Wienerwald
Encyclopedia
The Vienna Woods are forested highlands that form the northeastern foothills of the Northern Limestone Alps
in the states of Lower Austria
and Vienna. The 45 kilometres (28 mi) long and 20–30 km (12.4–18.6 ) wide hill range is heavily wooded and a popular recreation area with the Viennese.
, Gölsen
, Traisen
and Danube
. It is a favourite outdoor destination for the densely-populated area around Vienna
.
It is located at the border between the Mostviertel
and the Industrieviertel
, two of the four quarters of Lower Austria, and reaches far into the city of Vienna
.
at 893 metres (2,929.8 ft) above sea level
, the location of the Leopold Figl observatory
. Important rivers in the Vienna Woods are the Wien, the Schwechat and the Triesting
. The northeasternmost Leopoldsberg
overlooking the Danube and the Vienna Basin
forms the eastern end of the Alpine
chain.
Even though the Vienna Woods is a protected landscape
and important recreational area, it is threatened by urban sprawl
. The Lainzer Tiergarten
, an extensive park populated by wild boar
and other woodland animals as well as the Schwarzenbergpark were created on the territory of the city of Vienna during the 19th century. The natural park Sandstein-Wienerwald is near Purkersdorf
, some 20 km (12 mi) west of Vienna. There are also some natural caves, such as the Dreidärrischenhöhle ("cave of the three deaf men").
and the Carpathians
, separated by the Danube
and some tectonic lines near to Vienna. Its north is part of the Alps' sandstone
zone, while its south is part of the Northern Limestone Alps
. In the east, its border is the thermal line, which forms a geological break line to the Viennese Basin. Beech
es, oak
s and hornbeam
s are erected throughout the north of the Wienerwald forest
, whereas in the south conifers, mostly pine
s and fir
s add to the botanical mix. The Föhrenberge (Pine Mountains) natural park is in the latter region.
, a Slavic population settled here after the Völkerwanderung, which may account for village names such as Döbling
, Liesing
or Gablitz
. The Vienna Woods was a princely hunting ground, but beginning with the 16th century, it gained importance also for forestry
. From 1840 onwards, the industrial development encouraged increased settlement of the area. In 1870, plans were brought forward to mostly clear the forest, but this caused widespread public resistance, in which Josef Schöffel was one of the most important figures.
In 1987, the governors of the states of Vienna
, Lower Austria
and Burgenland
signed the Vienna Woods Declaration to protect nature in the region.
Northern Limestone Alps
The Northern Limestone Alps are the ranges of the Eastern Alps north of the Central Eastern Alps located in Austria and the adjacent Bavarian lands of southeastern Germany. The distinction from the latter group, where the higher peaks are located, is based on differences in geological composition...
in the states of Lower Austria
Lower Austria
Lower Austria is the northeasternmost state of the nine states in Austria. The capital of Lower Austria since 1986 is Sankt Pölten, the most recently designated capital town in Austria. The capital of Lower Austria had formerly been Vienna, even though Vienna is not officially part of Lower Austria...
and Vienna. The 45 kilometres (28 mi) long and 20–30 km (12.4–18.6 ) wide hill range is heavily wooded and a popular recreation area with the Viennese.
Location
The Vienna Woods may be defined as that group of hills bounded by the rivers TriestingTriesting
The Triesting is a river in the southeastern part of the Vienna Woods. It discharges into the smaller Schwechat at Achau and is part of the catchment area of the River Danube. It has a length of 60 km....
, Gölsen
Gölsen
The Gölsen is a tributary of the Traisen that is located in the Lower Austrian region of Mostviertel.The river begins in Hainfeld with the merging of the Fliedersbach and the Ramsaubach . It then flows through the communities of Hainfeld, Rohrbach an der Gölsen, and Sankt Veit an der Gölsen, before...
, Traisen
Traisen River
The Traisen is a river in Lower Austria.The Traisen is formed from the rivers Rechte Traisen and Unrechte Traisen. It is a tributary of the Danube in the Lower Austrian region of Mostviertel. Its two sources begin near St. Aegyd am Neuwalde and Türnitz respectively. After meeting, they flow...
and Danube
Danube
The Danube is a river in the Central Europe and the Europe's second longest river after the Volga. It is classified as an international waterway....
. It is a favourite outdoor destination for the densely-populated area around Vienna
Vienna
Vienna is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Austria and one of the nine states of Austria. Vienna is Austria's primary city, with a population of about 1.723 million , and is by far the largest city in Austria, as well as its cultural, economic, and political centre...
.
