Austria's Oldest Gingerbread Workshop Celebrates 505 Years of Tradition

"17 Generations of Gingerbread: 'I Feel Pride—but Also a Great Responsibility'"

Teaser: In St. Wolfgang on the lake of the same name, Austria's oldest surviving gingerbread workshop is celebrating its 505th anniversary this year.

This year, when the scent of cinnamon, cloves, cardamom, and honey drifts from the bakery window on the first floor of the house at Markt 29 in St. Wolfgang, even summer visitors might find themselves thinking of Christmas. The Wallner family is marking 505 years in business at Austria's oldest continuously operating gingerbread workshop, where Lebkuchen—spiced honey cakes—are baked not just around St. Nicholas Day and the holidays, but all year round.

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"I never go a day without gingerbread," says Roland Wallner, the family's senior patriarch. He passed down the traditional recipe for Lebzelten—Leeb meaning honey cake and Zelten referring to flat pastries—to his son Sebastian, who has run the business with his wife Franziska for the past three years, marking the 17th generation. "I feel pride—but also a great responsibility," Sebastian Wallner says when reflecting on the long tradition.

The oldest family document dates back to 1466, mentioning a gingerbread maker in St. Wolfgang, suggesting the craft may stretch back even further. What is certain is that by 1520, the current heritage building at Markt 29 was home to a gingerbread maker, wax drawer, and mead brewer—the document that forms the basis of this year's anniversary. Back then, the house processed everything bees provided.

"Nothing works without honey," Roland Wallner explains, referring to the foundational gingerbread recipe passed down through generations. Good gingerbread takes time. Traditionally, the base dough of honey and rye flour was aged for six months to allow fermentation and deepen the flavor. Due to space constraints, the aging period is shorter today. The base is combined with a leavened dough of sugar and wheat flour, Wallner reveals. Spices like cinnamon, cloves, and nutmeg give it that signature peppery kick.

While the base recipe remains unchanged, fillings follow modern trends and variations. Dates, figs, nuts, jam, nougat, and marzipan are all popular. In the bakery, everything is still made by hand: the dough is rolled out, cut, topped with almonds or candied fruit, and glazed, Sebastian Wallner explains.

St. Wolfgang's long gingerbread tradition is tied to its history as a pilgrimage site. When the lakeside town flourished as a medieval destination for devout travelers, gingerbread—light, durable, and nutritious—became the perfect provision for pilgrims, much like today's energy bars. Inspired by this, Wallner is now considering developing a sports bar based on gingerbread ingredients. The workshop is also experimenting with gluten-free and vegan versions.

Though gingerbread is produced and sold year-round in St. Wolfgang, demand peaks before Christmas. "The older the year grows, the more gingerbread people eat," Roland Wallner observes. "We use around 1,000 kilograms of honey annually."

Mead is no longer made in the heritage house, and wax drawing has nearly faded away, though the old molds for votive offerings remain.

"I still make wedding candles featuring St. Wolfgang by request," Wallner shares. A wooden mold of the saint, incidentally, was carved by Michael Pacher, the renowned artist who created the famous altar in the parish church and once stayed in the gingerbread house. There's even a connection to Mozart: the composer's great-great-grandmother, Regina Pöckl, hailed from the gingerbread house, Wallner notes.

This year's 505th anniversary celebration was postponed for a reason: five years ago, during the 500th anniversary, the pandemic prevented any festivities. This time, the workshop has introduced the "505"—a special gingerbread filled with local fruits: dried pears, prunes, nuts, and raisins.