photo : L Wilson
With an abundance of natural living material to feed creative craftiness, Styrians have established an industry that for centuries has put roofs over their heads; provided heat for their homes; and now draws prestige and acclaim from across the globe.
A world of wood
Styria’s Swiss pine forests (the largest in Europe) provide wood for:
- buildings
- a source of energy
- and raw material to make musical instruments, toys, arts and crafts.
So proud of their heritage are the Styrians that they have defined a specific ‘Wood Route’ to showcase their skills and creations. The wood route runs through the Mur valley in upper Styria (or Obersteiermark as it is also known).
With 27 stops exhibiting all that is good about working with wood, the Styrian wood route has artefacts ancient and modern on display. From churches and bridges to toys and attractions, the wood route has something of interest for everyone. It truly shows a world of wood.
Award winners on the wood route
In typically Styrian style, the wood route features many award winning and frontier pushing designs and achievements. Such highlights of the wood route include:-
Krakendorf – where a wooden path has been built to provide access to Styria’s largest waterfall;
Murau – with a 46.8 metre Mur Footbridge that set an International standard as the award winner in an architectural competition and next to the town’s old fire station, is Europe’s first fully wooden constructed underground car park;
St Georgen and St Lorenzen – boasting Europe’s largest cantilevered wooden bridge, which at 85 metres long and 8.6 metres wide has been certified for heavy traffic;
And not least…
Stadl an der Mur, which has a 44.5 metre wooden bridge crossing the Mur river and widely known as the ‘gateway to the Mur Valley’.
An ideal base for discovering these wooden wonders, is Chalet Lowonahill at Stadl an der Mur. If you would like to take a holiday here, please don’t hesitate to contact me.