Nationalparks Austria:
Protecting the natural heritage
…HIKING: We love it, we do it a lot – and – we do it a lot IN AUSTRIA! 🙂
Not only because the austrian border is so close to Munich, but rather because we simply love Austria in all it`s facets. The food, the people and the lifestyle, but above all the natural beauty and diverse landscapes it has to offer.
As widely known, raw and untouched nature is an endangered and rare good nowadys. Therefore around 3% of Austria and it`s biggest natural treasures are protected in form of six nationalparks by the association “Nationalparks Austria”: Hohe Tauern, Gesäuse, Kalkaplen, Thayatal, Donau-Auen and Neuwiedler See-Seewinkel. Nationalparks Austria has the objective to protect over 2300 square kilometers of mountains, rivers and forests all over the country as an umbrella organisation and therefore also plays an important role in species protection for both, plants and animals.
Whether it`s classic hiking and mountain climbing, trailrunning, climbing or any other sort of outdoor activity, the Nationalparks of Austria can serve them all. On the 25th of May 2017, NP Austria invited people to the newest of the six parks, Gesaeuse Nationalpark in Styria, to celebrate and experience nature and all the nationalparks have to offer during an event called “#wanderlust” – what a relevant name. When we got invited to join the movement, we didn´t think twice – 🙂
#wanderlust in Nationalpark Gesaeuse
For most people, hiking is the first step towards nature and all other outdoor activities. Hiking is something for everybody and all fitness levels. To cope with that fact, the #wanderlust event offered four types of hikes: a sporty one with a professional skyrunner, a yoga version to which everybody had to bring a mat, one with the focus on traditional austrian music and the fourth one with a yodeling/singing aspect. All hikes took different routes and came together at the same meeting point afterwards. We joined the “Jodelhike” (yodeling hike), which most of the people choose. At 10 o`clock on Ascension Day, 150 people set out with us at a parking lot above Johnsbach. 🙂
The hike took us on the Johnsbacher Almenrunde, a route where many of the farmed lower huts of Gesäuse Nationalpark are passed by. Although the weather was cloudy and a little rainy, the mooed was good and the two Yodel professionals Ingeborg and Hermann Härtel managed to take away the last pieces of rainiy day blues. During every stop we learned some yodeling skills, certainly accompanied by snacks and cold drinks. 🙂
We didn`t rush and made our way from Ebner Alm through thick forests to some points with beautiful overviews of Gesäuse Nationalpark. Apart from Gesäuse, we only know Hohe Tauern of the five other parks, but we can only assume that the other four are as beautiful as this one. <3
At around 2 PM, we met the other hiking groups at Kölblalm, a lovely and cozy little hut where they`re basically cooking food inside the dining room. 🙂 With food, drinks and music and an informative speak about the work and the future of Nationalparks Austria, the event came to an end. Shuttle buses took the people back to Vienna and Graz – and we drove back to our stayover for the night, Gasthof zum Donner in Johnsbach. Gasthof Donner is located right in the Nationalpark and therefore the perfect getaway for any activity here.
The importance for “our nature”
#wanderlust was a great Get-together of interested parties in nature, hiking and the austrian nationalparks – and a lovely and meaningful event. To protect and save our natural heritage is something really everybody should be interested in. Plants and animals gone extinct will never come back and also destroyed natured won`t come back the same way it was before!
Whenever you come to Austria, make sure you check out out one of it`s amazing parks – we hope we will be able to visit all of them one day. 🙂
Photocredits: Heinz Peterherr Photography – thank you for the great pictures!
In friendly cooperation with Nationalparks Austria. More information: www.nationalparksaustria.at – thank you!
