Viennese Vineyard Wander
This was a holiday walk and worth every penny to escape the city and take a look down upon it. We were very blessed with the Spring weather and the views were delicious. I was glad to discover the city has a whole selection of walks and for every one you collect, you receive an ink stamp. When you have them all, you can get the smugness of a certificate. I was just grateful that we were able to taste just one wander, while we were away. Locals and tourists alike can enjoy this at minimal cost.
You can't quite free yourself from the clutches and influence of the Austro-Hungarian empire, as even the hills you climb have been acquired by the monarchs over the centuries. However, I would thoroughly recommend a walk up here to liberate yourself from chugging the classic tourist routes and gorging yourself on enormous Habsberg art collections, amongst the numerous and unbelievable baroque palaces.
From the centre you can take the metro and the tram to Nußdorf and return from the stop on the other side of the Billa supermarket. (You could get snacks from here).
The walk is pretty well paved, signposted and described here and so I'll not repeat the route in detail but give you an impression of our family visit. We did a combination of the 1 and 1a that had us walking up the Nasenweg or 'nose way' from the river to Leopoldsberg.
The Danube or Donau in Austria, has many other names, as it is the second longest river in Europe and travels through ten countries. It extends from the Black Forest to the Black Sea and was once a frontier of the Roman Empire. Vienna is the most populous city on this river, its floodplain being the Lobau and a secondary canal made from its waters. A few cruising vessels were moored at Nußdorf.
From many of the viewpoints in the city, you'll see the building on the hill and it is most gratifying to look up, after the event, to say that you have 'been there.' Getting up involves a stiff climb. Our zig-zag way via the nose was dotted with attractive viewpoints and basking European green lizards, disappearing amongst the Spring blossom. You are within the core of the protected Leopoldsberg biosphere. Part of the Vienna Woods, this area is now populated with the unique downy oaks and supports many species special to the flysch.
Some confusion could be had in that Leopoldsberg was once the 'bare' and treeless mountain used for grazing animals and thus the original Kahlenberg. Next door, 'Sow' mountain, took on the name instead when the church was built on this first hill by the Emperor Leopold in 1679. We paused here by the water trough to take in our success. In 1683, the mountain was the site of the Battle of Vienna, where the Ottomans were defeated and the siege of two months broken. The battle was fought by the Holy Roman Empire, led by the Habsburg monarchy, and the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth. There is a monument to the Cossacks just down from the peak and at the car park and toilets.
Between here and the now Kahlenberg is the Klosterneuburger Höhenstraße or the Vienna High Street. The path runs alongside it. A turn south and you can collect your stamp before stopping at the cafe with the most fabulous view yet. We stopped to drink in our surroundings. Just when you thought you knew which hill was Kahlenberg, you find that this was also originally the site of a monastery dedicated to St Joseph and onee known as Josefsberg. The base of a never-erected monument to Polish king Jan Sobieski exists but the full structure has been avoided on the grounds that the far-right have commandeered the spot for hate. They have associated it with a little too much national pride in a battle fought and won some 500 years ago. The sculpture is now in Krakow. Another ceramic relief is on a retaining wall opposite. The descriptions are confusing but Austraian sculptor Heinz Leinfellner is responsible for this depiction of the relief army led by the Pole.
Down from here, you pass a succession of vineyards and taverns; Weingut Wailand, Mayer am Nußberg, Wieninger am Nußberg, Monte Nucum Buschenschank, Weinbau Franzinger and Buschenschank Windischbauer. The Eichelhof or Acotn Farm Way turns the corner and you walk by a viaduct-looking structure. This turns out to be an old Austrian brewery known as the Bokkeller Durchlass, no longer functioning. All good journeys end in beer or, failing that, an ice-cream.
Comments
Post a Comment