Rosalia-Kogelberg nature park marks 20 years as centre opening slips

The Rosalia-Kogelberg Nature Park celebrated its 20th anniversary on Saturday, while the opening of its visitor centre in Rohrbach remains delayed, ORF reports. The youngest nature park in Burgenland covers about 7,500 hectares in the Mattersburg district.

The park’s 12 municipalities marked the anniversary at the Meierhof in Pöttsching, where an autumn market showcased local businesses and the region. Park director Barbara Klawatsch said the area is characterised by small-scale agriculture, including small vineyards and farms alongside grazing operations.

Deputy Governor Anja Haider-Wallner said all the municipalities were strongly committed to the park. She cited projects focused on biodiversity, nature conservation and education in kindergartens and schools.

The park works with schools and kindergartens and is also involved in an Interreg project with Hungary. It currently has 19 certified nature-park education facilities, from childcare centres to primary schools. Rohrbach Primary School is expected to become the 20th, with certification likely next year, Klawatsch said.

The visitor centre in Rohrbach was originally due to open early this year. Its outdoor area is finished, but work is still under way inside. Park chairman Kurt Fischer, the mayor of Baumgarten, said coordinating the 12 municipalities and delays in some parts of the construction had affected progress. The new target is early 2027.

Fischer said the centre was not expected to bring mass tourism, but could help sustain or create jobs in the park’s municipalities.