Jubiläumswarte - Sunday walk through the Vienna Woods

Friday, 13 December 2019 13:07
Written by Portal Editor

Sunshine and the urge to move had lured us up to the jubilee area into the Vienna Woods, a kind of lookout tower on the Gallitzinberg on the western outskirts of Vienna.

The so-called Jubiläumswarte is located on the Vogeltennwiese at an altitude of 449 meters. The ascent to the observation deck of the Jubiläumswarte is usually open to the public, but in the winter months it is often closed due to possible ice fall.

Already in the previous year we had visited the viewing platform once, but there was thick fog at the time, so that the view over the Vienna Woods and the city of Vienna remained hidden. On the observation deck at a height of 31 meters above ground you have, with good visibility, an excellent panoramic view to the west over the adjacent Vienna Woods and to the east over the Vienna city area. The stairs up to the observation deck are 90 cm wide and up to the platform there are 183 steps, not a small number for the inexperienced staircase users. On clear days, such as our current visit, the view over large parts of the Vienna Basin is outstanding. On the horizon then to the east of the Hainburger mountains and the Leithagebirge can be seen, in the south the Kalkalpen with the Schneeberg. On exceptionally clear days you can also see the White Carpathians in the northeast.

Vienna Forest School and hiking trails

Directly next to the observation tower is the Vienna Forest School, a facility of the local forestry office, in which children and adults, especially of course schoolchildren at so-called "Waldschultage" should be taught more environmental awareness. Before there has been a vacant restaurant, the building was then completely renovated and opened again on May 8, 1998 as "Wiener Waldschule". And even if we could not come this Sunday, the exhibits outdoor area worth seeing. Drawers are used to draw attention to the abundance of livestock and trees in the Vienna Woods, especially the tree sections with a sectioned cross section, which showed a good insight into the biodiversity, the structures and the resulting resistance to decay and insect infestation.

To reach the Vienna Forest School and thus the Jubiläumswarte with the bus line 52B from the stops "Jubiläumswarte" (right in front of the control room, but is approached only three times per day and direction) or "Settlement Kordon" (is further away, but will be served more often), on driving and hiking trails from the Schottenhof and Heuberg; with the lines 46A and 46B, stop "Feuerwache am Steinhof" or "Savoyenstraße" and about twenty minutes walk. By car you can reach the control room via the Johann-Staud-Straße and the Pelzer Rennweg.

Something about location history and hiking trails in the Vienna Woods

In August 1898, on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of the reign of Emperor Franz Joseph I, a wooden tower was erected on the Vogeltennwiese. In the same year, this "Kaiser Jubiläums-Warte" was swept by a storm. For this reason, the jubilee exhibition took place in the Vienna Prater in the coming year. For this event, a 27.5 meter high iron tower was erected, which was to be resold after the exhibition. The "Ottakringer Beautification Association", founded on September 14, 1875, bought the iron frame tower for 35,000 crowns and placed it on the Gallitzinberg site instead of a new wooden tower. The opening of the new tower was made on 6 July 1899 by Mayor Karl Lueger. However, the elevator was removed and the visitors could reach the upper viewing platform just via a spiral staircase.

On 2 December 1900, a refuge was opened next to the tower, which soon became a popular destination for the citizens of Vienna. Already in the Second World War and the following years, however, the tower began to decay and was subsequently closed in 1952. The inn had also ceased its operation. In 1953 both were demolished. The new construction of the control room on a new tower was begun in 1955 and on September 7, 1956, the opening took place. Concrete had been chosen as the building material, reinforced and equipped with steel-reinforced piers.

It is clear that the hiking routes directly at the forest school and the viewing platform have also become increasingly popular, especially since the numerous hiking routes through the Vienna woods have been marked in color and equipped with signs. Thus, these routes not only lead from one stop-off facility to the next but can also be seen in conjunction with trans-regional long-distance hiking trails.

It was a pleasure that we were able to add a first hike to the visit to the forest school and the viewing platform and we are already looking forward to the upcoming opportunities to further explore the Vienna Woods.

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