Recall a time when Vienna was on the edge of aviation innovation. This is the Asperner Flugfeld Stele. It stands as a monument to Vienna’s pioneering airport. Once known as Flughafen Aspern, it was the largest Austrian airport. It predated the modern Vienna-Schwechat Airport.
Asperner Flugfeld Stele marks the spot where dreams took flight. In January 1912, Aspern was chosen as the site for Vienna’s first official airfield. The Wiener Flugfeld-Gesellschaft m.b.H was founded. On June 23, 1912, the “Flugfeld Aspern” opened with an “International Flight Meeting”.
Imagine the excitement. The opening day ushered in an international flight week. Despite three accidents on the first day, four world records were set during the meeting. Asperner Flugfeld quickly gained international recognition.
A year later, in 1913, Count Ferdinand Zeppelin and Hugo Eckener landed their airship “Sachsen” here. Kaiser Franz Joseph I himself attended the “Day of the Air Fleet” at the second International Flight Meeting. Even the future Empress Zita graced the event with her presence.
In 1914, Heinrich Bier achieved four altitude world records. He flew a Lloyd LS-1 biplane up to 5,440 meters during a flight meeting. The airfield played a role in somber events as well. Participants in the Körting disaster were bid farewell from the air. Flowers were dropped during the funeral at Vienna Central Cemetery.
After the assassination of Franz Ferdinand in 1914, civil aviation ceased. Asperner Flugfeld then served military purposes. Planes manufactured nearby by Aviatik were tested here. In March 1918, the world’s first scheduled airmail service began. It connected Vienna-Aspern with Krakow, Lviv, and Kyiv. Later expansions included Odessa and Budapest.
After World War I, restrictions from the Treaty of Saint-Germain were lifted. In 1922, the airport reopened for international air traffic. The Compagnie Franco Roumaine de Navigation Aérienne (CIDNA) started service. It flew the Paris-Prague-Vienna-Budapest route. This made it the first international airline to serve Aspern.
By 1930, ten airlines flew to Aspern. Lufthansa and Imperial Airways were among them. Asperner Flugfeld earned the title “most international airport in the world.” Air France, Swissair, and KLM followed in later years.
Picture this: July 12, 1931. The airship LZ 127 Graf Zeppelin landed in Aspern. Up to 120,000 spectators were there. President Miklas and Chancellor Buresch welcomed Hugo Eckener. Soldiers held the Zeppelin down with ropes. The airport restaurant served 30,000 liters of beer that day. The LZ 127 then took a tour over Austria. It landed again at Aspern in the evening.
During the Austrian Civil War in 1934, Godwin Brumowski launched an air raid from here. The target was the Goethehof municipal building. In the same year, a VHF radio beacon was installed. It had three 70-meter-high antenna masts.
During the Anschluss in 1938, Luftwaffe units landed at Aspern. They quickly converted it into an airbase. In May, 347 aircraft landed here. This was the largest number of planes to land at the airfield at once.
During World War II, the airport expanded. Forced laborers were used. Three concrete runways were added. Anti-aircraft guns were positioned around the grounds. Civilian flights continued until April 5, 1945.
After the war, the Red Army seized the nearly destroyed airport. Aspern became a base for a bomber division. In 1956, the Austrian Aero-Club took over. It used the field for sports aircraft. However, with the expansion of Vienna-Schwechat Airport, Aspern’s fate was sealed.
The opening of Schwechat’s second runway in 1977 led to Aspern’s closure. The last flight took off on March 31, 1977. Flying clubs relocated to Wiener Neustadt.
In the years that followed, part of the land became a General Motors plant. In 1987, a Junkers Ju 52 made a final landing during an airshow. From 1988, the ARBÖ automobile club used the area as a driving range.
Today, the Seestadt Aspern stands where planes once soared. The Asperner Flugfeld Stele is a reminder. It commemorates the pioneering spirit of Austrian aviation history. It reminds us of a time when Aspern was Vienna’s gateway to the world.