Peter Rosegger's woodlands home

In less than an hour's drive you reach the Waldheimat, a delightful spot of land in Styria which got its name from the poet Peter Rosegger (1843-1918) to reflect its immense richness in woods.

The son of a mountain farmer was physically too weak for the heavy farm duties and too poor for studies so that he became an understudy of a travelling tailor. During his years of travelling from farm to farm to produce the clothes for farmers, he gained a deep insight into the "peasantry" and in later years built in these impressions in his accounts.

In his free time he wrote poems and poesies which one day he sent to the Graz-based newspaper "Tagespost". The publisher realized Rosegger's talent and found patrons for the young poet who also made it possible for him to access profound schooling and to publish his first works. Thanks to his involvement and his financial support the woodland school was built. He dedicated the school to the children of his home region to fight against migration from the land.

The woodlands school which was opened in 1902 as well as Rosegger's birthplace survived in their original conditions , are open for visitors (in the summer months and during Christmas and Half-Term holidays) and offer an insight into the harsh everyday life of families of mountain farmers in the olden days.

Peter Rosegger museum and birthplace
Peter Rosegger's birthplace at 1200 metres is a memorial, pilgrimage place and museum at the same time. Like in Peter Rosegger's childhood you only reach his birthplace after a 30 minute-walk through the beautiful Styrian countryside.
Inside the house the dark birth parlour with little contents shows the incredible simplicity in which Peter Rosegger grew up and Rosegger's famous childhood accounts come alive in a fascinating way.

Rosegger's woodlands school is nowadays also a museum, where the Rosegger room and the classroom survived in their original conditions.
The Rosegger cottage is Peter Rosegger's last residence and documents, memorabilia and pictures from the life of the writer and poet can be admired here.