Most sparsely populated

Hirschegg-Pack: “A lot of territory” welds people together

Mayor Johann Schmid (ÖVP): At the municipal office in Hirschegg there is still an ATM and a postal service point on the initiative of the municipality.(Bild: Krone KREATIV/Christian Jauschowetz)

Hirschegg-Pack on the border with Carinthia has the lowest population density in Styria and just over 1000 inhabitants. How politicians and residents are fighting against emigration and for a lively village community. And: How population density affects the voting behavior of Styrians.

Dense forest as far as the eye can see, grazing cows on extensive pastures and the Packer reservoir, which looks like a Norwegian fjord: in the western Styrian municipality of Hirschegg-Pack, the categorization "tranquil idyll" is apt. The municipality on the border with Carinthia covers almost 100 square kilometers and is dominated by forests and alpine pastures for long stretches.