Martiniloben draws thousands to Burgenland

Thousands of visitors enjoyed the outdoors around Lake Neusiedl on Saturday, as Martiniloben celebrations brought tourists and local residents to Burgenland, ORF reported. Winegrowers in wine-growing towns such as Gols and Purbach offered wine walks and opened their cellars.

Most visitors were in the streets of Gols. Brigitte and Walter Trummer, from Apetlon, recalled that Martini was once limited to St Martin’s Day: “The priest came, everything was blessed, and that was it.”

The holiday and surrounding weekends have since become regular tourism events, said Michael Allacher, chairman of the Gols Winegrowers’ Association. Visitors often book again for the following year. This year, there have been more day visitors, possibly because of the sunny weather.

The traditional Martinigansl, a roast goose dish, is also in season.