Wienerberg, Summit and recreation area in Favoriten, Vienna, Austria

Wienerberg is a 244-metre ridge at Vienna's southern edge, part of the Vienna Woods' farthest advance into the Vienna Basin. Its 117-hectare recreation area, laid out after a late-1970s competition to plans by landscape architect Wilfried Kirchner, holds a 14-km path network, ponds left by former clay pits, and the Wienerberg City towers around a redesigned lake.

This location became a center of brick making from 1775 under Maria Theresa, growing quickly into Europe's largest facility by 1820. This industrial activity shaped the region for many decades and helped fuel Vienna's expansion.

Brick making at this location shaped how Vienna's buildings looked for generations, and you can still see those red bricks in many classic structures throughout the city today.

The recreational area offers more than 14 kilometers of paths at different difficulty levels, so wear comfortable shoes and allow time for walking. The small lakes and sports facilities are scattered throughout, making it easy to find a route that matches your interests.

The protected landscape section, 90 of the recreation area's 117 hectares, shelters species on Austria's Red List, among them the Large Copper butterfly and the European pond turtle. The ponds are former clay pits left by the brickworks that closed in the 1960s.