The Vienna Woods is the north-eastern, wooded foothills of the Alps in Lower Austria, with some hills already in the urban area of Vienna lie. Geologically, the northern part belongs to the sandstone zone, the southern part, with its characteristic pine forests, to the limestone foothills.
places
- The western outskirts of Vienna.
- Larger settlements on the edge of the hill country (from north to south): Klosterneuburg, Perchtoldsdorf, Well on the mountains, Maria Enzersdorf, Mödling, Gumpoldskirchen, Baden near Vienna, Bad Vöslau, Leobersdorf
- Larger settlements in the valleys of the hill country: Berndorf, Breitenfurt, Give cold people, Purkersdorf, Press tree, Alland, Hinterbrühl
- Otherwise, small settlements predominate, which have largely lost their village character due to the strong influx from Vienna (suburbanization, in some cases second homes).
Other goals
- Viennese City mountains (selection): Kahlenberg, Leopoldsberg, Cobenzl, Herrmannskogel (542 m, highest mountain in Vienna), Gallitzinberg, Sophienalpe
- Other mountains (selection): Schöpfl (893 m, highest mountain in the Vienna Woods), Peilstein (near Alland), Eichkogel and Anninger (near Mödling), Parapluieberg (near Perchtoldsdorf).
- Nature parks: Sparbach (Mödling district), Lainzer Tiergarten (Vienna, 13th district) - both parks are home to rich game populations (wild boar), which can often be seen at close range in the wild.
- Perchtoldsdorfer Heath: large, wild ground squirrel population.
- Hinterbrühl
- Helenental - Narrow valley between the Schwechat Alland and Swimming
- Hagenbachklamm near Sankt Andrä-Wölker
background
The demarcation of the Vienna Woods in the south and west is not sharp, in general language understanding the Vienna Woods ends in the west on the line Riederberg-Rekawinkel-Hochstrass-Schöpfl. In the south, the Triestingtal is usually seen as the border. The area south of the Vienna Woods is known as the "Viennese local mountains".
For a long time the area was "Bannwald" and the sovereign hunting ground. From 1870 the forest was supposed to be cleared, but it was preserved thanks to the initiative of the later Mödling mayor J. Schöffel. Today the Wienerwald is a protected landscape area, but is still endangered by urban sprawl and pollution.
The Vienna Woods, especially the vicinity of Vienna and the large settlements in the Vienna Basin, is an important local recreation area and is considered the "green lung of Vienna". Hiking days in Viennese schools usually lead to one or the other area of the Vienna Woods, as do Sunday excursions, often using public transport.
getting there
By plane
The nearest international airport is Airport Wien-Schwechat
(IATA: VIE).
By train
From Vienna, the Vienna Woods can also be easily reached by public transport, which means that even short walks of an hour are possible. It is best to take bus 38A from Heiligenstadt (to Cobenzl, Kahlenberg and Leopoldsberg) or 48A (to Baumgartner Höhe, terminus); with the tram lines D, 41, 43, 49 or 60 (each to the end station) or underground line U4 (to Hütteldorf) and reaches the areas of the Vienna Woods close to the city after a short walk.
In the street
The area is opened up by the A1 (Westautobahn) and the A21 (Wiener Außenringautobahn), as well as by the railway lines from Vienna to Linz (Westbahn) and Graz (Southern runway).
mobility
The entire region has a dense road network and is served by numerous bus routes (starting point Vienna - Liesing, Vienna - Hütteldorf, Mödling, Baden near Vienna) developed. A large number of marked hiking trails lead to several worthwhile viewpoints.
Tourist Attractions
- The first Viennese mountain spring pipeline supplies Vienna with drinking water from the Rax-Schneeberg area and runs along the eastern edge of the Vienna Woods with some spectacular brick aqueducts to the water reservoir on Vienna's Rosenhügel.
- lock Mayerling: Here Crown Prince Rudolf put an end to his life out of unhappy love
- Stalactite cave Alland
- pen Klosterneuburg
- Hagenbachklamm
- Liechtenstein Castle
- Sea grotto Hinterbrühl
- pen Heiligenkreuz
- Charterhouse Mauerbach
- Broad pine at Mödling - it was sung about by Franz Grillparzer.
- Workers' settlements and Krupp factory in Berndorf - a gem of industrial architecture around 1900.
In Vienna:
- Hermesvilla in the Lainzer Tiergarten, summer palace of Empress Sissi
- Höhenstraße (a panoramic road, laid out in 1936, still in its original condition with cobblestones), with numerous viewpoints of the city (especially Kahlenberg and Cobenzl).
- Church and fortress on Leopoldsberg
- Otto-Wagner-Spital (Steinhof reasons) with church: a psychiatric hospital, built around 1900 by Otto Wagner in typical Art Nouveau style.
- Anniversary waiting in Ottakring: Great view over Vienna to the Carpathian Mountains Slovakia.
