Puch bei Weiz

At the foot of the Kulm, the most beautiful panoramic mountain in Eastern Styria, there is a special climate. The warm days and cool nights are perfect for fruit growing. Only here do apples develop their intense aroma. That is why there are more apple trees around Puch than anywhere else; three out of four Styrian apples come from here. The fruit growers refine many fruits into juices, cider, and schnapps, while the innkeepers on the Apple Road conjure up specialties from the fruit. Together, the “apple men” distill the “Abakus,” some bottles of which are walled into the church wall. They may only be opened after 100 years.

It is particularly beautiful here in spring, when the trees are in bloom and the village is enveloped in a cloud of white and pale pink blossoms. On the fourth Sunday in April, the traditional apple blossom festival is celebrated at Hochgartl in Puch. Then the fruit growers set up their stalls on the green meadow next to the blossoming apple orchard, folk music plays for dancing, and the Easter Queen is crowned. During the “Apple Road Autumn” at harvest time, there are farm festivals and activity days at the Apple Road farms.
In Elz, the world's largest apple stands as an archway, and in Harl, the “Cathedral of the Apple,” the large fruit warehouse, can be found. Five “cradle beds” invite you to dream and listen to stories, and adventure stations at fruit farms and the play and information world of “Gartentalent” at the Höfler nursery are open to visitors. The rich history of fruit growing begins around 

In Elz stands the world's largest apple archway, and in Harl the “Cathedral of the Apple,” a large fruit warehouse. Five “cradle beds” invite visitors to dream and listen to stories, while adventure stations at fruit farms and the play and information world of “Gartentalent” at the Höfler nursery are open to the public. The rich history of fruit growing begins around the Church of St. Oswald with the “Norican girl” holding an apple. The gravestone of Ignaz Weberhofer, Peter Rosegger's forest schoolmaster, is right next door. When the great poet visited him from the rugged ‘Waldheimat’ in the fertile apple country, it was “a journey to paradise” for him.