Güssing: the Heart of Austrian Greenness

Two hours south of Vienna, Austria's storied environmentalism assumes three vivid dimensions. In the lush Burgenland region lies the ökoEnergieland, or bio-energy land, home to an array of sustainable energy facilities, from photovoltaics to bio-gas to biomass. Thanks to deeply ingrained ecological principles, the area is guaranteed a pristine and unspoiled future. (Nearly eighty miles of bicycle trails provide the perfect way of experiencing it, too.) 

Visitors from around the world come to see not just this monument to forward thinking, but a rich past as well: the castle of Güssing, the Fransiscan Convent of Güssing and a handful of impressive museums. And because viticulture and environmentalism have long gone hand-in-hand here, a highlight is the centuries-old “Kellerviertel” in Heiligenbrunn, the wine village famous for its Uhudler wine and more than 108 cellars.