Oberdöbling
Oberdöbling (
Oberdöbling | |
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Coat of arms | Map |
Geography
Oberdöbling lies in the south of the Döbling district of Vienna and covers an area of 241.20 hectares. In the north, Oberdöbling extends to the Krottenbach stream, thus bordering on
History
The origin of the name Döbling
Döbling is mentioned for the first time in an official document in 1114 as de Teopilic. This name is of Slavic origin; toplica either means “marshy water” and refers to the settlement’s location by the Krottenbach or derives from the Old Slavic term for a “warm creek”. Later usage includes spellings such as Toblich, Töbling and Tepling.
The creation of Unterdöbling and Oberdöbling
Döbling’s first residents were almost exclusively farmers, who were largely reliant on their own produce. They produced wine for sale, but also planted cereals for this purpose and produced fruit, vegetables and milk products. In the 12th century, the nobles derer von Topolic owned Döbling, later it was the property of the Dominican monastery in
Oberdöbling in the 17th and 18th centuries
A village seal dating from 1694 has been preserved. It depicts
Oberdöbling until its integration into the city of Vienna in 1892
At the end of the 18th century, Oberdöbling grew rapidly. In 1780, there were 136 houses with a total of 932 inhabitants. Growth then slowed however, so that the number of houses only increased from 188 to 202 with a total of 1550 inhabitants between 1822 and 1835. The last lord of Oberdöbling was Anton Edler von Wirth, who had bought the land from the authorities responsible for administrating state property in 1824. He was also lord of Sievering.
Around the middle of the 19th century, a construction boom began in Oberdöbling. In 1853, there were 323 houses with a total of 4229 inhabitants; in 1890, there were 14,460 inhabitants in 567 houses. In 1858, gas-powered street lighting was introduced. The gas was supplied by an English firm based in the area between the Gymnasiumstraße and the Billrothstraße from 1856. In 1892, Oberdöbling, along with the surrounding suburbs of
Economy
In contrast to the situation in the surrounding villages, viticulture had already lost any significance in Oberdöbling’s economy at the start of the 19th century. Growing crops and fruit was already more profitable. Fields covered more than half of the available land; orchards took up a further 10 percent. In contrast, vineyards occupied approximately just seven percent of available land.
The first factory was built early in Oberdöbling. It was built in 1754, and produced velvet, silk, and fine fabrics. At first, it employed as many as 100 people; by 1790, there were already 300 people working in this factory. A hammer mill was built in 1783 at the point where the
Culture
Oberdöbling’s first theatre opened in 1835 in the desacralised Johanneskapelle on the corner of the Döblinger Hauptstraße and the Hofzeile. In 1859, the actors relocated to the theatre restaurant “Wendl” at Währinger Spitz, which boasted both a summer arena and an indoor theatre, after their original home was sold to the nuns Schwestern vom armen Kinde Jesu. Rude comedies were popular; plays by Johann Nestroy were also produced. Alexander Girardi and Max Reinhardt both played here in their early years. The theatre was closed between 1881 and 1888 because of concerns over fire safety; in 1893 the entire restaurant folded.
Joseph Lanner and Johann Strauß the Elder held concerts in the “Finger” casino in Oberdöbling, but the “Finger” had to close in 1840, probably because of competition from the nearby casino “Zögernitz” (Döblinger Hauptstraße 76). The “Zögernitz”, which had been opened in 1837, became one of the most popular casinos in Vienna. Strauß and Lanner also performed here. In the 1960s, the building was converted into a hotel with a restaurant.
Nowadays, Oberdöbling is home to the most important local museum, the Bezirksmuseum Döbling, which is housed in the Villa Wertheimstein.
Religion
History
A church is mentioned in Döbling for the first time in 1267, but the oldest still-standing church can only be traced back to the 15th century.
Church buildings
Oberdöbling falls within the Döbling parish, which belongs in turn to the 19th Vienna Deanery. Besides the Döbling Parish Church, Oberdöbling is also home to the nunnery of the Schwestern vom armen Kinde Jesu. This comprises educational institutions, a church and a chapel.
Cemeteries
The original Döblinger cemetery was in Unterdöbling. It was closed in 1927. It housed inter alia the graves of Johann Strauß the Elder and Joseph Lanner, whose remains were transferred to the city’s
Education
Almost all grammar schools in Döbling are to be found in Oberdöbling. The GRG 19 and the GRW 19 are located in the Billrothstraße, the grammar school and business school of the Schwestern vom Armen Kinde Jesu are in the Hofzeile, the federal technical college Wien 19 is in the Krottenbachstraße, while the GRW 19 and the BG 19 are in the Gymnasiumstraße.
Famous citizens
- Alfred von Henikstein (1810–1882), the highest-ranking Jewish officer in Austrian history
- Wilhelm August Rieder (1796–1880), Austrian painter
- August von Pelzeln (1825-1891), Austrian ornithologist
Bibliography
- Christine Klusacek, Kurt Stimmer: Döbling. Vom Gürtel zu den Weinbergen. Wien 1988
- Karl Kothbauer: Döbling - und seine Ried- und Flurnamen. Dissertation Wien 2001
- Godehard Schwarz: Döbling. Zehn historische Spaziergänge durch Wiens 19. Bezirk. Wien 2004