Going Remote – The Allure of Southern Burgenland (Lost Lands #59)

Burgenland is a single province, but it can be broken down into three separate parts. There is northern Burgenland, central Burgenland, and southern Burgenland. The northern part gets more tourists than the other two and central Burgenland sees more tourists than southern Burgenland. Northern Burgenland is by far the most visited region because of its proximity to Vienna which is the political, economic, and cultural nerve center of Austria. One out of every five Austrians lives in Vienna. The capital is also a world-renowned destination for tourists. Though the proportion of those who visit both Vianna and Burgenland is small, this is an important part of Burgenland’s tourist sector.

Most tourists come to northern Burgenland for two reasons. The first is Eisenstadt. The province’s biggest city is less than an hour by train from Vienna. It is home to several historic sites connected to the world-famous composer Joseph Haydn. This includes the Esterhazy Palace which is one of Haydn’s old haunts and an architectural treasure that deserves further exploration. Not far from Eisenstadt is another of northern Burgenland’s treasures. The Neusiedler See, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The shallow lake is a haven for lovers of sun, sand, water, and birding. Central Burgenland is the next most visited part of the province, mainly because it borders the north. Southern Burgenland is not even an afterthought. Only locals, aficionados of castles, and those headed somewhere else are likely to visit. It is the remotest part of Burgenland and one of the remotest, least visited parts of Austria. That is one of the reasons I want to visit it. As if I needed another reason, since southern Burgenland is also part of the lost lands beyond Hungary’s borders.

Going South – A Family On The Frontier

The development of my lost lands itinerary now brings me to southern Burgenland. What do I know about it? Not much. That is due to a lack of travel experience. In my previous trip to Burgenland, I failed to consider its southern part for a visit. One of the reasons the area gets overlooked is paradoxical. It is not on the way to anywhere, but those who do pass through are on the way to somewhere else. Styria, Szombathely, and Slovenia are some of the most popular destinations that travelers may be trying to reach when they pass through southern Burgenland. Those who do decide to visit are entering the most anonymous part of Austria. A frontier land hemmed in by the eastern portion of Styria, an obscure sliver of eastern Slovenia, and a part of southwestern Hungary where few tourists tread. The historical influence of Hungary in southern Burgenland centers around one family.

What the Esterhazy’s are to northern Burgenland, the Batthyanys are to southern Burgenland. They had large land holdings and castles that extend back over five hundred years. While the family’s holdings in Hungary were lost to the communists, they were able to keep the ones in Austria. The Batthyanys also afforded protection to the area’s Jewish communities, which were much more liberal than the Siebengemeinden protected by the Esterhazy’s in northern Burgenland. The Esterhazys are more well known than the Batthyanys for a variety of reasons. I cannot help but think one of them is that the Esterhazy’s were closer to Vienna. The Batthyany family deserves just as an exalted place in the history books. As I would soon find out in my research on southern Burgenland, the Batthyany presence is not just historical. They have a firm grip on southern Burgenland’s best castle in Gussing.

Strength & Stability – Land of Castles

I cannot say for certain until I set foot there, but from what I have learned, southern Burgenland sounds like the equivalent of a forgotten uncle who lives by himself, rarely communicates with the rest of the family, and has spent his entire life trying not to be noticed. A close relative that is out of reach, out of touch, and out of mind. He only gets mentioned in passing, if he gets mentioned at all. Then someone finally runs into him by accident and cannot believe all he has to offer. Southern Burgenland sounds a lot like that. A place that is supposedly at the end of the road. Once you get to know it, an entirely new road opens to destinations that you can call your own. Speaking of roads, getting to southern Burgenland is best done by car.

One of the things that keeps tourists away is the lack of transport connections in Burgenland running from north to south. A bus can be had twice a day and that’s it. Austria has incredible public transport, sadly Burgenland does not for anyone wanting to travel it from top to bottom. Northern Burgenland is much better connected for travelers who want to dip a toe into the province. Once again, proximity to Vienna helps with this. Anyone looking to go south is jumping off the deep end. That can lead to unexpected delights including the area’s specialty, castles. Burgenland means the land of castles and befitting that moniker the southern part has its fair share of them. Burg Gussing, Burg Schlaining, Burg Tabor, and Burg Amber. Burgenland’s castles symbolize a thread that runs throughout its history. The region has always been, and still is today, a borderland. From the Middle Ages until the early modern period, these strongholds served as a protector and stabilizing force. They made the blurred lines between Hungarians and Germans clearer. In this part of Europe, dividing lines were drawn vertically in stone. In southern Burgenland, the castles were a source of strength and stability.

Lost & Found – The Simple Pleasures

Southern Burgenland has the power of the provincial on its side. Simple pleasures such as a leisurely pace of travel, hearty meals, and soaking up the atmosphere at castles can be found in abundance. The chance of being crowded out at a castle or restaurant is low. The people are bound to be much less pretentious than those in Vienna, Graz, or Salzburg. Southern Burgenland can use all the visitors it can get and for those willing to ignore the siren’s calls of Austria’s alpine landscapes and famous cities, they can have pastoral pleasures. I look forward to this new journey of discovery in a land lost and found.