Spacious, green guest gardens, cosy terraces, from which the view sometimes sweeps over a lake, and hosts who passionately present their home-made delicacies: If you take a seat at one of the large tables in a Buschenschank, you can look forward to culinary delights and good conversation.
Children can't always sit still. And they don't have to in the Buschenschenken, because in addition to a good snack, there is plenty of open space around the Buschenschenken. A sandpit, seesaw, swing and a large play area are standard almost everywhere. Sometimes petting animals live on the farm (Buschenschenke Egger/Buschenschank Hübelbauer), sometimes the play area has a view of the lake (Buschenschenke Höfler), and sometimes a natural moor with a bear hut (Stanahof) is just a walk away.
A Buschenschank on Lake Millstätter See with a postcard panorama: the panoramic seats under the large, old lime tree are particularly popular at the Buschenschank Höfler.
The Drau Cycle Path leads directly past the Egger family farm. Many cyclists take the opportunity to take a break at the Buschenschank Egger.
Buschenschenken in Carinthia are allowed to be open 200 days a year. Most of the Buschenschenken in the Millstätter See - Bad Kleinkirchheim - Nockberge region open their parlours and terraces between May and October and plan their closing days according to what suits the business best
Buschenschänken or Buschenschenken that are open are decorated with a pine, fir or spruce bush. Sometimes the eponymous bushes point the way to the Buschenschank, but usually they hang tied in colourful ribbons at the entrance to the Buschenschank.
In 1784, Emperor Josef II issued the Buschenschankgesetz (Wine Tavern Act), the main features of which are still valid today. It states that anyone who produces food and drink may also sell and serve it. Typical home-produced foods include sausages (smoked meat, dried sausage, but also game salami), meat products, vegetables, fruit, cheese, ‘Glundner’, home-made spreads, home-made pastries and bread.
Visitors to the Buschenschank can look forward to a snack, a cheese platter with apple juice, cider or wine. Operators of Buschenschenken are also allowed to buy in some of their food. However, bought-in food must be labelled on the menu. The Buschenschenken in the region take part in the ‘Gutes vom Bauernhof’ quality programme. The brand stands for guaranteed farm-fresh food of the highest quality. This means that the origin of the food is also clearly traceable for the guest.
As a rule, cold dishes are served in wine taverns. Guests will look in vain for drinks such as lemonade or cola on the Buschenschank menu.
Gustav Unterlerchner from the Buschenschank Höfler