![Sobieskitablica](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/2c/Sobieskitablica.jpg)
The Kahlenberg () is a
mountain
A mountain is an elevated portion of the Earth's crust, generally with steep sides that show significant exposed bedrock. Although definitions vary, a mountain may differ from a plateau in having a limited Summit (topography), summit area, and ...
() located in the 19th District of
Vienna
en, Viennese
, iso_code = AT-9
, registration_plate = W
, postal_code_type = Postal code
, postal_code =
, timezone = CET
, utc_offset = +1
, timezone_DST ...
,
Austria
Austria, , bar, Östareich officially the Republic of Austria, is a country in the southern part of Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine states, one of which is the capital, Vienna, the most populous ...
(
Döbling
Döbling () is the 19th District in the city of Vienna, Austria (german: 19. Bezirk, Döbling, Doebling). It is located on the north end from the central districts, north of the districts Alsergrund and Währing. Döbling has some heavily populate ...
).
General
The Kahlenberg lies in the
Vienna Woods
The Vienna Woods (german: Wienerwald) are forested highlands that form the northeastern foothills of the Northern Limestone Alps in the states of Lower Austria and Vienna. The and range of hills is heavily wooded and a popular recreation area w ...
and is one of the most popular destinations for day-trips from Vienna, offering a view over the entire city. Parts of
Lower Austria
Lower Austria (german: Niederösterreich; Austro-Bavarian: ''Niedaöstareich'', ''Niedaestareich'') is one of the nine states of Austria, located in the northeastern corner of the country. Since 1986, the capital of Lower Austria has been Sankt P ...
can also be seen from ''Stefaniewarte'' at the peak. Next to Stefaniewarte is a 165-meter high steel tower that serves as the
transmitter
In electronics and telecommunications, a radio transmitter or just transmitter is an electronic device which produces radio waves with an antenna (radio), antenna. The transmitter itself generates a radio frequency alternating current, which i ...
for the
ORF
ORF or Orf may refer to:
* Norfolk International Airport, IATA airport code ORF
* Observer Research Foundation, an Indian research institute
* One Race Films, a film production company founded by Vin Diesel
* Open reading frame, a portion of the ...
, the Austrian Broadcast Corporation. Two terraces are located on the mountain: one at a small church called St. Josef and one at a restaurant built in the 1930s by architect
Erich Boltenstern
The given name Eric, Erich, Erikk, Erik, Erick, or Eirik is derived from the Old Norse name ''Eiríkr'' (or ''Eríkr'' in Old East Norse due to monophthongization).
The first element, ''ei-'' may be derived from the older Proto-Norse ''* ain ...
. Parts of the restaurant and a nearby abandoned hotel have been torn down and replaced by a modern restaurant and
Modul University Vienna
Modul University Vienna (short ''MU Vienna'') is a private university established in 2007 in Vienna, Austria, that focuses on social and economic development. In particular, it focuses on the areas of tourism, new media information technology, sust ...
, a private university established in 2007, focusing on Social and Economic Development, in particular in the areas of tourism, information technology and public governance. The demolition was opposed by the local historical society and by some architects who believed the building was worth protecting. There is also a spiritual recovery center and a center for a Catholic reform movement, the
Schönstattbewegung Österreich.
Geography
Kahlenberg is 484 meters high and lies in the northeastern foothills of the
Eastern Alps
Eastern Alps is the name given to the eastern half of the Alps, usually defined as the area east of a line from Lake Constance and the Alpine Rhine valley up to the Splügen Pass at the Alpine divide and down the Liro River to Lake Como in t ...
. The mountain is mostly
flysch
Flysch () is a sequence of sedimentary rock layers that progress from deep-water and turbidity flow deposits to shallow-water shales and sandstones. It is deposited when a deep basin forms rapidly on the continental side of a mountain building epi ...
, which is composed of
quartz
Quartz is a hard, crystalline mineral composed of silica (silicon dioxide). The atoms are linked in a continuous framework of SiO4 silicon-oxygen tetrahedra, with each oxygen being shared between two tetrahedra, giving an overall chemical form ...
,
limestone
Limestone ( calcium carbonate ) is a type of carbonate sedimentary rock which is the main source of the material lime. It is composed mostly of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different crystal forms of . Limestone forms whe ...
,
marl
Marl is an earthy material rich in carbonate minerals, clays, and silt. When hardened into rock, this becomes marlstone. It is formed in marine or freshwater environments, often through the activities of algae.
Marl makes up the lower part o ...
, and other
conglomerates. East of Kahlenberg is
Leopoldsberg
The Leopoldsberg (; ) is perhaps Vienna’s most famous hill, 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. Construction of the ...
; and to the west are
Reisenberg
Reisenberg is a town in the district of Baden in Lower Austria in Austria
Austria, , bar, Östareich officially the Republic of Austria, is a country in the southern part of Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federat ...
,
Latisberg, and
Hermannskogel
The Hermannskogel () is a hill in Döbling, the 19th district of Vienna. At 542 metres above sea level, it is the highest natural point of Vienna. It lies on the border to Lower Austria.
The Habsburgwarte, standing atop the Hermannskogel, marked ...
.