It is located at the border between the Mostviertel
Mostviertel
Mostviertel is the southwestern quarter of the four quarters of Lower Austria . It is bordered on the north by the Danube and to the south and west by the state borders of Styria and Upper Austria respectively...
and the Industrieviertel
Industrieviertel
Industrieviertel , or Viertel unter dem Wienerwald, is the southeastern quarter of the four quarters of Lower Austria . It is bordered on the north by Vienna and to the west and south by the borders of Mostviertel and Styria respectively...
, two of the four quarters of Lower Austria, and reaches far into the city of Vienna
Vienna
Vienna is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Austria and one of the nine states of Austria. Vienna is Austria's primary city, with a population of about 1.723 million , and is by far the largest city in Austria, as well as its cultural, economic, and political centre...
.
Geography
The highest elevation in the Vienna Woods is SchöpflSchöpfl
Schöpfl is the highest hill in the Wienerwald mountain range , the north-easternmost part of the Alps. Geologically, it belongs to the flysch Alps....
at 893 metres (2,929.8 ft) above sea level
Sea level
Mean sea level is a measure of the average height of the ocean's surface ; used as a standard in reckoning land elevation...
, the location of the Leopold Figl observatory
Observatory
An observatory is a location used for observing terrestrial or celestial events. Astronomy, climatology/meteorology, geology, oceanography and volcanology are examples of disciplines for which observatories have been constructed...
. Important rivers in the Vienna Woods are the Wien, the Schwechat and the Triesting
Triesting
The Triesting is a river in the southeastern part of the Vienna Woods. It discharges into the smaller Schwechat at Achau and is part of the catchment area of the River Danube. It has a length of 60 km....
. The northeasternmost Leopoldsberg
Leopoldsberg
The Leopoldsberg is perhaps Vienna’s most famous overlook, towering over the Danube and the city. Leopoldberg’s most prominent landmark is the church which stands at the top, and which is clearly visible from Vienna below...
overlooking the Danube and the Vienna Basin
Vienna Basin
The Vienna Basin is a sedimentary basin between the Alps and the Carpathian Mountains...
forms the eastern end of the Alpine
Alps
The Alps is one of the great mountain range systems of Europe, stretching from Austria and Slovenia in the east through Italy, Switzerland, Liechtenstein and Germany to France in the west....
chain.
Even though the Vienna Woods is a protected landscape
Protected area
Protected areas are locations which receive protection because of their recognised natural, ecological and/or cultural values. There are several kinds of protected areas, which vary by level of protection depending on the enabling laws of each country or the regulations of the international...
and important recreational area, it is threatened by urban sprawl
Urban sprawl
Urban sprawl, also known as suburban sprawl, is a multifaceted concept, which includes the spreading outwards of a city and its suburbs to its outskirts to low-density and auto-dependent development on rural land, high segregation of uses Urban sprawl, also known as suburban sprawl, is a...
. The Lainzer Tiergarten
Lainzer Tiergarten
The Lainzer Tiergarten is a 24.50 km² wildlife preserve in the southwest corner of Vienna, Austria, 80% of it being covered in woodland. It dates back to 1561, when Ferdinand I of Austria created it as a fenced-in hunting ground for his family to use. Since 1919, it has been open to the public...
, an extensive park populated by wild boar
Boar
Wild boar, also wild pig, is a species of the pig genus Sus, part of the biological family Suidae. The species includes many subspecies. It is the wild ancestor of the domestic pig, an animal with which it freely hybridises...
and other woodland animals as well as the Schwarzenbergpark were created on the territory of the city of Vienna during the 19th century. The natural park Sandstein-Wienerwald is near Purkersdorf
Purkersdorf
Purkersdorf is a municipality in the district of Wien-Umgebung in Lower Austria, Austria. The Sandstein-Wienerwald natural park, a part of the Vienna Woods, is situated on its territory....
, some 20 km (12 mi) west of Vienna. There are also some natural caves, such as the Dreidärrischenhöhle ("cave of the three deaf men").
Geology
The mountain ranges of the Vienna Woods are the transition between the Eastern AlpsEastern Alps
Eastern Alps is the name given to the eastern half of the Alps, usually defined as the area east of the Splügen Pass in eastern Switzerland. North of the Splügen Pass, the Posterior Rhine forms the border, and south of the pass, the Liro river and Lake Como form the boundary line.-Geography:The...
and the Carpathians
Carpathian Mountains
The Carpathian Mountains or Carpathians are a range of mountains forming an arc roughly long across Central and Eastern Europe, making them the second-longest mountain range in Europe...
