathedral and the Water Tower (1910). The 500-year old Wiener Neustadt altar was moved to St. Stephen’s Cathedral in Vienna in 1883.
Transportation Hub of European Dimensions The Vienna Basin’s fourth small landscape is the hill region south of the Danube with its fertile arable land, forests and vineyards. Important cities besides Vienna include Bruck an der Leitha and Schwechat whose airport has a passenger turnover volume of almost 17 million.
The Vienna Basin is not only a major transportation hub because of the airport: the Südautobahn highway and the Südbahnstrecke train route to Italy and South-Eastern Europe as well as train and road connections to Hungary and Slovakia lead through this region. With over 1000 inhabitants/km² in some parts, the Vienna Basin is among Austria’s most densely populated areas. Shopping City Süd (Vösendorf) is the biggest shopping centre in Austria and also one of the biggest in Europe. It contains over 330 shops and has got about 25 million customers. The Vienna Basin Austria’s chief economic area and boasts several important industries such as chemicals, plastics, textiles, metal, stone, glass, paper and food.
The Alps: Living Space and Recreational Space.
Mighty mountain massifs from Vorarlberg's Rätikon in the West to the Gutenstein Alps in the East have been providing a living space for the people for thousands of years.
The only moderately glaciated Verwall group, the Zillertal Alps and the Hohe Tauern have always held a special allure for hikers and mountaineers. The 120-kilometre long main ridge of this impressive alpine region forms the geographic centre of the East Alps. With 3798m the Grossglockner is Austria’s highest mountain. At its foot is the Pasterze, the largest glacier in the East Alps. The Ötztal Alps with the Wildspitze (3774m) and the Similaun (3607m) are the East Alps’ largest mountain range. The Niedere Tauern group with the Hochgolling (2862 m) is located east of the Hohe Tauern and is popular with hikers.
Rock & Water The Alps are divided into valleys by rivers which have been important settlement areas and trade routes for thousands of years. The River Inn, which rises in the Swiss Engadine and flows 510 kilometers northeast across western Austria, passes through Innsbruck on its way. Tirol’s capital is considered one of the Alps’s most beautiful cities (Golden Roof, Imperial Palace and Ambras Palace). Just as important is the 220 kilometre long Salzach, the main river of the Austrian state of Salzburg.
These two river valleys connect South Germany with Switzerland and – via Brenner Pass – with Italy. Huge storage power stations like Kölnbreinspeicher (Carinthia) and the many alpine reservoirs show how important water power is in the production of energy. The many lakes that are hidden away amid the Alps and alpine foothills add to the charm of regions such as the Salzkammergut with its lovely lakes, Wolfgangsee, Attersee, Mondsee, Hallstätter See and Traunsee among them.
Unique Mountains Hiking and climbing are obviously the best way to explore the Austrian mountains. There are abundant beautiful trails through forests with oaks, copper beech, firs, pines, or larches. Typical alpine flowers include the gentian, the alpenrose (Rhododendron ferrugineum), saxifrage and the rare edelweiss. Typical animals to be found here are the chamois (wild goat), the ibex, the marmot, the Alpine chough and the ptarmigan.
Hundreds of mountain pastures not only provide food for the animals but also rest and relaxation for walkers. Some of the mountain huts are open to hikers and offer a bed as well as food. A traditional spectacle not to be missed is the annual cattle drive at the end of summer. The cow herds, which are brought down from the high pastures, wear elaborate headdresses for the occasion, and the clanging of the cow bells accompanies brass bands which welcome the parties in the valley. Many of the ancient pagan customs have managed to survive and thrive in the Alps, such as the fate and oracle traditions around Christmas or the Devil’s Runs in November. A rather “youthful” folk festival is the Narcissi Fest in Bad Aussee (spring).
Active in the Mountains The mountains have always held a great fascination for nature lovers and sports enthusiasts. They provide the perfect backdrop for rock climbing, mountain biking, hiking, Canyoning, paragliding, rafting, canoeing and kayaking. Austria’s national sport, skiing, has spawned some 260 ski lift companies and 7200 kilometers of slopes. The best skiing is found in Vorarlberg (Lech/Zürs), Tirol (Kitzbühel, St. Anton am Arlberg) and Salzburg (Flachau, Zell am See). "Skiwelt amadé" in Salzburg is an association of over 25 resorts and boasts an incredible 860 kilometers of ski runs serviced by 270 lifts.
The Alpine Foothills - Where Corn and Wine Farmers Live
The land on the edge of the Alps consists predominantly of arable land and grassland where corn, fruit and cattle are farmed.
The Austrian Alps have two foothill ranges: the more important northern lowlands and hill country are located between the Alp’s northern edge and the Bohemian Mass and extend from the Flachgau in Salzburg through the Upper Austrian Innviertel, the Traunviertel and the Hausruckviertel, and the Lower Austrian Mostviertel to Tullnerfeld. The south-eastern foothills comprise parts of South Burgenland’s hill country and the East Styrian hill country.
During geological times up to 5,000 meters of sediments consisting of clay, sand and debris settled in the Alpine foothills and created expansive gravel plates such as the Traun-Enns-Platte. Today the Alpine foothills, which were shaped during the Ice Age, consist of fertile arable lands and grasslands which, especially in the North, provide a living for the many corn and wine farmers.
The Northern Foothills The Upper Austrian Traunviertel, the catchment basin of the river Traun, is dotted with large “Vierkanthöfe”, farmhouses consisting of four buildings that are grouped around an inner farmyard; “Vierseithöfe” are farmhouses where the square is enclosed by buildings plus a wall or a fence. “Vierseithöfe” are mainly found in the Innviertel (Upper Austria). The Mostviertel (Must District) owes its name to the production of apple and pear must – fruits which are cultivated in agroforestry farming systems.
The Eastern Foothills At the Alps’ eastern edge, which starts at the Leitha Mountains, the foothills consist of the hill countries of southern Burgenland as well as lower and eastern Styria. The region’s fairly mild climate is excellent for growing wine grapes. Another typical feature of the region is the pumpkin seed oil. Eastern Styria is Austria’s most important apple growing region. The apples are sold as dessert fruit or processed into apple juice, cider or must.
The Thermenland in eastern Styria and the adjoining southern Burgenland is a popular holiday destination thanks to its many mineral springs and the balmy climate. In the gently rolling hill country not only hot water bubbles up from deep below but the fertile soil also produces some of Austria’s finest wines and fruits. The region extends from the mountains in Joglland in the North to the East Styrian hill country at the border between Austria, Hungary and Slovenia in the South.
