Bierhäuslberg

Did the name of this hill, Bierhäuslberg, make anyone thirsty? Well, there’s a story behind that. We’re standing on a peak with a past tied to more than just pretty views. The Bierhäuslberg, you see, owes its name to beer cellars. Extensive cellars belonging to the Hütteldorf brewery once lay at the foot of this very hill. These weren’t just any cellars. They were so vast, so prominent a feature of the landscape, that they gave the entire hill its name. Imagine, in 1560, this hill, along with parts of the Wolfersberg and the “Zum Wolfen in der Au” inn, became imperial property. The imperial court even moved its hunting administration and the forest master’s residence here from Purkersdorf. This wasn’t just about the love of the hunt. The “Linzer Haupt-, Post- und Commerzstraße,” a vital trade route, ran through the area. And guess what lurked in the dense woods of the Wienfluss? Bears and wolves. Wolves, especially in winter, were a real menace. So, near the Glutmühle, they created a “Wolfsgarten,” a wolf enclosure to trap and hunt these predators. This enclosure was used for over 120 years until the wolves eventually disappeared due to habitat destruction. The last one was shot in 1846 by Archduke Franz Karl, father of Emperor Franz Joseph. The Napoleonic Wars left their mark on the Bierhäuslberg, too. In 1809, encouraged by the French army, locals helped themselves to firewood from the imperial forests, including those on the Bierhäuslberg. This deforestation allowed the less valuable hornbeam to flourish at the expense of the mighty oak. The area has never been known for grand hunts or poaching incidents. By the way, the brewery’s cellars were located near today’s Radl Garden Center. Between 1862 and 1875, an even larger, two-story cellar was built across from the original ones. You can still find traces of these subterranean structures beneath a supermarket that stands there today. With the opening of the Westbahn railway in 1858, Hütteldorf, with its brewery and walking paths, became a popular destination for Viennese day-trippers. In 1890, Hütteldorf was incorporated into Vienna, and the city boundary cut right across the Bierhäuslberg and Wolfersberg. This division contributed to the development of separate settlements on either side of the border. The Bierhäuslberg has seen a lot, from wolves to breweries, from deforestation to becoming a beloved recreational spot.