Attila

King of the Huns

Attila wasn’t a good boy – that’s for sure. He killed his brother Bleda –and this murder certainly made waves at the time. The Romans were terrified of the man who was born in a region which now belongs to Hungary. People soon nicknamed Attila “The scourge of God”.

He called himself the “King of the Huns”. Nowadays, kings and emperors in our part of the world are only receive such a title thanks to achievements in winemaking or agriculture. Battles of life or death are no longer involved in the process.

There are many legends surrounding Attila, but most of them are regarded by historians as Fake News. Bad news is good news, and this was true even in ancient times.

One legend is still very much alive in our around here: It is said that Attila was buried at a spot near a lake, in a coffin of pure gold and silver. If you’re wandering around the lake and happen to come across some deep holes – it wasn’t a fox. On full moon nights, locals dig. By now, it’s a tradition dating back almost 1500 years. What really speaks for our region as his burial place is that Attila was a lover of good food – so why should he have been buried anywhere else?

Wouldn’t make sense.

But people are no longer digging around so much these days. They must have realised something important. Something even more precious than Attila’s legendary grave. They’ve discovered what the real treasure is: the beauty of the place itself – worth more than any gold in the world.

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Nikolaus Eberstaller