For my first wander post Lockdown, I’m heading out to the north of the city, into the 19th district, Döbling, to the largest suburb, Grinzing. Grinzing is just the starting point of today’s wander, and also the endpoint. The middle is going to be challenging but in the best way possible. So let’s dive in.
Grinzing sits at the end of the number 38 tram line. The line runs from the city centre at Shottentor and winds its way out to the hills of Grinzing, arriving at one of the prettiest tram stops I’ve come across. It feels more like an old coach house than a tram stop and sets the tone for my time in Grinzing.
Grinzing geht auf das 11. Jahrhundert zurück, als das Adelsgeschlecht der Grinzinger das erste Haus in der Gegend baute. Bekannt als Trummelhof, wurde das Haus tatsächlich auf den Ruinen eines früheren römischen Gebäudes gebaut, was zeigt, dass Grinzing seinen Namen zwar von Herrn Grinzinger hat, seine Geschichte aber viel weiter zurückreicht. Es scheint, dass Herr Grinzinger auch einen Sinn für Humor hatte, denn der Übergang des Trummelhofs ist der Trümmerhof. Heute ist das alte Herrenhaus längst verschwunden, seine Überreste kann man aber noch finden, wenn man an den richtigen Stellen sucht.
Die Grinzinger behielten Grinzing bis zum Tod des letzten Grinzingers im 14. Jahrhundert. Von da an wurde der Ort Teil des Stiftes Klosterneuburg und blieb es bis ins 19. Jahrhundert.
Heute fühlt sich die ganze Gegend wie eine Zeitkapsel an, in der alte Gebäude dominieren. Das ist an sich schon beeindruckend, wenn man bedenkt, dass die Geschichte mehrere Ereignisse zeigt, die die meisten oder sogar alle Gebäude zwischen dem 15. und 17. Auch die schwarze Pest tat ihr Bestes, um das Dorf zu zerstören, wobei über die Hälfte der Häuser infiziert wurde und über 100 Menschen starben. Nichtsdestotrotz überlebte das Dorf, wuchs langsam und wurde schließlich 1892 nach Wien eingemeindet. Von dort aus erarbeitete es sich einen Ruf als ein großartiger Ort für gutes Essen und lokal produzierten Wein.
In der Tat, Heurigen oder Tavernen gibt es überall. Jeder von ihnen verkauft einzigartigen Wein und herzhaftes österreichisches Essen. Viele sind schon viele Jahre alt und haben sich unter den Winzern in Österreich einen guten Ruf erarbeitet. Auszeichnungen sind prominent ausgestellt, und wäre es nicht schon 11 Uhr morgens gewesen, hätte ich einige dieser wunderbaren Orte probiert. Stattdessen habe ich vor, etwas Größeres in Angriff zu nehmen.
My plan today is to follow Cobenzlgasse out of Grinzing and up into the Wienerwald. Yes, it’s a steady climb up into the woods, and to some of the best views across the city. After months of lockdown, plus winter, and the excesses of Christmas still waiting to be worked off, I think it’s time to get a little exercise. Climbing to the Cobenzl restaurant that sits above Grinzing sounds like a good idea. The weather is nice and it’s time to start the climb. Sticking to the road, the climb begins immediately. It isn’t too long until I spot a sight to photograph. The Parish Church was first founded on this site in 1426, burned down twice in its history, but was rebuilt by the Klosterneuburg Monastery, which still stands today. Sitting nearby is the Statue of a Saint. I of course forgot to take note of who this particular Saint is, though I suspect he’s either St. Martin or St. Leopold, both of whom have links to the area. I must pay more attention to these things.
Zu meiner Verteidigung muss ich sagen, dass ich durch den Geruch von köstlichem Schweinefleisch, das in einem nahe gelegenen Heurigen langsam gegart wird, etwas abgelenkt bin. Heute ist der erste volle Tag, an dem die Gastronomie wieder geöffnet hat, nachdem sie seit Mitte November geschlossen war, und viele der Heurigen beginnen gerade erst zu öffnen.
From the church and the smell of food cooking, I continue the climb up. Once again I find my journey interrupted by an unusual sight. During my wanderings around Austria, I’ve come across a few sun clocks, and today is no exception. Unlike the more usual sundials I’ve seen at historic houses in the UK, these sun clocks are found on the walls of buildings, and only track a specific time range. This particular example isn’t actually in use as the cloudy sky is casting very little in the way of shadows.
Moving on, the climb continues and I begin to leave the village behind and head into the wilderness, well a wilderness with a bus route along the way. I’ll be ignoring that of course. As the village falls away, the scenery changes from old townhouses to open vineyards that back onto rolling hills. You can buy a glass or two of wine direct from the producer here, often as a full heurigen, making for some truly interesting places to enjoy a meal.
Even the Vineyards disappear soon enough and I reach the first of three switchbacks that the road employs to get vehicles up the mountain. as I’m walking there are cuttings and paths that offer me a shorter route up than following the road. I head into the Wald and the sounds of nature fill the air, which considering the proximity of the road, is surprising. What isn’t surprising is the steepness of the climb. since I’m cutting the shallower switchbacks out, my journey is shorter but steeper. By the time I reach the end of the first path and return to the roadside, I’m breathing heavily.
