Where deer and hedgehogs “Good night” say

Steyr is only a quarter of an hour away and Linz is practically right around the corner and yet when you visit the Ipfmühle in Hargelsberg you have the feeling that you are in the middle of the “single layer”as it is called in good Upper Austrian.

The imposing square with the typical mud bricks and the large dark green gates is idyllically situated in the middle of forests and fields and is surrounded by old fruit trees. According to the inscription, the property was built in 1859. “My father bought it in 1957, renovated it with painstaking work and ran a small farm,” says Monika Stadler, who now lives here with her partner Charlie Straßmayr. The garden around the house is just as relaxed as the couple.

Berries galore

There are many rose bushes, a barbecue area, a cozy hut and berries in abundance. Of course, the classics such as strawberries and raspberries, but also blackberries and even gooseberries thrive in Monika Stadler’s orchard. “And they are all there for eating and snacking. I might start preserving when I retire,” says the 59-year-old, who works in the St. Florian retirement home. Pour as needed and not excessively. “My motto is: what survives, survives.”

Not only people appreciate the peace and naturalness, but also the animals. “In the evening, deer often stop by, so we can observe them wonderfully up close.” But you can also see pheasants and wild ducks near the farm, as well as Roman snails and birds of all kinds – from woodpeckers to swallows, from the Yellowhammer to marsh tit, says Monika Stadler, who makes sure the bird feeders are well stocked every day. And the hedgehogs really like it in the “Ipfmühle”. “They often even move into our garden temporarily.”