Kuniglberg

The Küniglberg is a hill that stands at a height of 261 meters on the Lainzer saddle in the 13th district of Vienna, Hietzing. It is considered to be a foothill of the Vienna Woods. The term Küniglberg is frequently utilized as a substitute for the ORF, as the ORF center Küniglberg is situated in that area.

Geography and geology

The Küniglberg is situated in the northeastern region of the Hietzing district, adjacent to the district areas of Hietzing and Lainz.The adjacent hills comprise of Red Mountain towards the west and Rose Hill towards the south.The predominantly developed hill represents the westernmost and most elevated section of the ridge that runs alongside the Vienna River on its southern bank within the Vienna Basin region (including Gloriette, Wienerberg, and Laaer Berg).

The geological composition of the Küniglberg is primarily comprised of gravels and sands from the Younger Tertiary (Neogene) period, specifically the Upper Miocene, known as the Sarmatian formation in this region.The unconsolidated sediments present in the area are indicative of coastal deposits from the former “Vienna Sea” (Pannon Lake), with additional material deposited by brief torrents originating from the nearby Vienna Woods (easternmost foothills of the Alps).This phenomenon has been observed multiple times towards the conclusion of the geological era in the western region of what was subsequently recognized as the Vienna Basin.These torrents are the predecessors of the current Lainzerbachs and the Liesing.

History

The mountain was named after the imperial procurator Wolfgang Künigl, who handled the properties of the parish of Hütteldorf in the 16th century, according to Vienna sources.Another theory attributes the name to a Baron von Künigl, who erected a country home on the hill’s northern slope near the end of the 18th century.The name Am Königlberg was first recorded in 1786.

Shortly before the First World War, the eastern section of the mountain was sporadically developed, with the construction of the military invalid home (with the Invalidenhauskirche) and communities such as the Küniglberg hamlet.

During WWII, the Küniglberg served as an anti-aircraft barracks, and from 1969 to 1975, the ORF center designed by architect Roland Rainer was erected here.On the Küniglberg, in addition to the ORF, there is the Lainzer Friedhof, a number of residential structures, and an allotment garden.A tiny area north of the hill has remained undeveloped and is utilized for local pleasure.The neo-Gothic Hummel chapel (also known as the Malfatti chapel), erected in 1883 at the highest point of the hill, was shifted in 1938 due to the building of the barracks to the Fritz-Moravec-Steig, which was named in 1998.

A historic Roman aqueduct goes underground to the Vindobona legionary camp on the south-west slope of the Küniglberg near Fasangartengasse and Pacassistraße.Several parts of this pipe have been discovered and recorded archaeologically.

Vienna, Austria