Inside Styria: The Discovery of Serene Serenity
a travel note by Hannes Offenbacher
The "Murtal" is a region of contrasts. We feel this as we arrive in a side valley that likely few have ever had on their radar: "Die Gaal" in the "Seckauer Alpen". Around 1,300 souls live here, as well as in the neighboring community of "Seckau". The tranquility of this rurally shaped region is intensified by its immediate proximity to the "Red Bull Ring".
It is early summer, and around the motorsport Eldorado—which is operated not by the beverage corporation but by the foundation of founder Didi Mateschitz—activity is at its peak. The Formula 1 race takes place next week, and the "Murtal" is booked out to the very last room. A week in a state of emergency, of which one no longer has any inkling once one dives through the small forest road into "Die Gaal".
Nestled between fields and a small grove, the ensemble of the "Lorettohof" stands in an exclusive, quiet location. A former manor house with high ceilings and plenty of history. Our base camp is the "Lorettohof", a unique building with a colorful history, managed by Josef Steiner and Ana Malle.
With a great deal of passion and manual labor, they transformed the vacant building into a regional beacon within just a few months—at least in our eyes. To make such an investment in "Die Gaal" and recognize the potential of the location requires imagination and optimism. Or: the knowledge that silence is gaining in value.
We sit on the terrace of the "Lorettohof" and embrace this boredom. Simply not wanting to go anywhere again. Being here. Time and again, locals splash in and drink coffee or beer, exchange news, and disappear again. The conversations are serene and cheerful. The peace of the valley also shapes the people and their culture. In the field, Josef’s brother is working, bringing in the hay that dried quickly in the summer day heat, which is saturated with Saharan dust.
The straw bales lie like billiard balls on the green field. We feel ourselves swinging into the leisureliness and order a second beer from the regional "Brauerei Thalheim", once founded by the Red Bull founder, Didi Mateschitz. A beer that uses water from an ancient healing spring. In any case, it heals our thirst excellently, and we contentedly continue our idleness.
In the afternoon, we drive along small roads between lush fields to "Seckau". At the entrance to the village, beautiful horses play freely in the paddock, while laundry has to go on the line to dry. An old Peugeot is being assimilated by nature, and above the market square, the flags of the Maypole wave cheerfully.
The market town lies on a sunny plateau and developed around the mighty Benedictine Abbey, which today houses a school, a museum, and a distillery. The quiet impression is broken by the lighthearted chatter of the students waiting for their next lesson in the open cloisters, while funeral guests arrive for a burial below. This juxtaposition is briefly irritating before it unfolds its beauty. That is life.
We walk to the "Hofwirt" opposite and seek cooling under the old chestnut trees, whose stories we would love to hear. The local brass band drinks "one" cool beer and unperturbedly prepares to play the funeral march as a final escort. Again, this serene serenity. What must seem like a staged play to city dwellers is simply called everyday life here.
The "Hofwirt" was also high-quality renovated by Didi Mateschitz for his Tauroa Group. As a child of the region, he had a great passion for preserving the local culture, and so great value was placed on qualitative authenticity. We actually wanted to drive on after a coffee, but time flies, and suddenly we are eating a magnificent Schnitzel made from regional meat, naturally fried in clarified butter, while a proud flock of vintage enthusiasts on their "Puch" motorcycles pulls in for a pit stop. Next to us sit the village pensioners telling stories from back then; a table further away, the seminary takes its lunch break. We cannot leave. Please, another beer.
The next day, we drive to the "Ingeringsee" at the end of the valley. A lake nestled between forest and mountains. Even in high summer, it is contemplatively quiet here; swimming and boating are prohibited, and (thankfully) there is no restaurant that would attract bus tours. It is damn humid, yet we run our laps around the lake and along its rushing tributary, spotting exciting peaks for the autumn hiking season. It is kitsch-beautiful; we burn off the Schnitzel from the day before and cool off at the end in the stream at the lake's outlet. Pure natural power and a secret tip for runners.
In the afternoon, we visit the "Käfer Museum". In an old agricultural building, initiator Arnold has been striving for many years to create a loving exhibition around the cult vehicle. With a lot of heart and few resources. The whole family helps out, and we gladly pay the admission with the hope that the project finds new support to organize the popular annual Beetle meeting again. Somehow, automotive passion is in the blood of the "Murtal" region. Besides the "Red Bull Ring", there is also a "Puch Museum" for lovers of old vehicles in the city of "Judenburg".
Who can blame them in a region that seems perfectly made for cruising around with a great deal of serenity and the top down, spared from toxic mass tourism. It is genuine and full of contrasts. Or as the tourism association's slogan puts it: It’s the mix that does it.
For the finale, we eat burgers at the "Lorettohof" and let this serene serenity work on us once more, and we feel: We’ll be happy to come back.
