Sightseeing tour in Mödling near Vienna

Where the Viennese go for a walk - a trip to the forests and vineyards near Vienna

Starting point

City of Mödling, SW suburb of Vienna, parking e.g. under the Mödling Aqueduct (free of charge)
 

Description of the hike

Cold and rainy weather spoiled my plans to climb higher hills and I was looking for an alternative program. The unplanned walk turned out to be a nice spring hike, without distant views, but still packed with attractions.

I arrive in Mödling, a southern suburb of Vienna. I leave my car in a parking lot under the beautiful brick structure of the Mödling Aqueduct. From a small park I climb the steps into the forest, where I admire the monumental work in its entirety from the viewing platform, and on the opposite slope the round tower of the Schwarzer Turm and the view of Vienna. The forest is special - it is made up of low, flat-topped pine trees, growing only a few metres on the rocks. They look a bit like overgrown bonsai. Later I read that they are black pines and these unusual trees gave the whole place its name - Naturpark Föhrenberge. I follow the path over the edge of the cliff and turn to look out over the valley and the rockeries with the poetic names Erikagrat and Efeugrat (Grat = ridge, Erika = heather, Efeu = ivy). A ferrata (Klettersteig) climbs up from the valley. There are crosses on two of the viewpoints and, in addition to a deep view of the valley, the ruins of Mödling Burgruine Castle are a delight. The castle was first mentioned in 1002, inhabited by many families, conquered, rebuilt, destroyed by fire and finally sacked by the Turks in the 16th century during the Ottoman siege of Vienna.

From the castle I descend down to a meadow and a small pond called Pepi´s Märchenteich (Pepi´s fairy pond). I walk around the meadow and past the old quarry, up the steep hill to the seemingly visible Husarentempel. The Hussar Temple was built to commemorate the soldiers who died in the Battle of Aspern, east of Vienna, between Napoleonic and Austrian troops. The views from the Temple are far reaching, but unfortunately I find myself lost in the mist. I pick up my pace on the wide forest paths and continue on to the Krauste Linde, a cruise restaurant. A sign with a familiar name lures me to a rock garden with a window a short distance from the road. The Swiss have the Matterhorn, the Viennese the slightly smaller Matterhörndl. Not to be deterred by the gathering snow and fog, I continue up to the Jubiläumswarte and Wilhelmswarte lookout towers. When I arrive, the Jubiläumswarte tower is almost lost in the fog. Well, who hasn't had that happen before, can't call themselves a tourist :-) I climb up the metal stairs anyway and learn that on a nice day you can see the Schneeberg, Raxy and the highest hill of the Wienerwald (Vienna Woods), the Schöpfl (893 m). I can't see anything from the stone Willhelmswarte either, but apparently it is possible to see as far as the Hungarian Sopron.

I descend the rocky Steinweg and quickly lose metres of altitude. There is a strong smell in the deciduous forest, which is tentatively turning green in April. Carpets of bear garlic grow around the path. After about two kilometres, I turn off at the edge of the forest onto a path leading to the Kalvarienberg. From nearby Gumpoldskirchen, a beautifully maintained Stations of the Cross with niche chapels leads here. From the Kalvarienberg there is a view of the vineyards. The view of the parallel rows of vines on the rolling hillsides never gets old. I don't want to go into the village, so I pass the small wineries (Weingut) and head back up to the Richardhof Hotel. I walk past the horse paddocks and the golf course and then follow the asphalt road back to Mödling. I follow the marked trail back through the romantic Prieβnitztal valley. There are several old quarries in the hillside on the left, some of them are set up as picnic spots. To my right, Vienna is in the palm of my hand.
 

Difficulty

A trip in the Föhrenberge Nature Park just outside Vienna. There are many marked trails and tourist attractions - rockeries, ferrata, castle ruins, lookout towers, hiking restaurants. The route can be changed at will.
 

Water availability

Refreshments are available at any of the cruise restaurants or snack bars or villages around. The winery in Gumpoldskirchen.
 

Sleeping options

I wasn't looking for a day trip, however close to Vienna where it is not a problem to find accommodation.
 

Danger

There is no danger, the whole way is on wide forest or field paths.
 

Food

Takeaway food - there are picnic spots along the route, or refreshments in the tour restaurants.
 

Attractions

The Mödling Aqueduct is a 190-metre-long and 28-metre-high structure that arches over the Mödlingbach valley. It was built between 1870 and 1872 as part of the more than 90 km long waterworks (I. Wiener Hochquellenwasserleitung), which supplied Vienna with drinking water from the Schneeberg and Raxalpen area (Wikipedia).