History
Kahlenberg (German: bald mountain) was uninhabited until the 18th century. Originally, the mountain was called ''Sauberg'' (sow mountain) or ''Schweinsberg'' (pig mountain), after the numerous
wild pigs that lived in the pristine
oak
An oak is a tree or shrub in the genus ''Quercus'' (; Latin "oak tree") of the beech family, Fagaceae. There are approximately 500 extant species of oaks. The common name "oak" also appears in the names of species in related genera, notably ''L ...
forests. In 1628,
Ferdinand II acquired the mountain from the
Klosterneuburg
Klosterneuburg (; frequently abbreviated as Kloburg by locals) is a town in Tulln District in the Austrian state of Lower Austria. It has a population of about 27,500. The Klosterneuburg Monastery, which was established in 1114 and soon after give ...
monastery
A monastery is a building or complex of buildings comprising the domestic quarters and workplaces of monastics, monks or nuns, whether living in communities or alone (hermits). A monastery generally includes a place reserved for prayer which ...
and called it ''Josephsberg'' (Joseph's Mountain). Only after Emperor
Leopold I renamed the original Kahlenberg (the neighbouring mountain) to Leopoldsberg was the name "Kahlenberg" given to the "Josephsberg".
After acquiring the mountain, Ferdinand II allowed a hermitage for the Kamaldulenser, an order of Catholic hermits, to be built. A few houses were built around the Chapel of Saint Joseph, which earned the name
Josefsdorf
Josefsdorf (Central Bavarian: ''Josefsduaf'') was an independent municipality until 1892 and is today a part of Döbling, the 19th district of Vienna. It is also one of the 89 Katastralgemeinden.
Geography
Josefsdorf lies on one side of the ...
.
Jan III Sobieski
John III Sobieski ( pl, Jan III Sobieski; lt, Jonas III Sobieskis; la, Ioannes III Sobiscius; 17 August 1629 – 17 June 1696) was King of Poland and Grand Duke of Lithuania from 1674 until his death in 1696.
Born into Polish nobility, Sobie ...
,
King of Poland
Poland was ruled at various times either by dukes and princes (10th to 14th centuries) or by kings (11th to 18th centuries). During the latter period, a tradition of free election of monarchs made it a uniquely electable position in Europe (16t ...
launched his attack on the
Turkish forces during the
second siege of Vienna from here. The
Turkish name of the mountain is ''Alamandağı''.
The mountain is also notable as the place where
Albert Einstein
Albert Einstein ( ; ; 14 March 1879 – 18 April 1955) was a German-born theoretical physicist, widely acknowledged to be one of the greatest and most influential physicists of all time. Einstein is best known for developing the theory ...
,
Otto Neurath
Otto Karl Wilhelm Neurath (; 10 December 1882 – 22 December 1945) was an Austrian-born philosopher of science, sociologist, and political economist. He was also the inventor of the ISOTYPE method of pictorial statistics and an innovator in mu ...
, and other mathematicians and physicists made the first plans, around 1920, for what would later become the
International Encyclopedia of Unified Science
International is an adjective (also used as a noun) meaning "between nations".
International may also refer to:
Music Albums
* ''International'' (Kevin Michael album), 2011
* ''International'' (New Order album), 2002
* ''International'' (The T ...
.
[Letter from Neurath to Charles Morris, quoted in Dahms, Hans-Joachim. "Vienna Circle and French Enlightenment: A Comparison of Diderot's ''Encyclopédie'' with Neurath's ''International Encyclopedia of Unified Science''." In E. Nemeth and F. Stadler (Eds.), ''Encyclopedia and Utopia: The Life and Work of Otto Neurath (1882-1945)'' (Vienna Circle Institute Yearbook 4). Boston: Kluwer Academic Publishers, 1992. .]
Transportation
Kahlenberg can be reached by car or by bus (Bus line 38A) via the picturesque
Höhenstraße, part of which is
cobblestone
Cobblestone is a natural building material based on cobble-sized stones, and is used for pavement roads, streets, and buildings.
Setts, also called Belgian blocks, are often casually referred to as "cobbles", although a sett is distinct fro ...
. The first Austrian
cog railway
A rack railway (also rack-and-pinion railway, cog railway, or cogwheel railway) is a steep grade railway with a toothed rack and pinion, rack rail, usually between the running Track (rail transport)#Rail, rails. The trains are fitted with one or ...
was built to Kahlenberg in 1872 and 1873 and opened in 1874. It was designed by
Carl Maader. The track climbed 316 meters over 5.5 km and started from the train station in
Nußdorf (today the end station of the tram-line D) and connected through
Grinzing
Grinzing () was an independent municipality until 1892 and is today a part of Döbling, the 19th district of Vienna.
Wien.gv.at webpage (see below: References).
Geography
Location
Grinzing lies in the northwest of Vienna and, with an ar ...
and
Krapfenwaldl to the Kahlenberg Hotel, which opened in 1872. An average of 180,000 passengers used the train line each year. After
World War I
World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...
, the Vienna municipality converted the trams to electric power. The surrounding citizens had already dismantled large parts of the track during the war. On September 21, 1920, the line was finally shut down.
Notes
External links
*
Kahlenberg A view from the restaurant at Kahlenberg.
{{Authority control
Tourist attractions in Vienna
Rack railways in Austria
Döbling
Hills of Vienna
Mountains of the Alps