Stories

November switches off the lights early. So we light the fire.

In November, things get quieter in Lunz. The days are short, the evenings all the longer. Until 18 November we treat ourselves to a little break, and from the 19th we’re back for you. And that very first weekend, Advent is already sparkling in the village. Four days where you don’t have to do a thing, but can do plenty.

THURSDAY: Arriving

Arriving couldn’t be easier today: shoes off, bathrobe on, terrace door open. Out on your terrace in the Sauna Room, the stone pine sauna is waiting, all to yourself. The river in front of you, the Scheiblingstein across the way. The Saint Charles sauna products are already laid out. Between rounds, you take a few breaths of cold November air, then it’s back into the scent of stone pine. And if you get a little peckish afterwards: the Salonküche is always open for you.

FRIDAY: Up in the Moor

Today you’re off to Göstling. Right at the start, Saint John of Nepomuk stands beneath his canopy on the Ybbs bridge and watches you go. Forest roads take you up to the Hochreit plateau, past farmsteads with names like Großschöntal, Obereck and Seisen. Up at 860 metres lies the Leckermoor. Peat mosses in yellow-brown and red, mountain pines in between. And right in the middle, sundew and bog rosemary, plants you’d sooner expect in the far north. The peat also holds the pollen of long-gone plant worlds, and from it scientists today read how the climate here has changed over time.

One lap around the moor takes about three quarters of an hour. The full loop from Göstling is 15.5 kilometres long and moderate, with just under 500 metres of climbing included. Allow a good four hours and set off early, because November daylight doesn’t last long.

SATURDAY: Christmas in the Village

Sleep in, take your time over breakfast, read a few pages from one of the books in your room. The morning is in no hurry today. From 2 pm, the village square around the Haus der Wildnis comes alive as the Funkelnde Dorfweihnacht – the “Sparkling Village Christmas” – begins. What’s on the stalls comes from the region and is mostly handmade: carved nativity scenes, Christmas tree decorations, homemade biscuits and plenty more. Gentle festive music plays along. By the time it gets dark, you’ll know why it’s called “sparkling”. The market is open until 6 pm, and afterwards there’s hot punch or cocoa waiting for you at our place.

SUNDAY: Five Elements, One Castle

To round things off, you head to Waidhofen an der Ybbs and Schloss Rothschild. At the 5-Elemente-Museum you’ll find out what the region lived on for centuries: iron. Metal, fire, water, wood and earth guide you through the old walls. The iron came from the Erzberg, the side streams of the Ybbs drove the hammers, and charcoal from the forests kept the fires blazing. Out came knives, scythes and all kinds of small ironware. In the Mostviertel toy world, children and grown-ups alike marvel at old toys.

Back in Lunz, your table in the restaurant is set. What lands on your plate comes from producers and partner farms nearby, and we know most of them personally. Order another glass and let the four days linger a little.