Lainzer Tiergarten
The Lainzer Tiergarten is a 24.50 km² (6,054-
Location
The Lainzer Tiergarten is located mostly in Vienna's
History
Emperor
A large portion of the Lainzer Tiergarten was lost after World War I, when the Friedenstadt ("Peace City") neighborhood was constructed in its eastern portion. The old wall can still be seen in the Hörndlwald woods east of the Lainzer Tor.
Construction of the
Wildlife
Today the Lainzer Tiergarten is home to between 800 and 1,000 wild boar, 200 to 250 fallow deer, approximately 700 European mouflons, and 80 to 100 red deer (elk).[2]
Gates
The preserve is surrounded by approximately 22 kilometers (14 mi) of wall. There are seven gates, with different operating hours. Clockwise these are:
- Lainzer Tor (main gate)
- Gütenbachtor
- Laaber Tor
- Pulverstampftor
- Nikolaitor
- Sankt Veiter Tor
The entire preserve is open for approximately nine months of the year, from early March to early November. In the remaining months only the park around the Hermesvilla, accessible from the Lainzer Tor, is open. Between Christmas and the New Year, the entire park opens, but is only accessible from the Lainzer Tor and Nikolaitor.
Lainzer Tor
As it is open year-round, and is home to a visitor center, the Lainzer Tor is the preserve's main gate. It is also the origin and the terminus of a 2.2 km (1.4 mi) walk to the Hermesvilla, which can often also be ridden via horse carriage. Public restrooms are also located near the gate, as is a water fountain. This is also one of two gates that has a parking lot.
The Lainzer Tor is located at the end of Hermesstraße, and is reachable using the 56B bus, which connects the gate to the 60 and 62 trams line and to the U4
Gütenbachtor
The Gütenbachtor is located on Gütenbachstraße, and accesses the southeastern corner of the Lainzer Tiergarten. It also features a water fountain and a parking lot, but is a 45-minute walk from the nearest public transportation, regional bus lines 253 and 254.
Laaber Tor
The Laaber Tor is located by the Lower Austrian town of Laab im Walde. It accesses a separate corner of the Lainzer Tiergarten that was added in the 1960s as a compensation for territory that was lost in the north of the preserve when a highway was built. Visitors using this gate will pass the Dianator, which was the gate in this corner before the annexation of additional land. The Laaber Tor also has a water fountain.
Similar to the Gütenbachtor, the only public transportation within reach is the regional bus line 253, which is a 15-minute walk from this gate.
Pulverstampftor
The Pulverstampftor is located in the northwest corner of the preserve, near the Auhof neighborhood of Vienna's 14th district. It features a water fountain, and can be accessed from the Umspannwerk Auhof stop of the bus line 50B from Hütteldorf (five-minute walk).
Nikolaitor
Due to its location near the
Adolfstor
The Adolfstor was located along the eastern wall of the Lainzer Tiergarten. It is now closed.
Sankt Veiter Tor
The Sankt Veiter Tor is directly accessible using a special hourly-served branch of the 54A bus line from the Ober Sankt Veit U-Bahn station. Higher-frequented bus lines to Ober St. Veit and the terminus of the 62 tram line, Lainz Wolkersbergenstraße, are available by walking down Hanschweg to Stock im Weg.
Locations in the preserve
There are three restaurants, two scenic viewpoints, a lake (Hohenauer Teich) and one museum located within the Lainzer Tiergarten.
Hermesvilla and park
Franz Joseph I of Austria commissioned the construction of the Hermesvilla, which was completed in 1886, and served as a getaway mansion for his wife. Today it serves as a museum and also contains a restaurant and café, which is highly frequented due to its close location to the Lainzer Tor. The property around the Hermesvilla is a special area of the Lainzer Tiergarten, fenced off from the rest of the preserve. Separate gates on the paths leading deeper into the park allow access to the larger section when this is open.
Hirschgstemm and Rohrhaus
Besides the Hermesvilla, visitors to the Lainzer Tiergarten can also eat and drink at the Hirschgstemm and Rohrhaus restaurants. These are located deeper in the reserve than the Hermesvilla, but also have full menus.
Hubertuswarte
The Hubertuswarte is an observation tower, built in 1927, and located on the Kaltbründel Berg, the highest point in the preserve (508 meters/1667 ft). From the top of the tower, visitors have a 360-degree view of the region, including Vienna and neighboring villages.
Wiener Blick
Closer to the city side of the Lainzer Tiergarten, the Wiener Blick offers a view of the city from 434 m (1424 ft). In July 2002, this observation point was visited by the
References
- (in German) Geschichte des Lainzer Tiergartens - City of Vienna Website
- (in German) Karl Johann Tichy, Hannes Mayer: "Das Eichen-Naturschutzgebiet Johannser Kogel im Lainzer Tiergarten, Wienerwald". Sonderdruck aus: Centralblatt für das gesamte Forstwesen, Jahrgang 96. 1979, Heft 4. Österreichischer Agrarverlag, Vienna, 1979.
Endnotes
- ^ (in German) Location and size description on the Lainzer Tiergarten's website Archived 2006-07-06 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ (in German) Wildlife information on the Lainzer Tiergarten's website Archived 2006-07-06 at the Wayback Machine
External links
- (in German) Lainzer Tiergarten - Official website
- Wien Museum Hermesvilla