The best walks and hikes around Maria Enzersdorf

Schloss Liechtenstein: Hardly have you left the medieval walls behind you when the next contrast follows. No longer a knight's castle, but a neoclassical summer residence. This is also part of the Kalenderberg: between the castle and the palace, there are just a few minutes of walking – architecturally, however, several centuries. The architect Joseph Kornhäusel, who took the Weilburg in Baden as a model, was once again responsible for the construction plans. For more than a hundred years, celebrations, receptions, and official events took place here. Between 1945 and 1955, the palace was occupied and looted by the Russians. A year later, it served as a reception camp for Hungarian refugees. Afterwards, the palace was uninhabitable and so desolate that the princely house sold the semi-ruin. With great difficulty, a total demolition of the palace was prevented. While the central section was preserved in its original state, the two side wings had to be razed and renewed. Today, the palace presents itself in a well-maintained condition again. The fact that it now serves as a retirement home is one of those twists of history that probably even Prince Johann I would not have expected. [ Source: https://reiseerinnerung.bplaced.net/kalenderberg-moedling-wanderung/ ]

The Augengläser (also known as Brüün) is an artificial romantic ruin on the Kalenderberg near Mödling in Lower Austria. Things to know about the structure • Origin: The structure was commissioned by Prince Johann I of Liechtenstein around 1807 as part of the landscaping of the pine forests around Liechtenstein Castle. • Appearance & function: The ruin consists of two striking pointed arches that visually resemble the lenses of an oversized pair of glasses. Originally, there was an observation tower there called "Lug ins Land". • View: Through the two stone arches, you have a wide view over the Babenberg town of Mödling, the Vienna Basin, and the aqueduct of the First Vienna Mountain Spring Pipeline. • Location: They are located very close to the Black Tower (Schwarzer Turm) on the Kalenderberg (on the border between Mödling and Maria Enzersdorf) and can easily be visited as part of a hike through the Föhrenberge Nature Park.

The Kalenderberg (332 m above sea level) is a historically and scenically significant mountain on the eastern edge of the Vienna Woods in Lower Austria, located directly on the municipal borders of Mödling and Maria Enzersdorf. It belongs to the Föhrenberge Nature Park and is an extremely popular excursion destination in the southern outskirts of Vienna. ( Summit book at: https://peakhunter.com/de/peaks/kalenderberg--3 )

Ideal for refilling water bottles or for furry friends tagging along.

Very nicely done. There is something for every age and temperament.

The Prince of Liechtenstein had the idea at the beginning of the 19th century to have ruins erected on his newly afforested areas according to the Roman model, which served as a viewpoint from 1811.

Artificial ruin in the pine forest of the Kalenderberg on the rocky slope towards the Mödling «Klausen». Built in 1809 by Prince Johann I. von und zu Liechtenstein on the foundation of an old «Wachthäusel» (guardhouse).

The ruins of the Pfefferbüchselkapelle are remnants of a pilgrimage chapel built in 1818 by Prince Johann I of Liechtenstein in the pine forest of the Kalenderberg near Mödling. Known for its distinctive roof shape as a "pepper pot", the structure was destroyed in 1848 and has since been considered a romantic ruin that, along with the Black Tower and the Augengläser, belongs to the park landscape around Liechtenstein Castle.