The second path takes me further upwards, and by the time I reach the next road layer, I’m feeling hot and a little out of breath. It looks like Stadt Wien figured this could be a problem, as when I reach the third and final footpath to the top, there’s a welcoming bench for me to sit and catch my breath. As it turns out, the bench isn’t there to öet me catch my breath. No, it’s a ‘last chance’ for rest before the biggest climb of the day. Yes, the final climb up is the steepest and features more than a few steps. I push on, and reach the top feeling a little out of breath, but pleased with myself for pushing on. My reward is a flat bit of pavement and a fantastic view, making the climb all the more worth the effort.
At this point I’d be well within my rights to head to Cobenzl’s various gusto choices, ask for a large beer and call it a day. That isn’t the plan, plus one of the main choices for a beer stop is closed, undergoing major renovation works. The view is nice, but the sounds of building works can be distracting. Fortunately, there’s still plenty to see. Just following the road around I find a rather nice trail that promises some nature to enjoy. It has a picture of a butterfly and everything. The path will take me along a ridge to a park.
The path leads me along to another road and picks up the StadtWanderWeg 2 hiking path. Vienna has several hiking paths that get you out and about, and I’ll be covering these in various posts in the future. The path heads one way as I head uphill to Am Himmel.
Am Himmel is a fabulous park that has something for everyone. within the wide-open space, you’ll find a children’s play area, a large vineyard and my personal favourite, the Tree of Life Circle. The Tree of Life Circle features 40 trees, each one a different species, laid out in concentric circles. Similar to a horoscope, each of the trees represents a specific period in the year, where you can find your own ‘personal’ tree, much like your star sign. The Circle is huge and I would need a drone to truly capture the size of the attraction. Along with each tree, there are posts that feature a plaque that tells you about that specific tree, and a loudspeaker that is motion-activated and will tell you more. On weekends and special occasions, all 40 of these speakers play classical music. I’ve experienced this in the past and it’s really quite surreal, especially if you don’t know it’s going to happen. Finally, within the space, there’s room for 1200 in an open-air amphitheatre. Photo’s don’t really do it justice, and I suggest heading there yourselves and maybe grabbing a bit of lunch at Cafe Resturant Oktogon.
Speaking of lunch, I’m starting to feel a little peckish, and since I’ve self-catered today, I’m on the lookout for a nice place to sit and enjoy a rest. Before I do, I have one last thing to see. From Am Himmel I head into the woods and follow a path that brings me to a small chapel. Known as the Sisi Chapel, it was built in 1856 by Baron Von Sothen to mark the wedding of Elisabeth to Franz Joseph. From there the Chapel found itself in less fortunate times. The Baron himself passed away after a violent death in 1881 and was interned in the chapel. The baroness joined him in 1903. The remaining family gifted the tiny chapel to an order of Nuns who renovated it, but when World War 2 began, the chapel was severely damaged, and it was abandoned, left to fall into complete disrepair. It would be more than 60 years later before the chapel was restored to its former glory, and was once again open to the public in 2006. It’s certainly a beautiful building, and I contemplate eating my lunch here, among the trees. Sadly the ants have claimed all the benches, so I leave them to the view. I really hate ants.
Determined to find a quiet spot to enjoy my lunch, I head back out of Am Himmel and begin wandering back towards Grinzing. This proves to be a good call. Along the path, I come across exactly what I’ve been looking for. Lunch with a view.
I sit on a bench overlooking this meadow, enjoying my lunch and hearing nothing but the birds singing. Feeling happy, I take the last bite of my sandwich and head back to the path and the road down to Grinzing. After 15 minutes or so, the signs of civilisation return. The houses, large mansions, small villas and others little my path, with me reaching my final destination for a well earned, first one at a cafe in six months, beer. I arrive at the wonderful Cafe Garage, a gorgeous cafe that offers cakes, coffees, breakfast and more, all with a smile and friendly service. All told my journey was nearly 7km. And I recommend the walk I took to anyone. It’s been a great wander, and I’m very glad to be back, enjoying the sights and sounds of Austria as we all wake up after lockdown.
Anreise nach Grinzing
Um nach Grinzing zu gelangen, fährt die Straßenbahnlinie 38 vom Schottentor im Stadtzentrum.
Sie können auch den Bus 38A ab Heiligenstadt Bahnhof mit den Linien U4 und S-Bahnen nehmen. Der 38A bringt Sie bis zum Gipfel des Cobenzl und auf den Kahlenberg, falls Sie keine Lust auf den Aufstieg haben.
Weitere Lektüre
If you’d like to learn more about Grinzing or any of the places I mentioned above, check out the links below.
https://www.grinzland.com – A great link to Grinzing and the various Heurigen there.
https://www.himmel.at – Information about Am Himmel and all the attractions you’ll find there.
https://www.cafegarage.at – Cafe Garage, a great place to sit and people watch.