Gereuther Höfeweg farm trail

The Feichterhof farm, high above Brixen, has often changed owners in the past and was characterised by woodwork. "Feichte" is the dialectal name for the spruce. The farm has now been owned by the Tschöll family for over 80 years. Christian is a trained cook and loves working with guests. So, he has also changed the farm's focus to that. He has switched from dairy farming to meat production. About 25 cows graze on the steep meadows with a view of the Geisler mountains. With the new chalets, a small panoramic paradise has been created at the Feichterhof farm.

Brigitte and Michael run the Gruberhof farm together, with Brigitte's parents and nephews and nieces helping them out. Their great passion is baking bread. Every two to three months they organize a big baking day. The evening before, the restored oven, which is around 250 years old, is stoked and the dough prepared. Early in the morning, when the temperature is perfect, the portioned dough patties are poured in. A pleasant aroma spreads in the fresh morning air between spectators and helpers. Neighbours come by, taste and take home fresh bread.

For centuries, the Perlungerhof farm was a self-sufficient farm. Among other things, Sepp Unterrainer has made it his business to be energy self-sufficient and thus to carry the autonomy of the mountain farm into the modern era. His great passion, however, is for living beings: people and animals. He looks after the dairy cows, the cats, takes care of the rabbits and, with the help of his mother, of course, the guests. It was not until the end of the 60s that the road was built up to Perlunger, which made a tourist bussiness possible.

Monika and Martin Stockner run the Wegscheiderhof farm. In addition to farming with dairy cows, the two of them devote a lot of energy to their farm holiday business. While the parlour and cellar date back to 1752, the old barn has just been renovated and made accessible to guests. A small farm museum also offers space for old tools of the mountain farmers that have been collected on the farm over the many years.

The Stocknerhof farm has been owned by the Eisenstecken family since 1905, and now the fourth generation is already managing the farm. The main sources of income are milk production and their farm holiday business. In order to keep the farm economically viable for the next generation and to be able to make investments, Konrad earns extra money by taking care of the animals' hooves for many farmers in the area. Working the steep meadows is tedious, milking the cows is a daily chore, looking after the guests is a constant challenge, and yet, or precisely because of this, it is home.

The Moarhof farm is idyllically situated in the mountain landscape of Gereuth. The couple Sheila and Florian Hofer run it together with Florian's parents Mathilde and Josef. Besides offering farm holidays, their main occupation is dairy farming. The entrance to the milk processing room and the stable is adorned by an old apricot tree that decorates the entire façade in spring and bears countless fruits in late summer.

The Winkler family manages the Zehrehof farm with verve and constant ideas for further development. Only recently, the new barn was inaugurated, which was built with wood from their own forest. With the help of a travelling saw, the logs were cut and prepared directly on site. Milk production and the farm holidays business are the main sources of income on the farm. The young farmer Markus will continue to run the farm. He looks after the cows and the goats on the steep slope above the farm with a lot of passion.

The Kerschbaumerhof farm, a traditional hereditary farm owned by the family for over 200 years, is managed by Florian Mitterrutzner. The farm is fenced in by picturesque cherry trees and extends over 7 hectares of grassland and almost 13 hectares of forest. Florian is a trained carpenter and now devotes himself exclusively to the management of the farm. The focus is on keeping 20-25 dairy cows, meat production and offering farm holidays.

Katharina and Christian run the Egarterhof farm. Besides offering farm holidays, dairy farming is the main source of income. Up to 300 litres of milk are delivered daily to the Brixen dairy farm. While Christian additionally works as a fitter, Katharina takes care of the garden, the hens, the welfare of the guests and is a farmer with heart and soul. This farm life was hard-earned over generations after two strokes of fate. In 1945, an American aerial bomb hit the farm, which then burnt out. In 2009, a fire destroyed the house again. Once again, the family managed to reclaim their living space.