- Schönbrunn Palace: The seat of the Habsburg rulers was once laid out in the forest area, but is now separated from the Vienna Woods by buildings.
activities
- Long and short hikes and walks in the forest area, also easily accessible by public transport Vienna.
- Climbing and bouldering: Thanks to its proximity to Vienna, there are numerous well-visited rocks, especially in the southern Kalkwienerwald, with designated climbing routes for all levels of difficulty. Popular climbing locations are the Peilstein near Alland and the Mizzi-Langer-Wand near Vienna-Rodaun.
- Skiing: The Hohe-Wand-Wiese in Vienna (14th district) has a small drag lift and floodlights.
- Tobogganing: When there is snow, the hills near the city are often used by tobogganists.
- Looking for mushrooms: There are numerous tasty mushrooms native to the Vienna Woods, which hikers like to look for and then eat (caution! You should only collect mushrooms that you know for sure are not poisonous!)
kitchen
There are countless places for excursions and shelters scattered across the Vienna Woods. They mostly offer "Viennese cuisine". A regional sweet specialty is the "Milchrahmstrudel" in the area around Breitenfurt (southwest of Vienna). If only cold dishes are served, breads with lard or minced bread are always a recommendable option, albeit fatty and high-calorie. In autumn, of course, there are also mushroom dishes on the menu, for example chanterelles (chanterelles) with cream sauce and bread dumplings.
Another regional specialty is fried chicken. This is chicken that is breaded with flour, eggs and breadcrumbs and then fried in hot fat. Potato salad is usually served as a side dish. It is no coincidence that an international snack chain that offers this dish called itself "Wienerwald" of all places.
cream strudel
Deep fried chicken with potato salad
The south-western slopes of the Vienna Woods are also wine-growing areas. You should therefore look out for wine taverns and wine taverns that also offer cider (grape juice) and Sturm (not fully fermented wine, "Federweißer") between August and October. A local wine celebrity is the "Mixed Viennese Sentence", which is specially cultivated by Viennese winegrowers.
In most Vienna Woods restaurants it is common that you can bring your collected mushrooms with you. These are then prepared by the home kitchen.
Gastronomy highlights:
- Doppler hut in Königstetten: The Meeting point for motorcyclists on Exelbergstrasse (Vienna-Hernals - Tulln).
- Fried chicken station in Thallern: As the name suggests: The house specialty is fried chicken
- Richardhof and Gasthof Föhrenwald: Upscale restaurants in Mödling
- Restaurant Tulbinger Kogel: Upscale restaurant in Tulbing
- Skyline Lounge and Hotel Kahlenberg: Luxurious gastronomy in the 19th district of Vienna
nightlife
Based on the intensive viticulture on the eastern edge of the Vienna Woods, you can find a large number of "Heurigen restaurants" in almost all places in this area. The most famous are the places: Klosterneuburg, Perchtoldsdorf, Gumpoldskirchen, Brunn am Gebirge, Baden near Vienna, as well as the neighborhoods of Vienna: Grinzing, Heiligenstadt, Neustift, Salmannsdorf.
Otherwise, the city of Vienna in particular, but also the other larger settlements, offer a wide range of cultural activities.
security
- Crime: The Vienna Woods are very safe, the usual security precautions are sufficient. It is common for hikers to greet one another.
- Natural hazards: Even if the Vienna Woods are not high mountains - the highest mountain is just over 800 m - one should not underestimate rapid weather changes. When hiking, you should always have rain protection and a warm jacket with you and, preferably, a good map. Even in the Viennese city mountains, people repeatedly find themselves in mountain difficulties.
- Wild animals: As a rule, they pose no danger. However, one should stay away from wild boars. With the exception of the adder, snakes in the Vienna Woods are not poisonous. Even a bite from an adder is not a problem, as long as you are in a hospital within a few hours. You should also not stroke the young of the red deer, otherwise the mother will no longer recognize them by their smell and will then be rejected.
- Pets: Dogs should be kept on a leash so that they cannot attack wild animals!
- Fire: Open fire is prohibited in the Vienna Woods, with the exception of designated picnic and barbecue areas.
- There are hospitals with emergency rooms in Vienna, Klosterneuburg, Mödling, Baden and Tulln.
climate
The climate corresponds to the temperate zone. The annual rainfall averages between approx. 700 mm in the Vienna area and approx. 850 mm in the south-west of the Vienna Woods. The annual mean temperature is around 12 degrees Celsius. It is always cooler in the Vienna Woods than in the flatlands to the east and especially than in the densely built-up city of Vienna. The temperature differences can be up to 15 degrees, especially on hot summer nights. Even in winter, the temperature difference can mean that the streets in the western outskirts of Vienna are covered in snow, but in the inner city it is only raining.
trips
Those who prefer high alpine terrain are referred to Vienna's local mountains south of the Vienna Woods, among others. with Hoher Wand, Schneeberg and Rax.
literature
Sabine M. Gruber (author and photographer): 111 places in the Vienna Woods that you have to see. Emons 2020, ISBN 978-3-7408-0844-0
