Höfe Trail - Close to life

Anja Ebner, the farmer's wife from the Niescherhof farm in Obertilliach, shows us how to churn butter: from the cow to the finished farmhouse butter. Old knowledge for new times! Like her brother from the Oswalderhof farm, Anja Ebner from the Niescherhof farm has always attached great importance to preserving and keeping alive the old farming knowledge that has been passed down from generation to generation. She has carefully adapted this to the new times, specializing in churning butter and developing it almost into an art. Her farmhouse butter is a sensational natural product and once you have tasted it, you won't want any other! No wonder, as the cows are in the barn next door and have been on a silage-free diet all their lives. After milking, the milk goes into the centrifuge, then the cream is churned by hand until it becomes butter and shaped with an elaborate butter churn . Join Anja churning butter for a few hours, taste the buttermilk and take your own butter with you. Because natural products like this are already real treasures today.

Hans and Viktoria Obererlacher, the farmers from the Oswalderhof in Obertilliach, have dedicated themselves to Kas'n in its purest form: From the meadow to the plate: Like his sister Anja Ebner from the neighboring Niescherhof, Hans at the Oswalderhof lives the philosophy of opening up new paths with old farming knowledge. Hans has specialized in the refinement of dairy products. And in the most natural way possible: Because Hans' cows are always outside! They are milked on the pasture and the milk is then processed directly on the farm. In other words, the shortest route from the meadow to the plate. "Grass, cow, milk, cheese" is what Hans calls his principle with typical dry Obertilliach humor. By the way, everything that Hans and Viktoria introduce you to this afternoon sounds so plausible. An afternoon that begins with a tour of the proud Oswalderhof farm and culminates in the joint milk processing and soft cheese production. With ease, dedication and a little pride, as is the very special way of Hans and Viktoria. And you can share their pride when you taste their joint creation, the finished soft cheese! And of course you can take it with you when you leave the Oswalderhof.

Out and about with Helmut Egartner, Austria's only active night watchman, through Obertilliach at night! What was once a nuisance has made Obertilliach famous today: The narrow construction of the village center was a guarantee to better fend off attacks from troublesome neighbors from the neighboring, northern Italian Cadore in the Middle Ages. Thanks to a careful village policy, the picturesque village has been preserved to this day and fascinates not only visitors but also film directors (yes, even a James Bond was shot here). A construction method that also entails dangers such as fire. Whereas the night watchmen used to warn of attackers, they later kept an eye out for fire. Just like Helmut Egartner, Austria's only active night watchman, still does today. He still makes his rounds twice a week, equipped with a lantern, halberd, loden coat and iron on his shoes, singing the famous night watchman's song. Accompany Helmut on his nightly rounds, listen to his stories and help him with his work. Because only recently he detected another chimney fire early enough.

Karin and Anton Auer from Untererschbaumer Hof uphold the tradition of the hamlet of Eggen: they bake their own farmhouse bread with you! The small hamlet of Eggen near Untertilliach was once the granary of the Lesachtal valley. A granary from which a sophisticated, sustainable circular economy has developed over the centuries: Oats, barley and wheat were grown on the steep slopes with hard work. Each farmer had his own granary on the farm, where the grain was stored, and his own mill on the Eggenbach stream, where the grain was ground into fine flour. And, of course, a brick-built wood-fired oven in which a very special farmhouse bread was baked according to an ancient recipe. At the Untererschbaumer Hof, this tradition is still upheld and brought to life. Farmers Karin and Anton Auer will introduce you to the fine art of baking bread. And once the heavenly aroma of fresh bread fills the cozy farmhouse parlor, it's time to taste it together. Ideally with a hearty snack made from the farm's own produce and, if you like, a schnapps.

In its heyday, there were around 200 mills in Lesachtal - and even today, Lesachtal is known as "the valley of a hundred mills". Nowadays, of course, there are nowhere near as many working mills - but five mills are still regularly used by the millers' association to mill flour. These are located on the Maria Luggau mill trail - you can admire them on a guided tour with the miller. But this lovingly preserved tour with the old mills and waterways, which is integrated into stage 4 of the Höfe Trail, offers much more. In addition to a small museum exhibiting historical farming tools, the mill trail shows a whole range of ways in which water power was used to make the arduous life of mountain farmers easier. For example, the "Mühlenkino" - a water-powered elevator (which can also be experienced live), which used to supply many remote farms with goods - illustrates the inventive engineering skills of the farmers.

A farm store as it is written in the book: Situated directly in Maria Luggau and on the Höfe Trail, the farm store is located in a lovingly preserved typical old Lesachtal farmhouse. It showcases the entire output of mountain farming in Lesachtal, so to speak: around 50 farmers and regional producers proudly present their home-made goods here. Freshly baked Lesachtal farmhouse bread, sweet honey, fruity jams, fine lamb specialties, homemade juices, fine brandies and much more: if you want to know what the most natural valley in Europe tastes like, this is the right place for you. Basketry and knitwear, wood carvings, wax products, pottery, felt work and handmade souvenirs are also part of the extensive product range. The sales clerk is always happy to explain interesting facts about the products. You can discover the whole variety of the Lesachtal valley here - a wealth of a completely different kind!

Klara Obernosterer grew up on a Lesachtal mountain farm and learned from an early age how to live with natureand use its treasures sustainably. As a herb educator with her own huge herb garden, she now knows just about everything there is to know about the tasty and healthy herbs that often grow unnoticed in our neighborhoods. In one to one and a half hours, she collects herbs with you and your children, but of course also with adults, explains everything you need to know and processes them into a very tasty and healthy surprise.

The Jörgishof is located in Tscheltsch above Klebas and is the highest mountain farm on this stage. Like an eagle's nest, it lies in the middle of the steep south-facing, lovingly tended meadows with a fantastic view of the Carnic main ridge. The farm is run with great dedication and enthusiasm by the Unterweger family, who have created a little paradise up here with their three children. They produce a great deal themselves, which you can admire and purchase in the showroom of the farm shop. The highlight, however, is a visit to the farm's own cheese dairy(by prior arrangement), where Kathrin will tell you interesting facts about the art of cheese production on a mountain farm. And of course, the one-hour visit includes a tasty cheese snack - the food produced on the farm is simply too good to pass up.

The Lesachtal adventure and forest adventure world is an ideal addition to the Höfe Trail for fit families. It takes around 45 minutes to hike there from Tscheltsch (and the same route back again). Due to this and the wide range of activities on site, you should definitely plan half a day for the adventure and forest adventure world, which makes it only possible for families in good physical condition on the same day as stage 5 of the Höfe Trail. We therefore recommend planning an extra day for the forest adventure world - it's definitely worth it! The highlights there are: the via ferrata, a show sawmill, the forest adventure trail, an adventure playground and an oasis of peace.

For those interested in culture, a visit to the Johann Lexer Violin Making Museum with integrated small cobbler museum is worthwhile. In this lovingly furnished museum, you can immerse yourself in the life of the composer, bandmaster and violin maker Johann Lexer. Over the course of his life, Lexer made around 700 playable instruments and 1400 ornamental violins. The museum shows you a wonderful selection of his works, bears witness to excellent Lesachatal craftsmanship and also reflects the widespread musicality of the valley. Guided tours and visits during opening hours, also outside opening hours for groups of 5 or more.