Exploring Vienna: City In The Alps

The Austrian capital of Vienna is surrounded by the Vienna Alps, a mountain wilderness on its outskirts. While the Alps are not visible from Vienna itself, they are easily reachable within an hour or two by public transport. The region is a popular holiday destination, with hiking trails, historic resorts, and the largest resort for night skiing in Europe. The mountains have attracted royalty, aristocrats, artists, and intellectuals for centuries. Sigmund Freud, Viktor Frankl, and Adolf Loos are among the famous figures who have visited the Vienna Alps.

The Vienna Alps are around an hour's drive from the Austrian capital

The Austrian capital of Vienna is surrounded by the Vienna Alps, a mere hour's drive away. This makes the city a great base for exploring the mountains. The Vienna Alps are known for their hiking trails, picturesque towns, and health and wellness retreats.

The Vienna Alps have attracted royalty, aristocrats, artists, and intellectuals for centuries. Sigmund Freud was a frequent visitor, and it was in the mountain inn Ottohaus at the Rax that he performed his first psychoanalysis. The mountains have also inspired creatives, including neurologist and psychiatrist Viktor Frankl, and architect Adolf Loos, who built the Looshaus country house on Kreuzberg mountain in 1928.

The area is also known for its scenic rail journeys, including the Semmering Railway, which was completed in the mid-1800s and is now a UNESCO World Heritage site. The Schneeberg Railway, which opened 50 years later, was the first cog railway steam train to chug up the Schneeberg, the highest mountain in Lower Austria.

The Vienna Alps offer a range of outdoor activities, including hiking, skiing, and mountain biking. The region is also known for its health resorts, such as Semmering, Reichenau, and Bad Schönau, which offer a relaxing escape from city life.

The towns of the Vienna Alps are also worth exploring. Wiener Neustadt is home to an imposing castle, while Neunkirchen, one of the oldest villages in the region, is filled with charming coffee houses, sweets shops, and market stalls. The mountain town of Gloggnitz dazzles with its medieval Catholic monastery, grand chapel, and mansions. And the lakeside town of Puchberg am Schneeberg, with its snow-capped peaks and hiking trails leading to castles and waterfalls, is the perfect place to unwind and take in the stunning natural surroundings.

The region is known as a holiday destination, offering winter sports and summer hiking

The Vienna Alps have been a holiday destination for centuries, attracting royalty, aristocrats, artists and intellectuals. The region is known for its health, wellness and adventure offerings, with hiking and winter sports being among the most popular activities.

In summer, the Vienna Alps are popular among hikers, with the region known as the "Panorama of Paradise" due to its many panoramic views of the Alps. There are countless well-maintained and clearly marked hiking trails, as well as mountain biking and cycling routes. The First Water Pipeline Trail, or Vienna Water Pipe Trail, is a beautiful route that commemorates the construction of the First Vienna Mountain Spring pipeline in 1873. The pipeline sends drinking water from the Kaiserbrunn springs in the Rax-Schneeberg area to Vienna, a journey that takes 36 hours without the use of pumps. The trail includes two easy day-trip routes, as well as charming towns such as Wiener Neustadt, Neunkirchen and Gloggnitz to explore.

The Raxalpe and Schneeberg mountains are also recommended for scenic hiking near Vienna. The Fadensteig Circuit Trail in Schneeberg is a fantastic day hike that offers trail variation, scenery and the atmosphere of Fischerhütte. The Raxalpe West Plateau Circuit in Raxalpe is another great option, especially for new hikers, as the trail is well-signed and easy to follow.

In winter, the Vienna Alps offer plenty of fun activities such as skiing on slopes and cross-country trails. The region is home to the largest resort for night skiing in Europe, located in Semmering. The Wechsel-Semmering panorama trail is a popular option, stretching for 100 kilometres. The Rax aerial cableway, which opened in 1926, is another way to access the Vienna Alps in winter. It was Austria's first aerial cableway for passengers and takes visitors up to the Rax alpine mountain hiking area at around 1,600 metres above sea level.

The Vienna Alps offer a range of accommodation options, from historic hotels and health resorts to mountain huts and modern chalets. The region is also known for its delicious food and drinks, including sweet treats such as panhans cake and Reichenau biscuit rusks, and beers such as stinging nettle beer Nessi and Himmelblau blonde ale.

The area is home to picturesque towns and villages, including Wiener Neustadt and Gloggnitz

The Vienna Alps in Lower Austria is a region of natural beauty, boasting pretty valleys, lofty mountains, and charming towns and villages. Wiener Neustadt and Gloggnitz are two such picturesque towns in the area.

