Find Hotels in Geras: Monastery History and Nature

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Pure Luxury

“Call me spoiled - but I love to be treated like a queen when traveling. Only the best is good enough for me. Hotels that make my vacation a dream of luxury and seduction are my choices. Pay attention to the (violet Medal) for luxury accommodation.”

Tatjana Herzegova, Kiew, Ukraine

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Sustainable Travel

“There is only one earth and we should go out and see it. I like hotels, which look for sustainability. It is not only protecting the ecology, but also taking care for the local business and culture. I recommend the medal for eco accomodation. Let’s protect our earth. Sustainable travel is travelling with responsibility.”

Markus Lenk, Düsseldorf, Germany

There are different ways to shape a stay in Geras: explore the medieval monastery complex, see the art in the abbey church, take a course at akademie.GERAS, or focus on gardens and nature. There is also a hiking trail, a shallow beach for swimmers, and the largest carp pond in this chain of ponds.

Monastery History, Art and Courses

Geras Monastery dates back to the Middle Ages. The year 1153 is now considered the founding year of Geras Abbey. The ceiling frescoes in the nave and choir of Geras Abbey Church were painted by Franz Zoller around 1770. This gives you both a broad historical context for the complex and a specific art-historical point of reference. akademie.GERAS offers art courses in painting, sculpture, ceramics, writing, jewellery making and photography. If you would like to get creative yourself, the courses offer a different way to engage than studying the frescoes: the focus here is on your own work in one of the listed fields.

Herb Garden and Nature Park

The Monastic Herb Garden contains more than 100 medicinal, culinary and ornamental plants. These three groups provide a clear starting point for anyone interested in plants. Geras Nature Park has a bat nature trail; mouflons, as well as fallow, sika and red deer, can also be observed in spacious enclosures. The nature trail and wildlife viewing offer a different focus from the garden and its plants. When choosing nature-related themes for your stay, you can consider whether plants, bats or the wildlife species listed are of greatest interest to you. This lets you plan the nature-focused part of your trip around specific themes, rather than treating nature as a general catch-all.

Hiking Trail, Beach and Pond

There are also different ways to enjoy activity and water. The Edlerseeweg is a 6.3-kilometre hiking trail. Its length is specified, while you can plan how long it will take based on your own pace and intended breaks. Edlersee has a shallow beach for swimmers. Lange Teich is the largest carp pond in this chain of ponds. The trail, beach and pond therefore offer different points of reference: a hiking route with a stated distance, a shallow beach and a pond’s place within the chain. You can use these differences to weigh up hiking, swimming and the pond as a landscape feature.

Plan Your Stay Around Your Interests

When looking for hotels in Geras, it helps to first decide what you want to focus on during your stay. Would you like to make the trip primarily about history and culture, creative pursuits or nature? If you want to include several themes, organise your plans around the activities that matter most to you, then check whether the specific accommodation suits your plans. A course at akademie.GERAS can give your trip a different focus from the frescoes or a nature theme; if you are interested in a course, include the specific course details in your plans.

Discover more destinations: Meiseldorf, Sigmundsherberg, Sankt Marein, Horn, Straning-Grafenberg, Messern, Klein-Reinprechtsdorf, Röschitz.

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Go to the broader travel overview: Horn.