Faßlberg

The Faßlberg rises 366 metres above sea level in the Maurer Wald, a forest tract on the southern edge of Vienna’s Lainzer Tiergarten. It sits on the border between the 13th district, Hietzing, and the 23rd district, Liesing, where the Gütenbach stream and its headwaters curve around its northern and western flanks. To the east the Antonshöhe and Wilde Berg share the skyline, while the Kleine Eichberg appears to the northwest. Part of the Vienna Woods range, the Faßlberg marks the north-eastern tip of the Eastern Alps. The hill’s name probably comes from the Faßlwiese meadow on its north-eastern slope, first recorded in 1819 as Fassel u. Stier Wiese. One explanation links the word Fassl to the meadow’s shape, another to the Middle High German vasel, meaning a male breeding animal such as a bull or boar. No evidence shows the meadow was ever used as pasture. Visitors reach the summit along woodland paths that wind through beech and oak stands. The open top offers wide views across the Vienna basin and the city’s southern districts. On clear days the Schneeberg massif appears in the distance. The quiet trails are shared by walkers, cyclists and joggers, while deer and wild boar are often seen at dawn and dusk.