In the footsteps of Peter Rosegger - from the Osterhasendorf village to his birthplace

We start right in the center of the idyllic mountain health resort of Fischbach. The village has been voted the "most beautiful mountain village in Styria" several times and has a particularly romantic and flower-filled townscape that is not to be missed. The large overview board "Hiking in Peter Rosegger's Waldheimat" gives us more information about our route before we set off.

 

At the beginning, the route goes slightly uphill through the village towards the settlement of Gmoa. Here we cross the road and leave the settlement area. We soon reach another popular starting point for hikes and in winter for cross-country skiing tours, the Zeller Kreuz, through beautiful forests with intermittent charming views towards Stuhleck and Wechsel. From here we hike straight ahead on a forest path towards Teufelstein. Below the striking summit and the Teufelstein hut, which is open at weekends in summer, we reach the Rosegger trail at the Alptor crossroads, which leads from the Schanzsattel through the entire Waldheimat via the birthplace and the forest school on the Alpl up to the Stuhleck summit. But we continue uphill, past the hut, to the Teufelstein. The devil didn't get very far when he built his tower, but it gives us a wonderful view to the west with Hochschwab and Gesäuse in the middle of the Alps and to the east into the increasingly hilly East Styria. Many people also think that the Teufelstein is the shortest via ferrata in the Alps, as there are two "iron steps" to help us up. A few meters from the Teufelstein, we also find our first summit cross with a book waiting to be inscribed - how could you do otherwise when you are following in the footsteps of Peter Rosegger?

 

After climbing the Teufelstein, a short section of the trail leads downhill again to the crossroads below the Halterhütte, which makes us want to take our first well-earned rest. Now we continue along the Rosegger Trail towards Lentkreuz, comfortably through forests and occasionally across meadows that lie romantically in the middle of the coniferous forest. On the descent to the Lentkreuz, we are again treated to beautiful views of the Pretul and the wind turbines on the Rattner Alm in front of it.

 

At the Lentkreuz we meet the Christmette Trail, which leads from St. Kathrein am Hauenstein to Peter Rosegger's birthplace. Every year at Christmas, you can experience the hike as it was in Peter Rosegger's time, because equipped with torches, a guided hike takes you from his birthplace on Christmas Eve to Christmas mass in Rosegger's favorite church in the small village of St. Kathrein am Haunstein.

 

We keep left and walk slightly uphill towards his birthplace, past the farm where Peter Rosegger was apprenticed to Ignaz Orthofer as a tailor. As quickly as his apprenticeship years passed, so quickly do we reach the place around which the whole Waldheimat "revolves", his birthplace, which is also our destination. We now take our time and immerse ourselves in the history of the local poet, nature lover, alert zeitgeist and promoter of tradition as well as fighter for the rights and preservation of rural life. Peter Rosegger spent his first 17 years here at the "Vorderer Kluppeneggerhof" until it was clear that he would not become a farmer. His stature was too delicate, his mind too subtle. His talent was already recognized during his apprenticeship as a tailor and numerous patrons made it possible for little Peter to become one of Austria's greatest poets: His life's work included 43 books as well as the publication of the monthly magazine "Heimgarten", which continued to appear until 1953, long after his death. With 15 million books and translations into more than 20 languages, Peter Rosegger was the most widely read writer of his time alongside Jules Verne.

 

There are several options for returning to Fischbach along the same route (all the paths listed below are well marked and signposted):

2. back along the same route and at the prominent intersection of several hiking trails between Teufelstein-Halterhütte and Lendkreuz via the beautiful but quite steep downhill Alpsteig trail back to Fischbach (walking time 3 hours)

3. continue from the birthplace to the forest school and from there take the hiking cab back to Fischbach (walking time 20 minutes)

4. via the Christmettenweg to St. Kathrein am Hauenstein and from there back to Fischbach by hiking cab (walking time 2 hours)

You can reach Fischbach directly from the Mürz (S6 Semmering expressway) and Feistritz valleys via the B72.

Further information on arrival: village square, Fischbach