Herberstein Castle - Vorau Abbey - Szombathely - Vasi Skanzen

Route: Graz - Herberstein Castle - Vorau Abbey - Szombathely - Vasi Skanzen - Graz
Duration: 9 h
The first stop of our tour will be at the "Garden Castle Herberstein" which located in the municipality of Stubenberg near the wildlife park Herberstein. The fortified castle stands high on an east-west-facing rock, is not visible from distance and very difficult to access. The oldest parts comes from the end of the 13th century. In the middle of the 16th century, it has been transformed into a residential building with Renaissance elements and expanded. Now, for 21 generations, the castle has been owned by the Herberstein family. In the 17th and 18th centuries, about one fifth of Styria was owned by the Counts of Herberstein. More than a dozen castles and palaces from Istria to Bohemia, from Carinthia to Silesia made the Herberstein's a leading power in Europe. Today, the "Garden Castle Herberstein" still serves the Herberstein family as a residential and administrative seat. And it is not without a reason that this place is called "Garden Castle". Sprout, trail, bloom, smell, thrive - the castle's important gardens date back to the 16th century, are inseparable linked to this place and invite you to stroll and be astonished. During a relaxing walk through the flowers on the garden ground you will learn interesting facts about the history of European garden culture starting from the Middle Ages till today.Our next stop will be at the Vorau Abbey wich was founded in 1163 by margrave Ottokar III in gratitude for the birth of his son and heir.  Because of its location between the Wechsel in the north, the Masenberg in the south and the nearness to the east Styrian border Vorau has always been a very turbulent area. The monastery and its land had almost constantly been threatened by the Hungarian, Slovenes and Turkish invasions.  As a result of this constant threat the monastery was secured by many defence towers, a moat and the iron bars at the entrance gate which you can still see today. Especially in the 15th century, the people who lived in the surrounding area found protection within the walls of the monastery. Today the monastery of Vorau has 15 towers, more than any other monastery in Austria.  Above the entrance door of the church you can read a Latin inscription that stands for: “This is the house of God where the name of the Lord is invoked. Our next stop will be at Szombathely ,founded by the Roman emperor Claudius in 43 A.D., Szombathely certainly has history. The legacy of Roman ruins, the remnant of the famous Amber Road, and a sparkling cultural life adorn Szombathely with the proud title “The Queen of West.” The name in the title is not coincidental, Szombathely is truly one of the most exciting ornaments of the region. It is one of the oldest towns in the country, which hilly area is full of sights and surprises. It is not a mistake, Szombathely was once a Roman colony, which spas, paths were worn by many Roman emperors, and it was called Savaria. The city was so popular with the Romans that it became a religious center of  Upper-Pannonia, so many amphitheaters, palaces, and spas were built in this area. After the Romans fiasco, the city was finally occupied only by Attila the King of Huns. One of the most characteristic parts of every city is probably the main square: it is the center of everything, it is where life begins. This is especially true for Szombathely’s main square. Walking around the square, we can observe the Baroque and Eclectic houses and see many remarkable works, such as the Holy-Trinity statue erected in memory of the plague victims or the city’s fountain with Faunok statue group. The city has a lot of attractions, including the Szegedy-house which is the oldest building in town, located in the main square at number 13. Anyone who loves antiques shouldn’t miss the Holy Spirit pharmacy at number 8. But not only such institutions are worth a visit in Szombathely but also the Cathedral, which is located between the Episcopal Palace and the Diocesan College, a beautiful Baroque building, which would be a mistake to miss. In terms of size, it has no reason to be ashamed of, it is the third-largest cathedral in the country, accommodating nearly 5000 people. Our last stop will be at Vasi Skanzen. Construction of the Vasi Museum Village began in 1968 and opened its doors to visitors in 1973. There are currently 39 buildings in the Museum Village, gathered from about 27 villages.  There you will see the buildings of the open-air Ethnographic Museum,  gets a picture of the village life and architectural culture of the county two centuries earlier. You will can look into a small corner of the past through gates from different regions, from poor peasant gates to small or wealthy peasant gates. Also you can visit the houses of villages of other nations, see German, Croatian and Slovenian residential houses and farm buildings. After we will return to Graz.
Price: Per person