Joglland and Forest Home
The Austrian Empress Maria Theresa is said to have travelled through the then as relatively sparsely populated, as now by European standards, relatively isolated north-eastern Styria.
To prove their popularity, they did occasionally stop her carriage, and asked the mostly male passers-by for their names.
“I bin da Jogl´“, (my name is Jakob) was often the answer.
After the Empress had received this answer once again, she allegedly shouted: "This beautiful landscape is indeed the purest Joglland!"
Peter Rosegger once described the gentle mountains of the Joglland and the forest home as the forgotten country. This region, with its villages on the eastern edge of the great Alpine range always lied away from the hectic life along the major transport routes, and this has not really changed today.
The region of Joglland - Waldheimat is the most mountainous part of Styria due to its geographical location and it was natural to summarise the many pastures (which are specifically referred to as Schwaigen in the Wechsel area), the herb gardens and of course the Styrian Flower Street as the "Alpine Garden of Eastern Styria", with all of the gorgeous flowers, but also culinary characteristics (herbs, cheese, cider, parson's nose).
Tourism, agriculture and forestry are the main economic factors in the region, whereby the tourism places great emphasis on regional and high-quality product use and marketing.
The classic summer resort with hiking and more recently mountain biking and cycling, plus cross country skiing, downhill skiing and snowshoeing in Winter, in combination with high quality food (several, well equipped 4 and 3* hotels, many farm holiday companies and vacation rentals) offers the guests a contemporary, relaxing and inexpensive stay.