Peace through friendship – SERVAS

Logo Servas Austria

Servas is a world-wide network of hosts and travellers who try to get to know each other in a deeper and more meaningful way by meeting on a personal level and showing mutual interest, respect and tolerance. Some members belong to peace groups, others are committed to peace in less formal ways, but all have in common a wish for a more tolerant and peaceful world. It is fundamental to the spirit of Servas that people are accepted as travellers and hosts regardless of their race, religion, or culture. Hosts and travellers can be of all ages, single, couples, friends and families, and from all backgrounds.

Living close to the Cycling path along the Danube we are almost ideal hosts for Servas members you come along this beautiful part of the Danube.

I enjoy to give a warm welcome to members of this organisation from all over the world. They came from Japan, Australia, New Zealand, Poland, USA, France, Israel taking some time for a break in their life or after being retired. We had many good conversations learning about different lifestyle and culture. With some we are still in contact. If we could take time you should them places in our area from special cultural or historic meaning. So although Linz is in between Vienna and Salzburg, towns which canned be missed in every trip to Austria, our guests got a good impression of Linz as an interesting and nice town.

Every second year there is an Meeting of SERVAS members of the AlpeAdria Region. So we have been in September 2008 in the city Gorizia / Görz / Goricia which are joined and divided by the Italian / Slovenian border in two cities. These neighbouring cities with have a strong and long common history as one city in the Austrian Empire and has been divided in 1947 when the new border between Italy and Jugoslavia was decided in the “Peace of Paris”. The iron curtain divided the main square in front of the train station. Since December 2007 the Piazza Transalpina is again an open place where only some symbols in the pavement show that you cross an international border. So this town was a significant place to meet people from several different countries.

Now we are going to be SERVAS guests on our trip and hope to learn more about the countries we travel to, then only staying in a hotel.

If you are interested get more information here: SERVAS Austria