A Pannonian summer fairy tale
As Austria's easternmost province, the "Land of the Sun" has far more to offer than the "Sea of Vienna" - Lake Neusiedl.
Small but mighty! This is Burgenland.
Under the motto: Golf & Culture & Wine, we have packed some highlights of the Pannonian summer into our trip: a visit to the award-winning winemaker Birgit Braunstein in Purbach, the "Magic Flute" in the Roman quarry St. Margarethen and golf at the GC Donnerskirchen on Lake Neusiedl. Plus a special living experience in the Pannonian guest room in Purbach and, of course, plenty of wine in the local cellar lane.
It's actually far too good to plan a weekend trip to Burgenland when you read what's on offer there:
2500 km of cycle paths, 1500 km of hiking trails, dozens of sailing, surfing and kite surfing areas on the lake, plus four golf courses and a whole host of cultural events - from festivals, opera and operetta performances, classical concerts, musicals and open-air festivals that last well into the fall. Lake stages and quarries, castles and palaces, castle parks, village squares and historic concert halls serve as romantic backdrops for these events. Six nature parks and the Neusiedler See-Seewinkel National Park and UNESCO World Heritage Site also offer impressive natural landscapes. And then there is the culture of enjoyment in the restaurants and wine taverns, at the vintners and in the wine bars, which are as much a part of the region as swans are to the lake. And that's where we wanted to go - to Purbach on Lake Neusiedl, where every house and every square in the historic town center still tells of the Turkish siege and the Hungarian uprising, of winegrowing tradition and rural village life. And - at the foot of the Leitha Mountains there is the historic Kellergasse with old wine taverns, wine taverns and a modern vinotheque. To our astonishment, around 350 bottles of wine are stored here, which can be tasted by the glass (from 70 cents) and on a modern bottling line. It's even better to buy directly from the winemaker, and Birgit Bernstein is the best recommendation here. Her winery has existed for over 400 years and is located at Hauptgasse 18 in a typical long-distance courtyard that ends at the former Purbach defensive wall. Here in her garden with fig trees and all kinds of flowering plants, she talks about her biodynamic winegrowing on around 22 hectares of vineyards at the foot of the Leitha Mountains, where slate, shell limestone and crystalline quartz form the perfect basis for great wines and therefore also produce the best DAC wines in Austria. Their best are: Pinot Blanc, Leithaberg DAC Purbach, Chardonnay Feldenstein, Wildwux and Oxhoft. With her amphora wine "Mater Magna", which she presses according to Celtic tradition, and the Pinot Blanc "Brigid", she has caused quite a stir in recent years and won prizes. Her credo: to bring the potential of the vineyard into the cellar as gently as possible and to process it - mostly by hand and with a lot of feeling for the grape itself.
The Roman quarry in Sankt Margarethen is one of Europe's largest natural stages
and provides the perfect backdrop for opera performances every year. After 2000 years of sandstone quarrying, the rocky landscape first became famous in 1961 for passion plays. Then in 1996 for opera festivals with performances of Aida, Tosca and this year Mozart's Magic Flute. It is a very special experience to sit in an illuminated quarry in the dark and listen to an opera. Romantics will certainly get their money's worth here. Even if the stylish stage design is astonishing and the version of The Magic Flute with Sprech-Gesang is somewhat surprising. This is probably due to the character of Papageno, played by Max Simonischek, who plays excellently but is drowned out by his singing. This is why this production is also known as the "Schikaneder version", which was already intended for the people in Mozart's time and features many humorous "Stanzerln". Maria Kublashvili shines vocally as the Queen of the Night and Bogdan Talos as Sarastro, to name but a few. In any case, you should stay until the end - the fireworks behind the beautiful backdrop with the starry sky are the famous "icing on the cake" at the end. And afterwards? People are still chatting about the performance in euphoria. After all, the opera lovers' guild, who have already seen all the productions and give them very positive reviews, meet up in the balmy summer night over a glass of wine. The performance runs until mid-August and is part of the Summer Festival, which also includes the Lake Festival in Mörbisch.
As the only golf course located near the lake,
the GC Donnerkirchen, which lies between the lake and the Leitha Mountains, scores highly here. A beautiful vacation course with wide fairways, often interrupted by narrow streams, ditches and lots of bushes. A natural course with a few reed beds that come into play and a constant wind that blows the balls out of the sky. We found the backnines with water hazards at almost all holes particularly interesting. Some of them are ponds with water lilies or an obstacle on the 12th and 14th (par 3) with a carry shot over the water. The length of the holes is compensated for by the dryness and then you suddenly have 43 points on the scorecard. Conclusion: a natural course that is easy to walk and has interesting greens that you can enjoy without any hassle.
The Pannonian guest rooms also promise pure enjoyment. You can find them in a separate brochure and the pictures are so appealing that you won't look for any other alternative. Unfortunately, they are usually booked out quickly. The Moser guesthouse in Purbach is one of these and we were very lucky to get a room. As a former winegrower's house from the 17th century, it has been continuously renovated without destroying its traditional features, such as the striking vaulted ceiling of the former barn. The whole ambience with a cozy living room and library, a flowering courtyard where you can relax and pretty rooms is atmospheric and very well maintained. The host family is delighted to have many regular guests, whom they spoil with sumptuous breakfasts.
Further information at:
www.burgenland.info
www.neusiedlersee.com
www.operimsteinbruch.at
www.purbach.at
www.weingut-braunstein.at
www.urlauburlaub.at/privatzimmer/.../gästehaus-moser/purbach-am-neusiedler-see/
