26 February 2022

Vienna hiking route tip to the Hermannskogel by Fashion.at publisher Karin Sawetz: View from the highest peak in the city, the Habsburg Warte, to the east of Austria

The walking route 'Hermannskogel' to the Habsburg Warte is one of the most frequently mentioned tracks in the results when searching online for hiking trails in Vienna (link tip wien.gv.at/umwelt/wald/freizeit/wandern/wege/). Even when the Vienna hiking trails can be easily completed according to the difficulty level calculated from altitude and walking time, the distances go over several hours and the ascents and descents can be challenging for hikers who are not so well trained.

To get my head free from a tumultuous week, I chose a destination which led me to the wonderful Wienerwald. I walked a shorter route than normally recommended to reach the Habsburg Warte of the Austrian Tourist Club, one of the oldest Alpine Clubs of Austria, at Vienna's highest mountain, the Hermannskogel. The 27 meters Habsburg Warte was built in 1888 in the form of a medieval tower on the peak in the height of 524 meters. From the terrace of the observation platform, the sight over Vienna was clear and tinted in the late afternoon sun. I reached the summit before 17:00, just before the Habsburg Warte closed. The reason for my late arrival were some stops such as taking images from flowers like snowdrops along the around 20 minutes, 900 meters route from the parking place at the Fischerhütte through the forest. The first etappe is easy. It goes along an asphalt road with moderate ascent. Wooden benches invite walkers to rest and enjoy the forest. On that day, the great titmice headed the forest's bird-orchestra with their 'chi chi wi'. Then it goes up the mountain on a more demanding forest path with a higher incline.

The tower with its spiral staircase up to the terrace is the last leg of the tour. The staircase gets narrower with every round. When I arrived at the terrace, my first look was to the east where on these days the thoughts of the whole world are. The border of the Ukraine is around 400 kilometers (map with linear distance) away from Vienna. Even when the terrace isn't high enough to see over the city and Austria's neighbor Slovakia to the Ukraine, the country was near. When the tower was built, the west of Ukraine (Galicia) was part of the Austrian empire. Until today, this history of the country is part of Austrian culture. Many Austrians are descendants in the fourth or third generation of families that once lived in the east of the Austrian Empire (a period in the history of the Habsburg Monarchy). For some, Ukraine is not only measured with the linear distance nearer than other parts of today's Austria.