, separated by the Danube
Danube
The Danube is a river in the Central Europe and the Europe's second longest river after the Volga. It is classified as an international waterway....
and some tectonic lines near to Vienna. Its north is part of the Alps' sandstone
Sandstone
Sandstone is a sedimentary rock composed mainly of sand-sized minerals or rock grains.Most sandstone is composed of quartz and/or feldspar because these are the most common minerals in the Earth's crust. Like sand, sandstone may be any colour, but the most common colours are tan, brown, yellow,...
zone, while its south is part of the Northern Limestone Alps
Northern Limestone Alps
The Northern Limestone Alps are the ranges of the Eastern Alps north of the Central Eastern Alps located in Austria and the adjacent Bavarian lands of southeastern Germany. The distinction from the latter group, where the higher peaks are located, is based on differences in geological composition...
. In the east, its border is the thermal line, which forms a geological break line to the Viennese Basin. Beech
Beech
Beech is a genus of ten species of deciduous trees in the family Fagaceae, native to temperate Europe, Asia and North America.-Habit:...
es, oak
Oak
An oak is a tree or shrub in the genus Quercus , of which about 600 species exist. "Oak" may also appear in the names of species in related genera, notably Lithocarpus...
s and hornbeam
Hornbeam
Hornbeams are relatively small hardwood trees in the genus Carpinus . Though some botanists grouped them with the hazels and hop-hornbeams in a segregate family, Corylaceae, modern botanists place the hornbeams in the birch subfamily Coryloideae...
s are erected throughout the north of the Wienerwald forest
Forest
A forest, also referred to as a wood or the woods, is an area with a high density of trees. As with cities, depending where you are in the world, what is considered a forest may vary significantly in size and have various classification according to how and what of the forest is composed...
, whereas in the south conifers, mostly pine
Pine
Pines are trees in the genus Pinus ,in the family Pinaceae. They make up the monotypic subfamily Pinoideae. There are about 115 species of pine, although different authorities accept between 105 and 125 species.-Etymology:...
s and fir
Fir
Firs are a genus of 48–55 species of evergreen conifers in the family Pinaceae. They are found through much of North and Central America, Europe, Asia, and North Africa, occurring in mountains over most of the range...
s add to the botanical mix. The Föhrenberge (Pine Mountains) natural park is in the latter region.
History
The Vienna Woods has probably been populated since the 8th century. Under the influence of the AvarsEurasian Avars
The Eurasian Avars or Ancient Avars were a highly organized nomadic confederacy of mixed origins. They were ruled by a khagan, who was surrounded by a tight-knit entourage of nomad warriors, an organization characteristic of Turko-Mongol groups...
, a Slavic population settled here after the Völkerwanderung, which may account for village names such as Döbling
Döbling
Döbling is the 19th District in the city of Vienna, Austria . It is located on the north end from the central districts, north of the districts Alsergrund and Währing...
, Liesing
Liesing
Liesing is the 23rd district of Vienna . It is on the southwest edge of Vienna, Austria.It was formed after Austria's Anschluss with Germany, when Vienna expanded from 21 districts to 26...
or Gablitz
Gablitz
Gablitz is a municipality in the district of Wien-Umgebung in Lower Austria, Austria....
. The Vienna Woods was a princely hunting ground, but beginning with the 16th century, it gained importance also for forestry
Forestry
Forestry is the interdisciplinary profession embracing the science, art, and craft of creating, managing, using, and conserving forests and associated resources in a sustainable manner to meet desired goals, needs, and values for human benefit. Forestry is practiced in plantations and natural stands...
. From 1840 onwards, the industrial development encouraged increased settlement of the area. In 1870, plans were brought forward to mostly clear the forest, but this caused widespread public resistance, in which Josef Schöffel was one of the most important figures.
In 1987, the governors of the states of Vienna
Vienna
Vienna is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Austria and one of the nine states of Austria. Vienna is Austria's primary city, with a population of about 1.723 million , and is by far the largest city in Austria, as well as its cultural, economic, and political centre...
, Lower Austria
Lower Austria
Lower Austria is the northeasternmost state of the nine states in Austria. The capital of Lower Austria since 1986 is Sankt Pölten, the most recently designated capital town in Austria. The capital of Lower Austria had formerly been Vienna, even though Vienna is not officially part of Lower Austria...
and Burgenland
Burgenland
Burgenland is the easternmost and least populous state or Land of Austria. It consists of two Statutarstädte and seven districts with in total 171 municipalities. It is 166 km long from north to south but much narrower from west to east...
signed the Vienna Woods Declaration to protect nature in the region.