Südburgenland, Austria

Territory: Mountainous
Area: 1,471 sqkm
Main occupations: Service sector, trade and commerce, agriculture
Protected areas: three nature parks and four Natura2000 areas (model regions for sustainable development)

Südburgenland is a small-scale hilly landscape and with its size of 1.471 sqkm contains 72 communities within communiting distance to bigger cities. The area is popular to visit mainly for nature-based tourism given the thermal baths and nature parks. Today 63% of the population work in service sector, 26% in trade and commerce and 11%in agriculture. 72% of the agricultural business run on part-time basis.

There are three nature parks with 19 involved communities. It is also worth highlighting the four Natura2000 areas - nature parks as model regions for sustainable development with the important theme, called protection through utilisation.

Our ambition
As growth promoter, initiator, networker, and supporter, our aim is to sustainably promote the economy of Burgenland. Wirtschaftsagentur Burgenland (WAB) is the managing authority of the programme Interreg AT-HU, acting for the change of the policy instrument and the programme elaboration. The regional development department of WAB is active in the Action Group 7 of EUSALP, has extensive experience in Interreg and a broad network in the education and governance sectors, supporting the Burgenland Nature Parks.

WAB project managers are experienced in the field of EU projects and in directly managing EU programmes (Interreg cross-border programs). Select Projects are: PANNONIAN NATURE NETWORK; GreenNet; Regions for Sustainable Change (RSC); LIVERUR; LUIGI, CERUSI; REGIONET aktív & REGIONET Competitive; Net-KMU; EU program management: Managing Authorities - IWB/ERDF 2014-2020, IWB/ESF 2014-2020 & programs of Burgenland.

The regional development department of WAB is acting as a pilot region partner in the project, will perform all thematic and communication tasks, bringing its experiences and results from previous projects to the consortium and would like to work on innovative ideas in the three drivers of Agri-food and agroeconomy, multimodal mobility and nature-based and cultural tourism

We focus on promoting agricultural products and engaging and supporting farmers, as they have limited resources. We promote agri-tourism initiatives that connect visitors with local farmers, showcasing traditional and sustainable food production methods.

We aim to enhance nature-based and cultural tourism by developing immersive and educational experiences and to integrate local cultural narratives into these tours, offering visitors a deep understanding of the area's cultural and natural heritage. By promoting sustainable tourism practices, we ensure that tourism benefits both the local community and the natural environment.

We want to develop new perspectives and growth opportunities for cultural activities already active in the area by involving and collaborating with new stakeholders in the area, who can share new insights and good practices to be implemented in the area. Our focus on cultural innovation involves preserving and promoting the unique cultural heritage of the region around southern Burgenland.

As an organisation, we are helping to develop hiking routes that run along our new "Bahntrassenweg" (railway path). Our goal is to involve the municipalities, especially the accommodation establishments and the inns, in order to make this route sustainable and active over time.

This makes us unique
Our region has been very successful in environmental education for over ten years. In previous projects, WAB, the nature parks and the education directorate developed the model of the “nature park schools”. At present, there are a total of 181 Nature Park schools in Austria – including primary schools, secondary schools, agricultural vocational and technical schools and two general special schools – as well as 91 Nature Park kindergartens/after-school care centres. There are nature park schools and kindergartens/after-school care centres in eight provinces, including 36 schools and 18 kindergartens in Burgenland. The "Nature Park School" or "Nature Park Kindergarten/After-School Care" is awarded to schools, kindergartens or after-school care centres that are located in a nature park community, work together with the nature park and demonstrate a special commitment to various nature park work areas, based on the four pillars: protection, recreation, education and regional development.

Local Task Force

Christoph Winkler

Regional Office Manager Oberwart - Chamber of Commerce Burgenland

Engelbert Kenyeri

Chairperson - Nature Park Geschriebenstein

Christine Zopf-Renner

Head of Coordination, Project Development & Bicycle Coordinator - Mobility Center Burgenland

Elisabeth Kopfer-Grosz

Representative - Weinidylle

Robert Nehfort

Representative - University College of Teacher Education Burgenland

Rene Höfer

Managing Director - Vamos Association for Integration

Oliver Stangl

Managing Director - Südburgenlandplus Association

Elisabeth Pichler

Department Head for Federal School Cluster & Quality School Coordinator - Education Campus Oberwart

Martin Wagner

Local Community Trainer