Burgenland is a very lengthy state. It is 166 km long from north to south but much narrower from west to east, in one place only 5km. It is divided into seven districts, but for this travel guide, it will first be divided it into larger regions, called Northern Burgenland, Mid Burgenland and Southern Burgenland. Those regions have better public transportation within them, as opposed to the very, very poor public transportation from north to south, which is mostly a bus which starts in Eisenstadt twice a day.
'''Northern Burgenland''':
'''Mid Burgenland''':
'''Southern Burgenland''':
Northern Burgenland is also the better developed part of the whole, since it is very near to Vienna and could profit from the economical updrift of this region after the World War II. The mid- and southern parts of Burgenland have poor infrastructure and economics.
In Jennersdorf, you will mostly find completely different weather (sunshine) situations than compared to the rest of Austria (rain). It is commonly thought by inhabitants that it is some sort of dependence of Italy, but this theory still lacks scientific acknowledgement.
In Burgenland people speak German, but there are also people who speak Croatian and Hungarian as well as Romanes.
Most certainly, you will not come to Burgenland by plane. But to be complete, nearby international airports are located in Vienna, Bratislava, Graz and Maribor. If you happen to own your own sports plane, you will like (and already know) the fact that there is a small military and hobbyists airport next to Gussing in Punitz, LOGG (123,20) [http://www.logg.at/], which is usable throughout the year. For bigger machines you will need to consider Maribor.
Regional lines pass through from Styria and Lower Austria. Wiener Neustadt especially is a good train hub for northern Burgenland. If you want to go to Southern Burgenland, you might sometimes prefer the destination "Furstenfeld" to Jennersdorf and then take the local Bus to the desired village. There are many train stations in Burgenland, you can search Detsche Bahn website for timetables.
Originally called "The Land of four Castles" (''Vierburgenland''), most of them are now in Hungary. It is not that they moved there by themselves, but in the political confusion of this area, a lot of unification, reunification and division took place, and that's where things stand now: a land of castles (''Burgenland'') with only few of them. But still there are some which are worthwhile to visit.
The Castles were originally built as some sort of (de)fence against the Osmanic and Magyar threat from the east. The "Road of Castles" (Schlosserstrasse [http://www.schloesserstrasse.com/]) starts in mid-Burgenland and goes right down to the most southern place in eastern Styria. By the way, don't be confused: the name of the castle is almost always the name of the corresponding village, minus "Burg" or "Schloss".
Ordered north to south:
You can visit Burg Gussing with an elevator.
Currently, there are two exhibitions:
You can visit the Riegersburg with an elevator.
There are many hot springs in southern Burgenland and south-eastern Styria, so watch out that you don't fall into one of the many thermal basins if you don't watch your step. The water for the thermae comes right out of the earth, heated by volcanic activity and is mostly around 36__C, enriched with minerals and very nice to relax in. There will also be offered common wellness services such as solarium, massages, drinks, mudbaths, sauna and others. Often enough there are opportunities to play golf, do horseriding, go bicycling or hiking, do sports and such.
The Village you find the thermae in will contain a lot of expensive hotels and cheap hostels to spend your time. You should not think about staying outside the actual thermae village, because stretches of way between villages are rather long in Burgenland, and the public transportation infrastructure is, to say the least, poor.
Thermae in Burgenland with their primary targets are:
Not in Burgenland, but in the area:
Before you start reading right away, think about yourself and your relation to food. Do you eat grasshoppers? Slugs? Do you dare every cook you meet for his local fashion and tradition? Well then, but you have been warned. You will notice that the following dishes just aren't the ones anyone would consider "kosher".
In Mid and Southern Burgenland, and also in some parts of Styria, a procedure called ''Sautanz'' - "pig dance" takes place. This is, when a hog is butchered. But well, it is not done in some industrial way of killing. It is a celebration, where all friends and neighbours of the respective peasant, who owns the hog, are invited. Usually, a professional butcher is organised, who does the actual filleting with some better parts of the pig as payment. As a first step, the hog is let out of its cage, then the peasant tries to catch it and set the slaughtering pistol (or sometimes, they use an axe for the same job). You will notice a loud and awful screaming of the hog, until it is caught and shot (or cut). What is called "dance" is the running around before it is killed - poor pig. Well then, you have that hog right there, bleeding. What happens next? And what has all this to do with food?
The thing which is called "Heuriger" in Vienna and Lower Austria is called ''Buschenschank'' ("bar in the bushes") in Southern Burgenland and South-Eastern Styria. This is where the peasants serve their own products without having to pay any gastronomy license fees. Drinks and food are extraordinarily cheap and tasty. You will get ''heurigen'' (this year's) wine and the products mentioned above, plus cheese and curd cheese made parfait.
You can order most of the products available served together on a plate, for one or more persons. This plate comes with additional sweet pepper, tomatoes, hot peppers, horseradish (called ''Kren'') and bread. If you come to Burgenland in autumn, you are really bound to try this, it is an extraordinary culinaric experience you might never forget.
For drinking, you will be served white wine, red wine, Uhudler, Most or Sturm, the latter three is explained below at "Drinks", don't miss it!
When you decide to go to a Buschenschank, ask a resident where a good one takes place.
In Northern Burgenland, around Neusiedlersee, and in Southern Burgenland you will get exceptional good wine for no money. Try to visit some Buschenschank or some Winery and start trying and tasting right away, as the local Wineries will be happy to assist you in a professional degustation.
Being a special wine which must only be served in Southern Burgenland and the bordering styrian area, you will not find it anywhere else. It is drunk cold, and though its appearance has some resemblance with rose, it tastes entirely different. It has the smack of berries, after the uncultivated grapes from which it is made. This wine is supposed to be drunk - pure or with soda - together with friends, in a warm autumn evening, in the open air, having a nice talk and laugh on a candle lit table. Most Buschenschanks will provide you with those prerequisites; you still need to bring the friends, though.
This is an alcoholic beverage made of fermented fruit juice. It can be clear or clouded and can taste a little astringent. You can get drunk from it easily. Common fruits used for making Most are grape, apple and pear. It is similar to cider and perry. In wine making, Most preceds Sturm. One differentiates between Pressmost, the product of pressure applied to the fruit, and Seihmost, the liquid that naturally flows out of the fruit stacked in the press.
A fermenting grape juice of high alcohol content, Sturm is the stage following Most. This beverage is only on sale for a few weeks in the winemaking regions of Austria and only during the season of wine-making as it cannot be preserved. If sold in bottles, it is not corked as the fermentation process of the sugar is still in process. It is opaque, and off-white to greenish in colour. Depending on the stage of fermentation the taste can be very sweet. It is deceptively refreshing, and has a surprising punch - more often than not it also delivers also a punch to your digestion.