One of the most beautiful Christmas markets in Austria is in Hochburg

The hole year round I have been staying in the Stiftsgasthof in Hochburg. Every weekend I spent at least 1 or 2 nights there as I was working my shifts just 10 minutes from there.

Last weekend I was approaching the quiet village of Hochburg just to find no single parking spot and a everything full of people. After I finally found a spot I went investigating and well this is what I found.

Hochburg is famous for one thing in particular. This is where Franz Xaver Gruber was born and raised. Who is that person?
Do you know the song "Silent Night, Holy Night"? Well, Franz was the composer who wrote that Christmas Carol that has since then conquered the world.

Franz Xaver Gruber was born on November 25, 1787, as the fifth of six children to the linen weavers Josef and Anna Gruber at Steinpointsölde, in the parish of Hochburg. Unfortunately, the house had to make way for a new building in 1927. In 1976, a more than 200-year-old wooden house from a neighboring community was transferred to Hochburg. This house is identical in style, form, and design to the birthplace. Set up as a museum, it conveys the rural life and work of that era. In 2017, the memorial house underwent general restoration.

The museum is located in the town center of Hochburg, where the Ibmer Moor Cycle Path, a variant of the Tauern Cycle Path, and the Helmbrechtspfad pass by.

Inside the house are items that remind us of Gruber. The most valuable piece is the loom on which Franz Xaver learned the weaving trade. During a guided tour, you will learn interesting facts about the composer's life and the creation of the song "Silent Night, Holy Night."

Especially during the Christmas season, life returns to the "Grubahäusl," as the people of Hochburg affectionately call it. Cooking and baking, weaving and spinning, planing and hammering happen in every corner. Music and singing fill the room. It becomes cozy and 'town-like' when stories are read aloud. The aroma of mulled cider and fruitcake spreads throughout the house. Childhood memories come alive again. Immerse yourself in the life of that time and take a little bit of that tranquility and contentment home with you.

Translated from the original German article on the official website of Franz Xaver Gruber Memorial Society. https://fxgruber.at/modules/ueberuns/item.php?itemid=1

The most interesting part of the Christmas Market was inside the Museum which is the exact copy of the house Franz grew up in.

Here are some of my photographic impressions that I collected.
I hope you all have a merry Christmas and have the time to spend with your family and loved ones.

Still outside the people are enjoying Glühwein and Punsch (mulled wine and punch)

Inside various local community members volunteer to bring the house to life. With costumes that are historically correct and with the tools they had back in those days.

A cosy fire in the kitchen, there was also food and tea and wine for a small donation. I did not have any cash on me, and I still got a little tea. Thanks again to the fantastic friendly ladies!

The museum itself is also worth a look. The actual piano that Franz learned on is still there. And the original weaving stool too.

Here are some more impressions of the museum.

A portrait of Franz and his music teacher.

Thank you everyone for reading. I hope you enjoyed this little tour from Hochburg.

By the way this is how it looks on a sunny winter day from my window in Hochburg.

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