An annual pumpkin festival, an interactive experience about organic fish farming and marked hiking trails give Preding a range of distinctive attractions. Plan your stay around whether you are particularly interested in pumpkins, a visit to Gut Hornegg, nature and outdoor activities, or church history. The activities also differ in their visiting arrangements—some require advance registration or an enquiry.
Pumpkin Festival and Pumpkin Seed Oil
Preding’s annual Pumpkin Festival is all about pumpkins. You can also buy pumpkin seed oil directly from many pumpkin farmers in Preding. The festival and direct sales share the same theme but offer different ways to enjoy it: the festival is an annual event, while direct sales put the product itself in the spotlight.
Gut Hornegg: Organic Fish Farming and Tasting
Set around Hornegg Castle and its 30 ponds, Gut Hornegg offers an interactive experience about organic fish farming, with play and activity stations. Tours can be combined with a tasting afterwards. They are available from April to October, Tuesday to Saturday, with a short advance booking.
To get there, take RegioBus route 650 to the Preding Friedhof stop; from there, it is about 1.4 kilometres on foot. This means the tour times, advance booking and walk afterwards all need to be taken into account when planning your visit. Check the timetable and arrange your tour in advance.
Wildlife Park and Trails in the Hilly Countryside
The trail through Preding Wildlife Park leads through the animal enclosures and is accessible; there are seating areas and viewpoints along the way. This offers a different way to spend time outdoors from the marked hiking trails around Preding, which are ideal for longer outings. The town is set in hilly, wooded countryside at an elevation of 336 metres.
Stoiser Riding Stables offer another distinctive activity, hosting riding tournaments every year. Together with the wildlife park and hiking trails, they provide a choice of different activities without prescribing a set itinerary. You can focus on a walk through the enclosures, longer hikes or a riding tournament.
Churches and Local History
Preding Parish Church stands on the site of a fortification built in the late 11th or early 12th century. The historical connection is therefore with the site of today’s church. Guided tours of the pilgrimage church of Maria im Dorn and pilgrimage services are available on request; arrange these in advance of your visit.
When planning, it is worth arranging visits that require special coordination first: tours at Gut Hornegg are tied to specific months and days of the week and require a short advance booking, while activities at Maria im Dorn are available on request. The hiking trails and wildlife park trail offer different kinds of experiences.
Discover more destinations: Lemsitz, Wetzelsdorf in Western Styria, Sommereben, Wies, Gamsgebirg, Breitenbach in Western Styria, Sankt Anna Ob Schwanberg, Greisdorf
Return to the overview of destinations: Deutschlandsberg.
