Aug: Burial Mounds, Fossils and Wine

Aug brings together archaeological traces, the history of fossils, winemaking and views over Wies. The “Bründlteiche” burial mound group lies on a narrow ridge; tastings and guided tours at Weinbau Kaiser-Kröll vulgo Steinböckl are available by telephone appointment. Also nearby are fossils from Aug-Schönegg, a geotope with an information board, and the artwork “The 1,000-Year-Old Mirror” on a wooded hill. If you are looking for a holiday apartment in Aug, you can weigh up different focuses for your holiday: archaeological and geological history, wine or landscape views.

Burial Mounds and Fossils

The “Bründlteiche” burial mound group near Aug lies on a narrow ridge. It is bordered to the west by a sunken lane and to the east by a small stream. A sunken lane is a path worn down into the ground, while a stream is a narrow watercourse. These boundaries give the archaeological site a distinct spatial form: the burial mound site lies on the ridge between them. This links the terrain and the site in the imagination, rather than leaving the group’s name without any connection to the landscape.

The history of fossils reaches from Aug-Schönegg to collections far beyond the village. Fossils from Aug-Schönegg made their way to museums in Austria and abroad, including the British Museum in London. Near the former excavation site, a geotope and an information board commemorate the rich fossil finds and the former coal-mining area. This brings together several aspects: the local connection between the find site and the former coal-mining area, and the later history of the fossils in museums. The information board and geotope link the finds to their surroundings, while the museum locations show how far they travelled beyond Austria.

Winemaking and Visits by Appointment

Wine tastings and guided tours at Weinbau Kaiser-Kröll vulgo Steinböckl are available by telephone appointment. Call to arrange a time before you arrive so you can plan this activity accordingly. The winery’s grapes grow in the Aug vineyard site, in a prime south-facing position. The name of the vineyard site thus establishes a specific local connection to winemaking. Since 2002, the business has also had a wildlife enclosure where red deer and fallow deer are bred and marketed directly. Alongside winemaking, the breeding and direct marketing of these two deer species provide another aspect of the business.

Woods, a Hill and Views

“The 1,000-Year-Old Mirror” stands in a wood on a hill. From there, the view extends over the market town of Wies and the surrounding area. The site is near the Steinböckl winery. The artwork offers a different focus from the wine tastings and guided tours available by appointment: here, the emphasis is on the woodland setting, the hill and the views. Its character also differs clearly from that of “Bründlteiche”: there, the narrow ridge, sunken lane and stream shape the description of the archaeological site.

A Hike in an Earlier Programme

A municipal announcement from October 2025 reports on a hike from Wies market square towards Aug, to the Kröll horse farm. It took place as part of a children’s summer programme. This specific episode adds a past activity between Wies and Aug to the geological and landscape themes. Together with the views over the market town of Wies, it shows that Wies also features in the excursions described, while the wine tasting and guided tour at Steinböckl expressly require a telephone appointment.

Discover more destinations: Mainsdorf, Wies, Bad Gams, Gamsgebirg, Kornriegl, Gundersdorf, Sankt Anna Ob Schwanberg, Breitenbach in der Weststeiermark.

For the main travel overview: Deutschlandsberg.