Urban Moods.

Challenge: 1 (sandal)
Circuit: Wienerberg via Wienerbergteich,
Lehmteich and Kastanienalleeteich
Length: 4.28km
Start point: Grohnergasse, 1100 Vienna
Coordinates: 48°9'30.77"N, 16°20'40.51"E  
Public Transport: 16A > Otto-Probst-Straße station
(2min to start point by foot)

ROUTE DESCRIPTION
It's a really ‘urbie feeling’ to stand in the Wienerberg recreation area. My eyes sweep over the still waters, to beds of reeds and belts of green, and in the background, on to the horizon, and the Vienna woods on the hill – and right in the centre of the scene – to the imposing buildings of Vienna Business Park, with its twin towers.  

At this moment the skyline reminded me a bit of New York, and I immediately named it ‘Vienna's unofficial Central Park’. Wienerberg is actually split in two by the Triester-Straße main road. This walk will limit itself to the eastern part, which has the clay pools formerly used in brick manufacture. Swimming is allowed in the big pond, but the water quality falls pretty quickly in the summer, just use your nose. ;-) There is nothing to worry about for swimmers, according to the city authorities. There are lots of spots for a picnic and a lie down on Wienerberg. There are places to play football, beach volleyball and streetball, and a herb garden and apple tree (delicious fruit!) can also be found there.

A little bit further to the west, you can find a golf course and Vienna Business Park, which were both built on what was once Vienna's biggest rubbish dump, which is still leaking mercury and other toxins into the groundwater today. Increased levels of methane have also been measured at the dump surface. So don't pick fruit here, swim, or go to sleep for any length of time ;-).    

Go to Google-Maps

ROUTE
The start point is in Grohnergasse, which leads out directly into Friedrich-Adler-Weg. Go to the right a little bit here, and take the first left into the area. Go straight ahead to a small wooden bridge. Cross this (to the left) and start to go round a pond. It doesn't make a big difference whether you follow the map here, or instead follow your nose. The most interesting points are marked clearly on the map anyway.    

HISTORY
Vienna's arsenal, main customs office, the Semmering train and uncountable houses all have something in common: they were built from the bricks of the clay-rich earth of Wienerberg. From Roman times to the 1960s, this area was primarily dedicated to brick manufacture. The high point of clay extraction at Wienerberg was reached with the construction of the national brickworks by Maria Theresia. The Wienerberger company developed from this imperial factory, and is today an international supplier. There were also dark years on Wienerberg too. The exploitation of the brick workers began around 1870 – they received only contractor's fees. This often led to to working hours of up to 20 hours per day, and even children were required to work. In 1960, extraction became uneconomic and the city authorities began the transformation of the existing ‘rubbish dump’ into a recreation area.     

APPLE IN A NIGHTSHIRT –
SIMPLE AND DELICIOUS
An old delicious recipe, and cheap too! The ‘nightshirt’ refers to the pastry jacket the apple ‘slips into’. These are the ingredients for four portions: 1 egg, 120g flour, 1/4 litre milk, 4 apples, salt, cinnamon and icing sugar      

1. Prepare the pastry in a bowl using flour,
egg, milk and a pinch of salt, and whisk it briskly.

2. Remove the apple cores, cut the flesh
into 1.5cm thick slices, and dip them in the pastry.

3. Fry the apples in hot oil until golden,
then remove them from the pan and dab with kitchen roll. 

4. Lay them on the plate, sprinkle with sugar
and cinnamon, and enjoy them!        

AREA TIPPS

Favoriten Water Tower
Pure industrial history.
A water discovery centre is opening here in 2011!
1100 Vienna, 3 Windtenstraße 3    

Spinnerin am Kreuz
The gothic column of Michael Knab, which was erected for the crusades, was the site of the medieval high court. It is also believed that this was a place of execution, as numerous skeletons of hanged people were found under George-Washington-Hof when it was built.
1100 Vienna, 52-54 Triester Straße