The Other Schloss

Vienna is old, even out in the 23rd District where we live.  Walking about the neighborhood is my favorite way to get acquainted and is also a good way to discover a mystery or two.  The main landmark around our neighborhood is Alterlaa, a huge modern apartment "village" built on a very large greenspace along the Liesing Fluss.  I walk through the complex most everyday on my way to the U-6 station.  There are about 3,180 apartments in the complex, all of them stacked up in buildings 23 stories tall.  The total population of this urban village is about 9,000 people and there is a two year waiting list to get one of the apartments.  My Baby is actually on the list, so who knows.  

Things did not always look like this out here south of the Stadt.  This was once open land, forest and farm, but things have changed as the city grew.  I like to get an overview of where my daily walk will take me and Google maps allows me to do that.  Very near to our apartment, at the end of Gregorygasse, is a large green space which I was curious about.  Vienna boasts a lot of parks and open space, which I like to try to incorporate into my wanderings.  The mission for the day was replacing the lights in the stove hood at our apartment which meant a walk to Bauhaus, the local hardware store.  And there was that odd plot of forest on the map.  Hmmmmmm...

I have included a little home-made map to put things in perspective.  The blue dot is where we live, just off Gregorygasse.  The big green space, well, that was the mystery.  So off I went.

My errand accomplished, I drifted down a few side streets until I was on a quiet lane of very nice houses on the one side and a decrepit brick wall on the other.  Behind the wall, sometimes topped with the remaining bits of wrought iron fencing, was a very large area of forest and meadows.  At one point I saw the remains of an old pillared gazebo-like structure in a clearing.  It was a tantalizing space, but I simply could not get inside.  Surely this park must have an entrance?  Where was the gate?

And here was the gate.  What I had "found" was Schloss Alterlaa (or Erlaaer) which is a private estate.  Wien is old, remember?   The first mention of this place dates from around 1244 when it was a castle. The present building, a baroque palace, was built around 1700. The chestnut lined lane of Gregorygasse was the entrance to this enormous estate. 

Gregorygasse as it is today. The chestnut trees are still there. 

The end of World War One was also the end of the Habsburg dynasty, but not the end of all of the rich noblity.  One of those nobles needed a place to live so Sir Hans Von Breuner bought this little shack.  Sir Hans had passed on, but the schloss is still in the family and no riff-raff allowed thank-you-very-much. 

Sir Hans built this dandy entrance and big iron gate to ensure his privacy.  No more grand open entrance under the spreading chestnuts along Gregorygasse. 

A little peek at the old homestead is all a Plebe like me is going to get.  

Now I know a bit more about my neighborhood and its history.  I retired to the garden for a cigar, coffee, and contemplation of climbing walls at the back of the estate.  Perhaps another day, once my visa in in the clear.