How about a secret meeting place for political outcasts? That’s part of the story of Glasgraben. Glasgraben is a hamlet nestled in the community of Purkersdorf, Lower Austria. It is situated southeast of the main town. It lies between the Westautobahn and the edge of the Lainzer Tiergarten, Vienna’s city border.
Let’s delve into the history of Glasgraben. Old maps reveal only the Glasgrabenwiese in this location. The Holzhackerhof was at the other eastern end. Today, the Innere Glasgrabenwiese is within the Lainzer Tiergarten. It belongs to Vienna. The Äußere Glasgrabenwiese is outside, belonging to Purkersdorf.
In 1924, Heinrich August Mansfeld, a director at the Österreichischen Länderbank, purchased Glasgraben Nr. 1. He paid 4,300 Schilling. In the spring of 1925, he expanded the property through a land swap with neighbors Franz and Anna Mossbacher.
Between 1924 and 1926, Mansfeld built a small house with a stable and water line. The house was expanded in 1930. In 1925, he also obtained permission to build a pond for breeding young fish. The brook was rerouted to the property’s edge. Three ponds were dug. A sluice system connected them to the Glasgrabenbach. Sadly, the water was insufficient in summer. The fish farm was not commercially successful. During pond excavation in 1927, Roman-era cremation remains were found.
Heinrich Mansfeld also ran a simple catering business at Glasgraben Nr. 1 during the summer. In 1927, he gained a license to sell bottled beer and fruit wine. His 1928 application to expand the catering license to year-round operation was denied. Subsequent requests, including one in 1937, were also rejected. Consequently, Heinrich August Mansfeld sold Glasgraben to the Heidl family in 1937.
The Heidl family transformed the “Glasgrabenhütte” into a popular destination for Viennese residents. They sold their own Ribiselwein for decades. The upper Glasgrabenwiese became a popular sunbathing area. People sledded and skied down the Lainzer Tiergarten wall from the Dreihufeisenberg in winter. During the war years, it served as a secret meeting spot for political fringe groups.
In the 1950s, a house was built. The ponds were no longer managed. The construction of the Westautobahn from Pressbaum to Auhof significantly changed the landscape. The Heidl family sold the property to Benno Polatschek in 1960. Polatschek owned Radio Weltspiegel. He wanted to fulfill his dream of owning a farm. He built a stable. He leased 9 hectares of meadows. In 1963, he registered a farm and dairy. He had the two small ponds filled in and converted into a field.
After ownership changes in 1990, the properties were renovated in 1999. The pond was restored in 2000. From 1996 to 2009, a snack station operated in Glasgraben. From April 2004, it had a license for a “Landgasthaus.”
At Glasgraben Nr. 3, there was a commercial building below the later road maintenance hall. In 1992, the Bundesheer acquired the area.
In the hunger years of the late 1920s, the meadow east of Glasgraben Nr. 1 was divided into ten parcels of about 1600 m². They were sold as garden land. Residents built simple garden sheds. After 30 years, the garden settlement was officially designated as such. After 1960, garden houses were built. In the spring of 1990, the parcels received electricity. In 2002, a water pipe was laid from the Baunzen to Glasgraben. A plant-based treatment system for the entire Glasgraben settlement was planned from 2003 but never implemented.
Glasgraben embodies transformation. It changed from farmland to a local hot spot. It even secretly hosted political groups. It reflects the evolving landscape of Austria.