The smell of fresh bread wafts through Inge Ramsbacher's kitchen. Half a dozen fresh loaves are cooling on the table in front of her while she kneads a new dough vigorously with floured hands. A special shape is to be used for the next batch of bread: a heart that makes her homemade bread look particularly appetizing. When time permits, Inge Ramsbacher bakes the heart-shaped bread for her guests to give them a warm welcome in the truest sense of the word.
Inge Ramsbacher and her family live on a farm in Aschbach, just under a kilometer away from Rennweg am Katschberg. Inge Ramsbacher makes products on the farm that can not only be bought locally, she also supplies surrounding restaurants with her farm produce and baked goods. There is bacon, salami, sausages, Glunden cheese, cream cheese balls, farmer's butter, Reindling and homemade bread. And if you check in with the Ramsbacher family, you might be greeted with a heart-shaped loaf of bread.
High above the farm in Aschbach, around six kilometers up a winding road up the mountain, the family owns extensive private land. The road winds its way up, bend by bend, until the destination is reached: a green valley with a small settlement, on the edge of which the Mechtenhütte stands on a hill. The motto here? A vacation on the mountain pasture and a time-out that couldn't be more beautiful. Because on the Katschberghöhe, which connects the Katschtal in Carinthia with the Lungau in Salzburger Land, it is never noisy or crowded, even in summer when many hikers are out and about. On the contrary: here you can experience a genuine and honest vacation on the alpine pasture in Carinthia.
The small settlement at the top of the pass, where the Mechtenhütte is located, belongs to the Carinthian municipality of Rennweg am Katschberg and lies at 1,700 m above sea level. Closer than the ski resort, however, is Salzburg. If you take the path uphill behind the Mechtenhütte, you will pass the Salzburg border after around 30 minutes. It's no wonder that many holidaymakers staying at the Ramsbacher family's hut test out the hiking trails. The mountain landscape is a central starting point for hikes on the Katschberg - both on the Carinthian and the Salzburg side.
The story of the Mechtenhütte began in 2010. Back then, the family started building it, always at weekends and on public holidays. It took three years until the Mechtenhütte was finished. Originally, the idea was to create a place where the family could relax away from everyday life. However, the first days of vacation together in their own hut turned into weeks in which nobody used the hut. So one day the decision was made: The hut would be rented out so that other people could enjoy some time out on the mountain pasture. Inge Ramsbacher is on hand to ensure that everything runs smoothly. Whether you have questions about the hut or the region, she always has an answer. If you want, you can order produce from the farm during your vacation at the Mechtenhütte.
But self-catering vacations are also no problem. Although the Mechtenhütte is located high in the mountains, the hut is well equipped for visitors. The fully equipped eat-in kitchen has a large dining table with a seating area. Cooking is done on a wood-burning stove, which becomes a floor heater on cold days. On the first floor there is also a pantry, an anteroom with wardrobe and shoe cupboard and a large bathroom with shower and toilet. On the second floor, a double room with a large Swiss stone pine bed, a room with a single bed and another room with a bunk bed await guests. There is no cell phone reception or internet, the hut is powered by a photovoltaic system. That's why there is no fridge, but a cool bag in the pantry and a well with cold spring water outside the front door.
Up on the mountain, you realize on vacation how little you actually need - and how good nature is. There are numerous hiking trails around the Mechtenhütte that lead into the mountain landscape, to huts or above the tree line. A short hike (approx. 45 minutes) is the route to the "Neue Bonner Hütte" (Frankenberg 18, 9863 Frankenberg) run by the Alpine Club. In the direction of Aineck, a hiking trail (approx. 1.5 hours) leads to the Salzburg side to the Branntweineralm (Aineck, 5581 St. Margarethen im Lungau) and to the Kösslbacher Alm (Aineck 92, 5581 St. Margarethen im Lungau). If you want to take a dip after hiking, you should go to the Laußnitzerhütte (Frankenberg 73, 9863 Rennweg am Katschberg). After an ascending path (approx. 1.5 hours), the hut and a few kilometers further on the Laußnitzersee await guests.
The way back is gently downhill - and your heart is guaranteed to open wide when the Mechtenhütte comes into view again ...
Text & photos: Jasmin Kreulitsch from the travel blog http://www.kosmopoetin.com/
