Stories from the Farm
A fixed star in our annual cycle
There are many good reasons why the Rieken family has found a second (vacation) home at the Hinteregger in the Carinthian Nockberge mountains for 25 years.
Every year, the Riekens pack their suitcases before the start of the semester break. The family of five travels to St. Oswald near Bad Kleinkirchheim, an hour's drive from their home near Völkermarkt, with their winter bag and baggage and lots of anticipation. In 1999 for the first time and of course again this year - without interruption. "A fixed star in our annual cycle, the week without Hintereggers is unthinkable for us," says Elke Rieken. This is also and above all due to the fact that parents and the now "grown-up" three daughters have long been part of the host's family. "In many hotels you are and always remain just a guest, here you are at home," is how the mom tries to describe this special feeling of home in her winter vacation home in the middle of the Carinthian Nockberge mountains at 1,370 meters above sea level.
The good is so close
The atmosphere and mood in this house, never having the feeling that children are disturbing. Quite the opposite. The Riekens' daughters grew up with the Hintereggers' three sons and many other guests' children and have remained close to them to this day. Through many shared experiences helping out on the farm and in the stable, feeding the small animals, but also through the close-up visual lessons on how delicious home-made products are made from the ingredients of nature. Not to mention the vacation pleasures of tobogganing, skiing or a (snowshoe) hike to the sunrise on the Brunnachalm and then relaxing in the hotel's own wellness area. That's why the Riekens are not drawn to larger and more sophisticated ski resorts outside Carinthia. The good things are so close. Or as Elke Rieken, who runs a small farm herself, puts it: "I don't have to take my money elsewhere when we have the perfect offer right on our doorstep." A natural perfection that is based on reciprocity. "My best relaxation is being there for our guests and doing things," says "Seppi", the young-at-heart old farmer.
Family tradition since 1470
It probably also has to do with the fact that the Hinteregger family tradition has a long history in the truest sense of the word. The first documentary mention of the Hintereggerhof farm of the same name dates back to 1470 and was written down by the then Order of St. George. Until the 1960s, the family lived exclusively from farming and alpine pasture farming.
Eventually, more and more hikers, summer visitors and skiers arrived. Heinz and Maria Hinteregger adapted to the new requirements and founded a snack station. Gasthof Hinteregger was born in 1967, with a restaurant and two dozen guest beds. In 1989, Sepp and Ingrid Hinteregger took over and largely rebuilt the family property to its current appearance. Finally, at the turn of the millennium, Sepp also acquired the Brunnachhof right next to the ski slope.
"You have different perspectives in the countryside, including for a family together. I think it's nice to raise my children here."
Martin Hinteregger
"Other perspectives"
Today, the hotel and inn combine Farm holidays with hiking, skiing, family vacations, rural cuisine, sustainability, regionality and slow food in the heart of the UNESCO Nockberge Biosphere Reserve.
And the next generation? "You have different prospects in the countryside, even for a family together," says Martin, the trained geologist who, like his two brothers, is actively continuing the family legacy with innovative ideas: "I think it's great to raise my children here." To this end, he is currently expanding and converting an old farm nearby into the family home. So 553 years after the first documentary mention, the estate is still in the same spot of land in family hands and in a secluded location at the end of the road to St. Oswald. The Rieken family are not the only ones who can and will continue to feel at home here.
