Music and mountains? Why not? Check out the unique Wanderbare Gipfelklaenge (Hiking to the Sounds of the Mountains) held in Mostviertel, Austria in June.

1. Music and Mountains in Mostviertel, Austria
monkeysandmountains.com /music-and-mountains-in-mostviertel-austria
Monkeys and mount ains is a common (and one of my f avorit e t hemes) on t his blog, but music
and mount ains? This would be a f irst !
This past weekend I attended the Wanderbare Gipfelklaenge which translate roughly to Hiking to the Sounds of the
Mountains in Mostviertel, Austria. It’s a creative and unique event that’s now in its third year running. There were seven
different musical groups playing at different venues, mostly mountain huts of which you had to hike to. If you need
motivation to go hiking this is seriously it! The event kicked off Friday evening with Catch- Pop String- Song, a
Balkan Folk band. It was held at the four star Hotel Fahrnberger in Göstling/Yibbs where I also stayed there for two
nights. We (my husband and I) arrived a bit late, but enjoyed what I heard and given all the applause and encore, it’s
safe to say that I wasn’t the only one. The main event followed the next day at Gasthause Jagersberger and opened
with Saxofour, a brass quartet that was one of my favorite performances of the entire weekend! You can check them out

2. below:
Then it was time for the hiking to begin – from now if you wanted to hear the musicians, you would have to hike to them!
Saxofour teased us with a few songs, but then it was time to hike if we wanted to hear more! Naturally we did. It was a
gentle uphill on a well graded trail. And we never had to worry about getting lost because our group was ~ 200 people
and most importantly because we had our fearless leader, Maxi:
She was

3. She was
a strong
and silent
type, but
wasn’t
opposed
to praise
in the
form of
petting
her nose.
I would
do a hike
again with
Maxi any
day!
After a
longer
Me e t Ma xi , o u r fe a r l e s s l e a d e r !
performance by Saxofour, our real work began as we headed towards Hollensteiner Bergrettngshütte, a charming hut on
top of the mountain. It became quite steep near the top, but was completely doable if you were in decent condition. I
knew I would be rewarded for my effort with a performance by Klaus Trabitsch and Insingiz i, an A Capella group from
Zimbabwe.

4. Insider Travel Tip: Hollensteiner Bergrettungshütte makes for a great hiking destination even if you aren’t rewarded
with live music.
This
was
my
Kl a u s Tr a b i ts ch e n te r ta i n i n g u s a n d th e co ws a t Ho l l e n s te i n e r B e r g r e ttu n g s h ü tte
favorite performance of the entire weekend! These guys played off of each other, could really sing, looked like they
were having a blast and engaged the audience. Does it get any bet t er t han a sing along t o The Lion Sleeps
Tonight on t he t op of a mount ain? I t hink not !:
Our hard work done, bellies full and the Wimba Way rhythm in our heads, we started downhill to another performance by
Klaus Trabitsch and Insingiz i. Unfortunately this one was the shortest performance of the entire weekend – it started
pouring several minutes after they started playing. Ever the professionals, they promised to make it up to us at our next
step at Peter Jagersbergers Küche – which fortunately offered indoor seating. Several coffees and schnapps later, I
found myself singing along again. We ate dinner here knowing that Florianer Tanz lgeiga, a group that plays Austrian folk
music would be playing. To say that Florianer Tanz lgeiga is an expressive group would be an understatement. They
had people up and dancing on the first song! I declined.
This

5. This
is a
Th i s cu te co u p l e wa s th e fi r s t to g e t u p a n d d a n ce to Fl o r i a n e r Ta n z l g e i g a .
country that does the Vienna Waltz every year on New Years Eve, which as I learned from doing it at my wedding is
more difficult than it looks. Austrians can definitely dance – and they would put this Canadian to shame!
Sunday started right outside the Hotel Fahrnberger and with a bang from the St. Georgen am Reith band. From there we
continued 30 minutes to the Erlebniswelt Mendingtal, in which is a museum with displays about logging (all in German).
Next was a 3km relatively flat pathway through a gorgeous bridge covered gorge. It was stunning – crystal clear water!
(Post to follow).

6. B e a u ti fu l h i ke a l o n g a g o r g e a n d h i s to r i c l o g g i n g r o u te .
Insider Travel Tip: The path from Erlebniswelt Mendintal to Hammerhrrengasthaus is a beautiful hike that can be down
throughout the summer and is very family friendly due to its 3km length and flat path).
As I was hiking it for a special event, traditional wood cutters demonstrated how they moved logs down the river back to
the museum where they would be processed.
It

7. It
looks
like
really
hard
work! I
wasn’t
ready
for the
hike
to be
over
when
we
Re -e n a ctm e n t o f tr a d i ti o n a l l o g g i n g i n Mo s tvi e r te l .
arrived at the Hammerherrengasthaus for lunch and a closing performance by Tini Kainrath and Band. She performed a
series of songs in English and while she was OK, she didn’t connect with the audience the same way the earlier groups
had. Still not having had enough of the gorge, J.P. and I decided to hike it back to the Hotel Fahrnberger.
T here would be no more music, but we still had the mountains.
The Wanderbare Gipfelklaenge (Hiking to the Sounds of the Mountains) is held in Mostviertel at different locations each
June. I LOVED this event and would recommend it to anyone who like hiking, music or both! It was a really fun
atmosphere enjoyed by young and old. Mostviertel is also a great destination for outdoor activities throughout the year.
Click here for further info.
Thank you to Mostviertel Tourism for introducing me to the Wanderbare Gipfelklaenge. I loved it! As always, all opinions
expressed are my own.