Permanent guests at Winterstellgut

The place where the “Liebessteig” used to lead up from Annaberg – a path that a lovesick farmer trod a hundred years ago when he crept up to a Winterstellgut maid every night – can now be seen from the airy veranda looking down into the Lammertal valley. From here you can also watch the Haflinger horses romping around in the pasture. Behind the main building is their large stable with wooden paddocks and in the training area next to the pond they keep themselves in shape.

Horses have been at home at Winterstellgut for a long time. In the 16th and 17th centuries, they brought the salt from the Salzkammergut to the episcopal city of Salzburg and the fine people from the farm to their hunting grounds. When the roads became steep, their horses struggled to move the heavy carriages. That’s why the local farmers waited at these points to provide the carriages with two or three additional lead horses for a fee. As soon as it snowed and the carriage traffic came to a standstill, these horses were out of work. They were put to work for the winter – in the “Winterstellgut”.

ROMANTIC CARRIAGE RIDE

Even the most romantic way to get to Winterstellgut has to do with horses: On request, a romantic carriage ride to the front door can be booked in both summer and winter.