You want to know what a little wooden hut built in 1887, the construction of the Ennstal railway line, a Styrian writer, four pupils from the region, a school project and a school project and a walk-in bookshelf have to do with each other? Then you've come to the right place!
The year is 1887: Alois Legerer, railway track master, builds an avenue along a section of the railway in Eben im Pongau after the arduous and scenically incisive construction of the Ennstal railway (Bischofshofen-Selzthal line). Legerer built a small refuge at the end of it and named it after his favourite writer, the Styrian Peter Rosegger. This is how the village, still called ‘Taxen’ at the time, got its Rosegger hut. In 1979, the small wooden hut had to move due to the relocation of Filzmoos road and has since found its place next to the old school on Ahornallee (maple tree avenue). Incidentally, this was declared a ‘protected landscape area’ in 2007. In the same year, the Rosegger hut was also renovated thanks to the commitment of the Eben primary school, the director of the Tauern Road Museum, Bruno Müller, and the employees of the municipality, thus revitalising it 120 years after it was built.
It is fitting that the little hut on Eben's Ahornallee was named after Peter Rosegger of all people, as he described himself as a ‘forest farmer's boy’. Born in 1843 in Alpl in Styria, Rosegger received his schooling by chance from a teacher his parents had taken in at the farm. ‘There was no compulsory education in Alpl and schooling was often too expensive. During his apprenticeship as a tailor, he bought books with his meagre income and got to know all kinds of people and stories as a travelling tailor. He began to write them down and his talent was soon recognised and encouraged. He then moved to Graz to further his education in German studies and philosophy. From 1875, he was known as a writer and was soon able to fulfil his dream of owning his own forest home, a country house in Krieglach. His best-known works include ‘Als ich noch ein Waldbauernbub war’ (When I was a Forest Farm Boy) and ‘Die Schriften des Waldschulmeisters’ (The Works of the Forest School Master). But let's get back to Eben!
Since its renovation in 2007, the Rosegger hut at the northern end of Ahornallee has once again been a popular resting place for walkers, cyclists and hikers; the avenue and the hut have a special charm at any time of year. But the last 17 years have left their mark on the refuge. This gave the four pupils from BORG Radstadt Hannah Thurner, Verena Quehenberger, Jana Kraft and Tobias Hafner a very special idea in the early summer of 2024. As part of the school project ‘Mitmischen und Aufmischen im Dorf’ (Get involved and shake things up in the village), they refurbished the Rosegger hut and transformed it into the first walk-in bookshelf in Eben. Under the motto ‘Bring a book and take one with you!’, used books will find a new home here and the cosily furnished little hut invites you to browse. Anyone wanting to find out more about the eponymous writer is sure to find all the answers in the ‘Great Peter Rosegger Book’ in the Rosegger Hut. The four young people impressed a jury with their commitment, winning first place and can look forward not only to a successful project, but also to a trip to Brussels.
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Do you know the Rosegger hut in Eben, or have you ever been there? In any case, it's now even more worth a visit - for example in combination with a leisurely hike or simply a walk through the village. A little tip: if you start in the village centre, you will pass the Eder bakery, where you can treat yourself to a little refreshment (or a reward) ;).
photo credits: TVB Eben Pfuner