Heimat Österreich (Heritage Austria)

Life in the Gail Valley - A film about horses, alpine pastures and traditional church customs

Heimat Austria meets people in the Lower Gail Valley, who vividly represent the changes in people's everyday lives as well as bear witness to the fact that traditional church traditions have hardly changed in the last 100 years. At the center of the film is the church day in Feistritz an der Gail, which attracts numerous onlookers during the Pentecost holiday due to the spectacular riding tradition every year.

High above Hermagor on the Eggeralm, the hiking guide Georg Jost tells us how he brought tourists to the mountains, when he was a little boy. The landlord Rudi Jank remembers how to carry the water for the day to the house, and for the farmer Thomas Novak as a child, the summer in the mountain pasture was a single adventure.

Down in the valley, the church day was and is the big cultural event of the year. Milka Kriegl remembers how one used to spend the church holidays, with hardly any changes to notice if you follow church holidays in Feistritz or in another Untergailtaler community. Apart from the singing about which the Gailtal song collector Franz Mörtl has much to say, it is especially important to wear the traditional costume. This is not only presented in the film by the tailor Diana Erat in her Greißlereimuseum in Arnoldstein, but you can also see for example, two young Gailtal women, and the great effort they made to put on the Gailtal traditional costume.

The highlight of every Untergailtalter Kirchtag, the Kufenstechen, can be admired in the film extensively, with historical footage of Feistritzer Kirchtag from the post-war confirm that nothing has changed ever since.

Life in the volcano country - encounters with tradition and pleasure

The south-east of Styria has been remembered for its volcanic origin and has therefore been given itself the name Styrian volcanic land. This agricultural region, where fruit and wine growing, has always been of great importance, it has changed dramatically in recent decades. Many farmers started to think about the quality of their agricultural products and now offer very successfully high quality wines, juices or meat products. Much of this positive change has been helped by the rediscovery of basketry, which has made people aware of the interplay between culture and nature.

In Heimat Austria, old basket weavers talk about the importance of wicker baskets in the past, and why they still come together today to make baskets and other objects of daily use in accordance with the traditional techniques. But there are also farmers like Toni Krispel, who uses the basalt rocks of the volcanic land to give his bacon and his wine a special quality. The question of how winegrowing in the region has generally changed, and what is going on with the Pinot Grigio, which winegrowers like Ewald Tropper cultivate over the last few years, will also be investigated.

With the landlord and collector Erich Wiedner "Heimat Austria" brings a true factotum into the picture. Wiedner, who is known only as the Bulldog host, has built numerous barns around his tavern in recent decades, which he has cleaned up with household effects, utensils and other folklore evidence of Southeastern Styria. Wiedner also remembers his mother, who after the war after the early death of her husband courageously set up the business alone.

An ecologist comes to speak with Bernd Wieser, who emphasizes the peculiarities of the climate, which is home for many plants and animal species in the volcanic region, and which is otherwise found only in the Balkans. He also points out the importance of rediscovering basket weaving in the region, as it preserves the grazing landscape of the southeastern Styria.

Life in the Stanzertal - A film about the hard life in the mountains and the fair division of pastures and water

The Stanzer Valley in the western part of Tyrol is especially famous for the ski resort of St. Anton, from which the Arlberg was developed for tourism. Heimat Austria looks behind the scenes of the tourism branch and meets people who tell of the harsh conditions in which they grew up. In the region, the equitable distribution of alpine meadows and water ensures the survival of the farmers in the valley, was and is of central importance. A festive highlight every year is the Almabtrieb, where, as in the village of Pettneu the shepherds are thanked every year for their care for the animals in the pastures.

For hundreds of years, the pastures are managed by the two-thirds court. The communities determine a ruler, who then takes care of the distribution of the animals and the order of shepherds. Governor Alfons Falch tells us about the beauty and challenges of his profession. The shepherd Gerhard Egender, who describes why life in the mountain pasture has captivated him from an early age, also has his say. Also several older Pettneuer tell their stories, all of them experienced the Nessleralm as children, either to provide the shepherds with food, or to work as a shepherd boys in the Alm.

Essential for the economic survival in the region was railway construction closely linked with tourism. Most people work in the Stanzer Valley, for the railway or are at least engaged seasonally in ski schools or hotels, or rent out their own rooms, remembering the simplicity of accommodating guests in earlier times. Historical footage shows that almost 100 years ago, most of the farms were run on a sideline, and even then the farmers, as station managers or mountain guides, earned extra income.

The schnapps distiller Stefan Notdurfter is also visited. He irrigates his orchards, which he lovingly cultivates, with the water of the Waale, an ancient irrigation system that is still very important for the fair distribution of water in the valley.

Winter in Montafon - experience in dealing with the avalanches

The valey of Montafon is presented in every detail to the audience in the film about the avalanches. Man and nature, culture and landscape are presented as a harmonious whole, at the center of which the intangible world heritage is located.