Wiener Neustadt is a city located south of Vienna, in the state of Lower Austria. It is home to one of the world's oldest military academies, the Theresian Military Academy, founded in 1751 by Empress Maria Theresa of Austria. The city also boasts a rich history, dating back to 1194 when it was established by Duke Leopold V of Austria. Notable buildings include the 13th-century cathedral, the former Jesuit College, and the medieval walls, partially reconstructed for a 2019 exhibition.

Gloggnitz, on the other hand, is a mountain town situated in the southwestern part of the Vienna Basin. It is surrounded by Mount Rax and Mount Schneeberg, the highest mountains in Lower Austria. Gloggnitz is known for its medieval Catholic monastery, the Gloggnitz Provostry, and its grand chapel, palace, and mansions. The town also has a rich history, having been visited by notable figures such as Emperor Leopold I and Napoleon Bonaparte.

Both towns offer a glimpse into the past with their historic buildings and monuments, while also providing access to the natural wonders of the Vienna Alps. The region is popular for hiking and outdoor activities, as well as its health resorts and culinary delights.

In addition to Wiener Neustadt and Gloggnitz, other picturesque towns and villages in the Vienna Alps include Neunkirchen, one of the oldest villages in the region, and the spa resort of Puchberg am Schneeberg, known for its snow-capped peaks and lakeside setting.

The Schneebergbahn cog railway takes visitors up to Hochschneeberg, Austria's highest train station

Vienna, Austria's capital, is surrounded by the Vienna Alps, a remarkable wilderness area that has become synonymous with health, wellness, and adventure. The Schneebergbahn cog railway is one of three rack railways still operating in Austria and is certainly one of the most popular tourist attractions in the region.

The Schneebergbahn cog railway runs from the small town of Puchberg am Schneeberg in Lower Austria up to a plateau beneath the Schneeberg summit. The Schneeberg, at 2,076 metres (6,811 ft), is the highest mountain in Lower Austria. The railway began operating in 1897 and was designed by Leo Arnoldi. The railway is 9.85 kilometres (6.12 mi) long and overcomes a height difference of 1,208 metres (3,963 ft) using the Abt rack system.

The departure point for trips up the Schneeberg is the modern tourism portal, and from there, the Salamander train takes passengers up to Hochschneeberg station, Austria's highest train station, in just 40 minutes. The station is fully accessible, and passengers can easily board and disembark, regardless of the weather. During the summer months, a vintage steam train also operates on Sundays and holidays, offering a glimpse into the past as Emperor Franz Josef travelled this route over a century ago.

Along the way, passengers can stop at Baumgartner station to sample delicious Schneeberg buchteln, sweet rolls filled with jam. Once at Hochschneeberg station, visitors can explore the surrounding mountain scenery and take in the dizzying heights along the Panorama Paradise trail, where the views across the Vienna Alps are truly breathtaking.

The Vienna Alps have attracted notable figures, including Sigmund Freud and Viktor Frankl

The Vienna Alps have long been a place of respite for royalty, aristocrats, artists, and intellectuals. Among those who have been drawn to the region's natural beauty and bucolic countryside are notable figures Sigmund Freud and Viktor Frankl.

Freud, the father of psychoanalysis, vacationed at the mountain inn Ottohaus at the Rax in the Vienna Alps. It was here that he performed his first psychoanalysis on the innkeeper's daughter. The Vienna Alps also inspired other great minds, like neurologist and psychiatrist Viktor Frankl, who founded logotherapy and existential analysis. Frankl climbed the rocky 1,500-metre-high Rax, proclaiming that the experience taught him about life.

Both Freud and Frankl were born in Vienna and had strong connections to the city. Freud lived and worked in Vienna for 47 years before being forced to flee to London in 1938 due to his Jewish ancestry. During his time in Vienna, Freud revolutionized the human self-image and produced the majority of his writings. His former residence at Berggasse 19 now houses the Sigmund Freud Museum, which was founded in 1971 and covers Freud's life story and the history of psychoanalysis.

Frankl, also a Jewish native of Vienna, studied medicine at the University of Vienna and earned a PhD in philosophy from the same institution in 1948. He worked with patients at the Vienna Polyclinic Hospital until his retirement in 1970. Frankl's work in the fields of neurology, psychology, and philosophy has had a lasting impact, with his concept of meaning as a central motivational force in human behaviour providing the foundation for the emerging field of positive psychology.

In addition to Freud and Frankl, the Vienna Alps have inspired other notable figures, including influential European architect Adolf Loos, who built the country house Looshaus on Kreuzberg mountain in 1928. The Alps have also attracted engineering pioneers, such as those who masterminded the Semmering Railway in the mid-19th century, which became the first standard-gauge mountain railway in Europe and a UNESCO World Heritage site.

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