JERUSALEM– Tucked away behind a locked gate deep in the heart of the Old City of Jerusalem's Muslim Quarter – a place where some souls are wary to venture – lies an oasis of Gemutlichkeit (hospitality), apple strudel and spiritual peace that belies the reality of the Middle East conflict.

For nearly 160 years the Austrian Hospice of the Holy Family has stood at 37 Via Dolorosa at the corner of al-Wad Street – on the main alley which leads south from the Damascus Gate to the Western Wall.

"The Austrian Pilgrim Hospice in Jerusalem is the oldest Christian guesthouse in the Holy City. We create jobs, concern ourselves with social issues and place particular emphasis on intercultural dialogue," smiles the hospice's Vienna-born rector Markus Stephan Bugnyar, 44.

Among the hospice's recent programs was a musical performance by local sufis.