Alchemist and herbal witch

Excursions to herbal gardens: Explore and sample medicinal plants in Lower Austria’s educational and model gardens.

From dock to goutweed, a visit to an herb garden yields age-old knowledge of healing. And so much inspiration for a little herb garden at home – from organic witch to herb expert priest.

Lower Austria’s herbal gardens are blooming and fragrant. These evergreen outdoor pharmacies yield a wealth of knowledge about known and rare medicinal plants. Organic meals or Kneipp cures round out the excursion.

Alchemist and herbal priest
Father Pater Hermann-Josef Weidinger was a priest and herb expert with a rich legacy.  His model garden in Karlstein on the Thaya River in the Waldviertel is still lovingly cared for. The vegetarian lunch menu is served outside weather permitting. At the Anno 1920 organic herb country inn, organic dishes are also found on the table  – and the herbs in them come from the inn’s own model garden. The Alchemist Park is like an edible landscape: It cultivates regional species of fruits, vegetables and nuts as well as spices.

Good herbal witches
The educational medicinal garden in Bad Traunstein is at an elevation of more than 900 m above sea level. It is tended by a local group of ladies called the Traunsteiner Kräutertanten (Traunstein herb ladies). They are happy to share their knowledge with visitors. Healing powers also unfold in the herbal themed garden in Hollenstein; thanks to Kneipp equipment and a barefoot trail.