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Studying best practices – study-tour – cycling in South Burgenland, Austria in the framework of IronCurtainCycling Interreg V-A Slovenia– Hungary project

”Studying best practices – study-tour – cycling in South Burgenland, Austria” organized in the framework of the Iron Curtain Cycling project No.SIHU115 funded by the Interreg V-A Slovenia-Hungary Cooperation Program

The study-tour started on 20 June 2018 at the railway-station of Lenti, from which the participants travelled by bus to Neustift an der Lafnitz through Lendava and Murska Sobota. As the first station of the tour the team of more than 30 persons visited HEURIGENSTADL Ehrenhöfer, that is a small family run business at the border of Styria. Thely started to sell their own products at home 25 years ago. Since 1999 they perform also tourist leisure activities, including cycling tourism and e-bike rental as one of the main segments. The two owners introduced the farm and explained the services provided for the visitors.  One of them – that belongs rather to the farming activity – is the so called ”rural matriculation”, in which the participants can get familiar with the rural life, learn a number of agricultural skills, eg. how to scythe the grass, milk a cow. Meanwhile they learn how to make difference between the industrial products and the home made ones, and get familiar with the local herbs, as well.  

Following the introduction of the farm and its unique services the owners explained the delevoped e-bike system, the route and the available bicycles. Answering the questions of the participants it turned out that they receive a large number of guests and provide many possibilities for the lovers of cycling. Besides the 3-hours rent they also have a tour that includes 5 nights and 6 days, where the cycling tourists can get acquainted with the whole area of South Burgenland and its culture, gastronomy.

After the interesting lessons and presentations the participants can get personal experiences on using the e-bikes, since the next part of the program was a short cycling tour. The participants wheeled from Neustift an der Lafnitz to Oberwartba on a section of the so called ”Paradiseroute”. During the tour the accompanying guide introduced the cycling trail itself and the interesting places along the section. In the course of the ride of more than 3 hours one can experience the advantages of the e-bikes, since even an elder person can ride up easily on a considerably sloping hillside by them.

After cycling the owners offered a grilled meal for the participants in the framework of an open-air buffet.  Then the program ended and the participants have been transported home through Murska Sobota, Lendava and Lenti.