Weidling Cemetery

The Weidlinger Friedhof lies between Lenaugasse and the Rotgrabenbach stream in the Katastralgemeinde of Weidling, part of Klosterneuburg in Lower Austria. Established in 1713 during a severe outbreak of plague, it replaced an earlier burial ground and now holds a collection of notable monuments from the Biedermeier and Historismus periods. Among these is the imposing granite tomb of Joseph von Hammer-Purgstall, created by sculptor Leopold Kiesling around 1820 while the diplomat was still alive. Its inscriptions appear in ten languages, reflecting Hammer-Purgstall’s wide scholarly reach. Another early work by architect Robert Oerley marks the grave of Franz Löblich, an entrepreneur and politician. The cemetery holds deep historical significance beyond its monuments. In 1713 alone, 79 villagers died during the plague, prompting Maria Barbara von Mannagetta to erect a pest cross still visible today. From 1737 until the josephinische reforms of 1787, a chapel stood on the grounds, used for funeral processions. The writer Ferdinand Raimund composed parts of his play Moisasurs Zauberfluch there in 1827, commemorated by a plaque. Over the centuries the site has expanded three times, most recently in 1976, and the 1955 chapel now serves as a funeral chapel with a small bell tower added in 1985. Visitors walk among rows of graves beneath mature trees, passing the pest cross and the multi-lingual tomb of Hammer-Purgstall. The 1955 chapel, rebuilt as a funeral chapel and later extended with a bell tower, stands near the entrance. A plaque marks the spot where Raimund worked, linking literature and landscape. The cemetery remains an active Catholic parish burial ground, its older sections filled with sculpted memorials from the 19th century. The quiet paths and shaded clearings offer a place of reflection and historical connection.