Styria is not only an Austrian federal state, but also the home of the well-known music group "STS", which has honoured its homeland with the song of the same name.

When I entered the Gesäuse for the first time, I knew about this essential meaning of their homeland. The "Gseis", popularly called, is Austria's youngest and probably most impressive national park.

Situated in the heart of green Styria, rugged limestone peaks, green forests and alpine pastures with fantastic panoramas and fast white-water whirlpools await you, from which this high alpine region got its name. Each season is as varied as the many activities from hiking to rafting, climbing on hundreds of metres high cliffs and every imaginable kind of winter sport is offered.

Too unspectacular?
The world's largest monastery library is embedded in this wonderfully contrasting landscape and as if that were not enough, the Gesäuse is considered to be the place with the lowest light pollution in Austria. The sky above the Gesäuse offers a star panorama that in such variety and clarity is rarely to be found in Europe. Particularly spectacular for me was the moment when shooting stars and stars that were light-years away seemed close enough to touch in complete darkness and when the Milky Way could be seen with the naked eye.

I realized that these little everyday things that have become a matter of course for us can have a great effect and we have to preserve these unique treasures so that the generations after us can still enjoy our unique nature.