Our journey by "sky staircase" begins in Sankt Pölten, the regional capital of Lower Austria, eighty four kilometres of narrow gauge railway. Soon the pre-Christmas landscape will be wintry and the Styrian region will set just the right mood for a visit to Mariazell.

The city with the most famous Marian shrine in Central Europe is considered to be the spiritual centre of the Catholic inhabitants of the Danube region. For six hundred years pilgrims have been seeking the help of the "Lady Of Grace" and have also visited the Advent market.

In front of the basilica there is a romantic Advent market with decorated stalls made of spruce wood. The production of regional products, such as pyramid cakes, can be observed at close quarters with knitwear and homemade delicacies. Trumpets ring out from the tower above and the pre-Christmas mood is in the air. Mariazell becomes even more captivating.

In a barn are the figures of Mary and Joseph, an ox, donkey and sheep and in the Parish Hall a model replica is dedicated to the Mariazell Railway. Next door, in a grotto, pilgrims offer their candles. Back in the main square, Christmas huts provide everything that makes the Advent season so beautiful and romantic and typically regional and authentic.

When a blacksmith, as in olden days, stirs his open fire and forges a lucky charm horseshoe, the nostalgia of Christmas fills the air and age-old traditions suddenly become real and imaginable. The world's largest Advent wreath hangs in front of the Basilica and all of this makes Mariazell's Advent a most splendid experience!