Vienna Woods: description, history, excursions and attractions

2024 Author: Harold Hamphrey | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 10:06

Today the subject of our story will be the famous Vienna Woods. Austria is literally inconceivable without this most beautiful green corner located in its capital. In 2005, UNESCO awarded the Vienna Woods the status of a biosphere park as an area with a special cultural heritage and a unique natural landscape. If you are lucky enough to get to Austria, be sure to visit this place as well. It is not necessary to run around the local attractions, you can just sunbathe on the lawn or enjoy the magnificent views from the observation decks.

Vienna Woods: photo, description

The 9,900-hectare Biosphere Park is located right in the Austrian capital. It covers the territory of seven administrative districts of Vienna. The main purpose of the park is the protection of nature, as well as the development of the region. The Vienna Woods in Vienna is inhabited by a large number of animals and birds. On its territory there are more than two hundred species of various plants. As for the inhabitants of the local fauna,many of them are very rare and on the verge of extinction. So, a few years ago, local zoologists managed to breed the Ural Owl again. And after three years, in 2011, for the first time in the last half century, the offspring of these animals was obtained in the Vienna Woods. Also, among the representatives of the local fauna, one can single out the emerald lizard, which is on the verge of extinction.

In total, the Vienna Woods includes four natural parks and fifteen nature reserves. Its landscape consists of meadows, fields, forests, pastures and vineyards. For the most part, wine-growing places have retained their inherent village character: every guest of the park can spend time eating national cuisine and delicious wine in a cozy wine tavern or on a shady garden terrace.

How to get there

Despite the fact that the excursion to the Vienna Woods is one of the most popular among the guests of the Austrian capital and is offered by absolutely all tour operators and agencies, you can visit this attraction on your own. Moreover, getting to the biosphere park is not at all difficult: first you need to use the metro (line U4, stop Heiligenstadt), and then bus number 38A, the route of which passes by the main viewing platforms - Leopoldsberg, Kahlenberg and Kobenzl.

What to see in the Vienna Woods

As a rule, excursions to the biosphere park of the Austrian capital include visiting the following attractions: the Liechtenstein fortress, the Seegrote underground lake,monastery of the Holy Cross, the hunting house of the Mayerling emperors and the resort of Baden. We invite you to learn more about each of them.

Fortress Liechtenstein

Liechtensteinburg, located on the southern outskirts of the Vienna Woods, is the ancestral castle of the princes of Liechtenstein. It is not a museum in the traditional sense of the word, but this place has a rich history. The Liechtenstein family restored the ancestral castle in the 19th century, and to this day it is their property. During the XII and XIII centuries, the fortress was used as a temporary residence for representatives of this ancient family. Thus, Liechtensteinburg today keeps almost a thousand years of history of the family of its founders. The castle was built in the Romanesque style, while the chambers are furnished with antique furniture, as well as decorated with bas-reliefs and weapons. The Liechtensteinburg tower offers one of the most beautiful views of the Austrian capital. This picturesque place has long inspired creative people. Movies were even filmed here: the Hollywood Three Musketeers and the Austrian Commissar Rex.

Zeergrote Underground Lake

The Vienna Woods has the largest underground lake in all of Europe. Its area is 6200 square meters. In the middle of the 19th century, a large deposit of gypsum was discovered on a local hill, which began to be actively developed. However, in connection with the flooding of underground mines in 1912, work was permanently stopped. After 20 years, it was decided to open the flooded adits for boatwalks that are held here to this day. Interestingly, during the Second World War, military aircraft were produced in the mine, protected from air raids.

Monastery of the Holy Cross

The Heiligenkreuz Monastery (translated as the Holy Cross) is often called the mystical center of the Vienna Woods. It is the oldest Cistercian monastery in the world. It is also interesting that since its discovery, it has never interrupted its activities. So, starting from the distant 1133, novices hold services seven times a day. The Vienna Woods is considered one of the most important burial sites in all of Austria. So, in the Assembly Hall of the Monastery of the Holy Cross, four rulers of the country's oldest ruling dynasty, the Babenbergs, are buried. Also in Heiligenkreuz is a very revered relic - a particle of the Cross of the Lord.

Mayerling Emperors Hunting House

This place became infamous after the double suicide committed in it - the Austro-Hungarian Crown Prince Rudolf and his lady of the heart, Baroness Maria von Vechera. Previously, Mayerling Castle, built in 1550, belonged to the Heiligenkreuz monastery. But at the end of the 19th century, Crown Prince Rudolf acquired it, and the castle became a hunting lodge for the Habsburgs.

Vienna Woods. Resort Baden

Once this place was the summer residence of the Kaiser. Today, Baden offers to visit the healing thermal springs located on its territory to everyone. It offers first-class hotels, a rich cultural program and the opportunity to enjoygreat wines from local grape varieties.