The acquisition of knowledge about avalanches has been necessary in order to survive there since the beginning of the use of the Alpine region and was carried out primarily by alpine organizations, inhabited families, in schools or affected professional communities (hunters, farmers, etc.). To date, teh occurance of avalanches cannot be fully predicted by scientists. Therefore, the stress is placed on the importance of experience in dealing with natural hazards.
The rules to deal with avalanches the Monatfon valley are based on the existing measures, the history and techniques to protect oneself and to survive. In addition to the specialist knowledge, the film also gives an insight into how people deal with the forces of nature in winter by telling their stories - the narration of these stories became an intangible cultural heritage in Montafon, about which we also tell in the film. Since the subject of avalanche danger affects several federal states, a detour is also made via the Arlbergins Alpinarium Galtür, where a museum commemorates the major avalanche accidents of the past 20 years.

History of the Upper Drava river

The areas of the Upper Drava river are extensively presented in the film about the history of rafting. Man and nature, culture and landscape are presented as a harmonious whole, at the center of which is the intangible world heritage

Every year each of the six villages builds a raft and goes down the last Austrian rafting route of the Upper Drava to keep the old tradition alive. The Drava river served as an important West-Eastern connection until the 20th century in Carinthia and from the 17th century was considered to be the "Carinthian wooden road" for the sawmills and later regional cellulose factories. Round and sawn timber, iron products and other goods used to be rafted down the Drava river.

CUSTOMS OF THE MINERS AND SMELTERS ON THE STYRIAN EISENSTRASSE

The Styrian Eisenstrasse is impressively presented to the audience in the film about the customs of the miners and smelters. People and nature, culture and landscape are presented as a harmonious whole, at the center of which is the intangible world heritage.

The mining heritage with its special dances and songs as well as own festive costume and celebrations has developed over the centuries on the Styrian Eisenstrasse. It is still practiced today in this active mining region around the Styrian Erzberg and reflects the identity of the region. The focus of today's practice is around the feast of St. Barbara, patroness of the miners, on December 4th.

THE SKY OVER THE TRAUNSEE

Whether the summit of the Traunstein, the Traunkirchen jutting out into the lake or the Laudachsee, which is hidden on the Grünberg, there are many places where the residents of the communities on the banks of the Traunsee go into raptures. In conversations with people from the region, paints director Martin Vogg a picture of life by the lake, where customs such as the Mordsg’schicht or Liebstattsonntag play an important role.

For centuries, have culture and landscape combined to form a harmonious unit at the Traunsee, which is still cultivated and valued today as it was in the past. The traditional costume clubs are one of the pillars of cultural life. Maria Wicke and Walter Bauer tell, how they began to be interested in traditional costumes, when they were young.

LIFE IN THE LESACHTAL

The Lesachtal is probably one of the most beautiful mountain valleys in Austria. The great closeness to nature of the people living here has spared the valley from mass tourism and major structural alterations to this day.

For generations, the people of Lesachtal have been struggling with hard work and diligence the long winters and short summers to provide for themselves. Even grain is grown on the fields at an altitude of over 1000 meters. Only a few of the numerous mills that used to exist along the streams have survived today - but in these, as in the past, the flour that is used to bake Lesach Valley bread is still ground.

CALCALPS NATIONAL PARK

There is hardly any other region in the Alps, where you can enjoy the alpine mountain world so untouched as in the Calcalps National Park. While nature is left to itself in the heart of this low mountain range, the mountain pastures on the edges are cultivated as in the old days.

Here in the mountainous border area between Upper Austria and Styria, people not only find peace and relaxation, but also traditional craft businesses, some of which have existed for centuries.

LIFE AROUND THE HOCHKAR

Visible from afar, the Hochkar is one of the first distinctive peaks in the Eastern Alps and a popular ski area that attracts numerous winter sports enthusiasts. Here began also many winter sports careers.

The ski slopes are transformed in summer into the largest alpine pasture area in Lower Austria, where people and animals find peace and relaxation. There are also numerous rustic huts on the surrounding mountains, where guests always are welcomed. And as on the alpine pastures, time seems to have stood still in some blacksmiths' workshops in the valley, so you can still immerse yourself in the world of the black counts today.

DANCING AROUND THE WOLFGANGSEE

The Aberseer Schleuniger, a form of play and dance that is only widespread in the Salzkammergut, is particularly practiced around the Wolfgang lake area and forms the starting point for a lively journey around the lake with many varied encounters and numerous unexpected twists and turns. The film also makes a detour to the traditional rifle club Wirling, whose traditional gun shooting is listed as an intangible cultural heritage.

LIFE AT THE FOOT OF THE ZUGSPITZE

Every year on the summer solstice on June 21, the mountain fires light up in the Ehrwald valley basin. Based on this imposing custom, which is on the list of intangible cultural heritage, the film undertakes a foray through the Wetterstein Mountains.

LIFE IN THE GURK, METNITZ OR GÖRTSCHITZ VALLEY AND ON THE NEUMARKTSATTEL

Heritage Austria roams through the forests of the border area between Carinthia and Styria and meets among other things forest farmers in the traditional larch resin extraction. The Kranzel riding in Gurktal valley.

LIFE IN THE SHADOW OF THE DOBRATSCH

Even though mining in Bleiberg has ceased, many people in the region can still remember the times when lead and zinc were mined. Heritage Austria explores this old mining region and its customs and traditions.