Thursday 5 August 2010

Sunset at Leopoldsberg


St. Leopold's Church
Leopoldsberg
19th District (Döbling)

The Blue Danube
View of Donaustadt
(22nd District)





The Hills of the 19th District
with the city beyond.

Vineyards
Kahlenberg, Grinzing,
Heiligenstadt, Neustift,
to name a few.
All in the 19th District.

The Vienna Woods
Not only the vineyards,
also the woods are within city limits.

Looking West
The Danube, just before it
reaches Vienna,
at the height of the town of
Klosterneuburg.

Klosterneuburg
The monastery was founded in 1114,
but the history of the place can be traced to Roman Times.
Click on the picture
to find out more about
its fascinating history
!

*

Photos and above text
© by Merisi
August 2009
First published
8 August 2009

*

About the Leopoldsberg

"The Leopoldsberg (425 m, 1,394 ft) is perhaps Vienna’s most famous overlook, 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. The construction of Saint Leopold's Church on Leopoldsberg began in 1679; an expansion following a design by Antonio Beduzzi was undertaken from 1718 to 1730.

History
Human settlements are known since the Stone Age and especially from Celtic people during the Iron Age. Originally, Roman Vienna or Vindobona was an oppidum (proto-urban settlement) on the Leopoldsberg. It belonged to the Celtic kingdom of Noricum, but the Emperor Augustus (through his general Tiberius) added the oppidum to Pannonia, which became a formal province during the second half of the reign of Claudius (41-54 B.C.). Through the centuries, the mountain, especially the southern slope, was bare of forest and used for vineyards and grazing. Modern-day Leopoldsberg therefore had the name “Kahlenberg” (it was the “bare” or kahl of the two) until 1693 when the baroque church was built on top, at which time the name was transferred to the neighboring mountain (modern-day Kahlenberg). In 1683, modern-day Leopoldsberg was the meeting point of King Jan III Sobieski’s Polish-Austrian troops, who defeated the Turkish invaders and liberated the city of Vienna during the Second Siege of Vienna (Polish veterans consider Kahlenberg as the setting of the famous battle
)."

Quoted from Wikipedia.org
Click on the
first and the last picture
to read more!


16 comments:

  1. I never realized Vienna had such fabulous overlooks! I know where to go first if I ever have the chance to visit....straight for the highest places. Thanks for including a little history too. Fascinating.

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  2. The shot of St. Leopold's is... heavenly!

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  3. Such fantastic photos...thank you for letting us take a glimpse at your lovely surroundings.

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  4. How lovely!



    Aloha from Honolulu :)

    Comfort Spiral

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  5. Gorgeous shots. That first golden photo is delicious!

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  6. Beautiful pictures of Vienna and the Wienerwald!

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  7. Absolutely glorious post... I MISS VIENNA!

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  8. Ahhh! This is the Vienna I would love to discover. (right along with the coffee!) Keep snapping!

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  9. Ahhh! This is the Vienna I would love to discover. (right along with the coffee!) Keep snapping!

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  10. Sara,
    you are welcome!
    There are quite a few overlooks over Vienna,
    not to say many!
    Leopoldsberg gets you the best view of the Danube river, I'd say.


    Vicki Lane,
    thank you! :-)


    Rhonda,
    you are welcome!


    Cloudia,
    thank you!


    LadyFi,
    that was an incredibly picturesque sunset!


    Wandering Star,
    not to forget the vineyards! ;-)


    Gavin Plumley,
    thank you!
    I empathize, I am leaving for France in a few days
    and sort of get the feeling I should have stayed instead. ;-)

    Holz,
    one of the many facets of this city!

    .

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  11. Breathtaking!
    The first one is just gorgeous!
    Golden!!

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  12. Such superb imagery!!! It pleases the eye and gladdens the heart. How I wish I could be there again to enjoy the wonder of your beautiful city.

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  13. I thought for a moment it said 'District of Sussex'...
    I thought for a moment it said 'Leopoldville'...
    I thought for a moment...I'm not paying attention.
    Were you up in a very tall tree when you shot these?
    I thought for a moment you were and I'd like to trade places...

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  14. Thank you all! :-)


    Paris Breakfasts,
    I was risking everything for that first picture,
    leaning over a stonewall, trying to catch as much of the church as I could before toppling over and down. ;-)))

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  15. Apart from the beautiful photos, the notes at the end were so interesting. Thanks Merisi!

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  16. Was it just a year ago that I was introduced to Döbling? It seems like so long ago . . . Thank you for a reminder of its beauty and of a memorable trip made even more special by the meeting of a friend. Promise I'll be back to blogging soon.
    xoxox

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