Stories from the Farm
The multimedia program of nature
When the bright and clear starry sky wins against the main evening program on TV, then you have arrived in the middle of nature and on a Carinthian alpine vacation. At the Zipfhütte on the Maltaberg, such magical moments can be experienced and felt by the whole family. Because all you have to do there is let things take their natural course.
The Austrian "southerners" have an old saying: "If you're a Carinthian, stay a Carinthian." Why is that so? It's simple: anyone who grows up here will always look for their roots because the country and its diversity are firmly embedded in their DNA. Matthias and Daniela are such people. Having grown up in and around Klagenfurt, they moved to Vienna for work. "I didn't really want to stay in the big city after my studies, but my job as a lawyer turned out that way," says Matthias.
Carinthia: southern warmth, adventurous nature
However, it was clear that their children Florian and Amelie should not grow up in a concrete jungle, but in the countryside. After a long search, the right reason was found to build a house on the edge of the forest in the eighteenth district, and the plan of "open the door, kids out" worked. Nevertheless, they make their way to Carinthia at least once a month. "We enjoy what the country has to offer: The proximity to Italy, the sea, the lakes, the mountains. If you want to go ice skating in winter, you can choose between several frozen lakes in Carinthia; in Vienna, you have to go to the artificial ice rink that was built on the roof of a supermarket." Matthias' attitude is clear: "If you want to bring your children closer to nature, you have to establish a connection to it as a parent."
"If the children have never seen it, they can't tell the difference between freshly picked blackberries from the forest and the plastic-wrapped counterpart from the supermarket, imported from Uruguay."
Matthias
Cozy hut, picturesque view
That's why the whole family goes to Johann and Maria Lagger's Zipfhütte in the Lieser and Malta valleys in Carinthia once a year for a week. Normally, there is a long waiting list for new booking requests over the summer and the countless offers to buy have always been warmly rejected, but Matthias and Daniela were lucky: "A place became available at short notice due to a cancellation and we took it straight away." For eleven years now, they have been spending a week on the mountain, where it is simply cozy for everyone, despite or perhaps because of the wide view.
"I'm off then"
There in the hut, where the embroidered saying "When you have peace in your heart, the hut becomes your palace" hangs behind the cozy corner bench, the whole family can switch off and relax. "I simply can't do anything with the newfangled word quality time. It's just an excuse for taking too little time for the family and far too much time for work." In Matthias' eyes, the most important job is to dedicate himself to the next generation, his children. "After all, they are the ones who will later decide what happens to our world."
"This fast pace of life cannot continue, people will not be able to keep it up in the long term."
Matthias
Being close to the original things
At the Zipfhütte, you can get very close to the original things again. "You can just let the day be day, adjust to the weather and enjoy nature's multimedia program." Like the bright, clear starry sky at night, which easily beats the main evening program on TV, or the calming sound of the stream behind the hut. "You have to show all this to your own children. If they've never seen it, they won't be able to recognize it." Like, for example, the difference between freshly picked blackberries from the forest and the plastic-wrapped counterpart from the supermarket, imported from Uruguay.
One week in off-mode
The laptop stays closed all week, the cell phone is only used for urgent matters. "This fast pace of life can't continue, people won't be able to keep it up in the long term," Matthias is certain. In his opinion, taking a step back won't do any harm. To refocus on the essentials and give more importance to the values that ultimately matter: family, nature and the appreciative cycle of both components. Because: "You can only make the best of what you have anyway."
With support from the federal government, the federal states and the European Union (LE 14-20)
