Farm holiday

Around 15 oxen and about 8 young cattle live at Gut Weissenhof. During the winter months, they are housed in the farm stables, where our horses and the other animals also live all year round. Every day they are cared for by our stable team and fed with hay that we harvest in summer from the farm’s own meadows.

When it gets warmer, the small herd heads up to our own Weissenhof alpine pasture. There they spend the summer months on the wide-open areas of the Gnadenalm, enjoy the fresh alpine meadows, lie in the sun or find a shady spot to rest.

During the cattle drive down from the alpine pasture in September, they return to their home pasture in Radstadt near the farm. When the first snow falls, they move into the Gut Weissenhof stables, where they spend the winter until the next alpine summer begins.

In this way, alpine pasture, meadow and stable alternate with the rhythm of the seasons, giving the animals their familiar structure.

Horses have a long tradition at Gut Weissenhof. In the past, they were an important support as draught horses in agriculture; today they are part of our riding programme and shape life around the stables and the hotel.

More than 40 horses and ponies live at our equestrian centre, including school horses, livery horses and, in the summer months, guest horses, all sharing the stables and the spacious riding facilities around the farm. The stables are located right next to the hotel—you are very close to what is happening on the farm, and if you listen carefully, you can hear the soft snorting and neighing from the stable, the clip-clop of hooves and the clatter from the tack room.

Our horses’ days are varied. They are exercised regularly, carefully groomed and have plenty of time to rest in between. This creates a calm routine in which every animal finds its place and becomes part of the lively everyday farm life.

Rabbits and chickens regularly provide small, lovely encounters around the farm. In the warmer months, the rabbits live between the stables and the garden. During the day, they go into their run, where they can move around, sit in the grass or find a shady spot to rest. When it gets colder, they move into the stable, where they spend the winter well protected.

The henhouse is located right next to the rabbits’ summer quarters. Our chickens live there all year round. During the day, they are allowed into the run, scratch at the ground and roam around the henhouse; at night, they are safely housed in the coop. The chickens are fed daily and we check for fresh eggs. Sometimes guests may help out too, and the joy is great when there really is an egg in the nest. In the shoulder season, when the hotel is closed, the chickens explore the rest of the farm grounds. They especially like to wander around Grandma’s garden, where they scratch up the soil and look for worms.

There are also fixed quiet times for rabbits and chickens so they can remain undisturbed and retreat. This creates a good coexistence in which closeness is possible and consideration is just as much a part of it.

Our cats roam around the farm. Sometimes they lie in the sun on the warm windowsill in the stable; sometimes they sleep on the meadow in front of the stable or quietly wander through the garden. When they feel like it, they also enjoy being petted. They choose their own spots and keep turning up wherever there is peace and a little warmth to be found.

Bertl, the dog belonging to riding instructor Marinda, is also often seen around the stables and the riding arena and provides cheerful encounters. He accompanies everyday life around the horses, likes to lie in the shade, is happy when his toy is thrown for him, or stops by curiously when something is going on.

Sometimes they are right in the middle of the action; sometimes they disappear for a while to their quiet places. Our cats—and Bertl too—follow their own instincts and clearly show when they want company and when they do not.

Around 50 fruit trees grow around the Weissenhof, bearing ripe fruit throughout summer and autumn. In Grandma’s garden, as orchard trees around the house and as espalier trees along the stables, cherries, apricots, damsons, apples, pears and berries ripen. Plums also grow on the golf course and are collected there year after year.

When the fruit is ready to harvest, it is gathered, picked and sorted. Then everyone on the farm helps out wherever hands are needed. Part of the harvest is processed straight away; another part is prepared for later and stored. This is how jams, apple juice and homemade treats are made, finding their way from the garden to the breakfast table and to afternoon cake. In this way, the taste of the fruit is not only enjoyed at harvest time, but throughout the year.

Herbs from Grandma’s garden also find their way into the kitchen. They grow right next to the house and are picked fresh when needed. In addition to soups and dishes, they are also used at the bar for our drinks, adding delicate, fresh aromas to the glass.

When the apples on our traditional orchards are ripe in autumn, harvest time begins. Many old apple trees with different varieties grow around the Weissenhof and have been part of our farm for many years. These traditional orchards not only provide fruit, but also a habitat for plants and animals and contribute to biodiversity. Many of these stands have become rare today because preserving the old trees takes time, care and experience.  

From late summer into autumn, the apples gradually ripen and are collected by hand and taken for juice pressing. For gentle processing, we work with the regional apple-pressing company “Herzgsell” in Altenmarkt, which presses our farm’s apples fresh and bottles the juice. This produces around 800 litres of apple juice from our harvest each year. Our apple juice is bottled unfiltered and made shelf-stable through gentle heating. Thanks to the short distances from tree to press and back again, the flavour remains clear and unadulterated—completely without preservatives.

It is a staple on our breakfast buffet, and if you would like to take the taste of the Weissenhof home with you, you can also purchase the apple juice at reception in 5- or 10-litre boxes.

When it comes to meat, it is also important to us to keep the entire journey in view. Our oxen grow up here on the farm and on the alpine pasture and are part of the agricultural cycle that has accompanied Gut Weissenhof for generations. When an animal is slaughtered, it is done with great respect and with responsibility towards the animal and nature.

For us, this also means using the whole animal consciously and not separating the connection between farming and the kitchen. This creates a cycle in which origin, craftsmanship and appreciation belong together—and you can taste that on the plate.

Time also plays an important role in the kitchen so that excellent meat can develop exceptional quality.