Grinzing

Grinzing was an independent parish until 1892 and is today a part of Döbling, the 19th district of Vienna.

Geography

Location

Grinzing lies in the northwest part of Vienna and is the largest part of Döbling. Josefsdorf borders to the northeast, and the border continues along the Wildgrube and the Schreiberbach stream towards the east and then swings along Springsiedelgasse and Neugebauerweg streets to the south. The border runs along Hungerbergstraße to Unterdöbling (lower Döbling), which separates Grinzing's Kass Graveyard from Sievering. The border finishes in the northwest, running along Himmelstraße und Spießweg streets to the city border, which separates Grinzing from Weidling.

Topography

Many parts of Grinzing are forested ridges of the Wienerwald (Vienna Woods). Hermannskogel, the tallest hill in Vienna, is also located here, near the border to Lower Austria. Other well-known hills are located here, including the Reisenberg, Latisberg, Vogelsangberg, Hungerberg, and Pfaffenberg. The wooded areas contain various streams, including the Schreiberbach, which runs largely untouched through the Wildgrube to Nußdorf. The Reisenberg Stream begins here and runs westward, and in the headwaters of Arbesbach also form in the western part of Grinzing. A further characteristic of the area are the grapevines, most notably the ones on Reisenberg and on Hungerberg.

History

The name

The name "Grinzing" is a name that means "of the people who belong to a man named Grinzo". Many German words ending in "ing" are indicators of membership to a Sippe. The first appearance of the name Grinzing occurred in 1114, when it was called "Grinzigan".

Grinzing during the Middle Ages

The village of Grinzing was founded in the 11th century by the family Grunzing. They built the Trummelhof (Trummel square or yard), from which relics are still found today at a house located at Cobenzlgasse 30. This former manor got its name because it was built on top of Roman ruins. Winemakers and day laborers lived in the village to support the monasteries and rich Vienna bourgeois. The last of the line of the Grunzingen, Rüdiger von Gründsing, died in the 14th century, and he was buried in 1350 in the Viennese church Minoritenkirche. Grinzing was under the jurisdiction of the monastery Stift Klosterneuburg, which retained its authority into the 19th century. The church "Zum heiligen Kreuz" (Of the Holy Cross) was erected in 1426.

Grinzing in modern times

Grinzing fell under numerous catastrophes in the following years. Matthias Corvinus ravaged the village in 1484 and the Turks caused a lot of damage in 1529. In 1604, a large fire burned the village to the ground, and in 1683 the Turks destroyed the newly rebuilt town. Nevertheless, Grinzing developed and grew faster than all the neighboring villages. By 1713, the village, which had grown to hold 70 houses, contracted the plague. More than half the houses were contaminated and 129 people died. The affliction stunted the village's growth. Joseph II razed local fraternal manors, an action that provided funding to build the Grinzing and Pfarrkirche churches in 1783. In the following years, the Grinzing developed slowly. From 1795 to 1822, 83 houses turned into 99 houses, and no more were built until 1835. The village had 835 residents in 1831, negligibly larger than it had in 1795. The village then experienced rapid growth, and by 1890, 1421 people inhabited 209 houses.

In 1892, Grinzing had expanded up to the edge of the Wienerwald and was bound with Oberdöbling, Unterdöbling, and their suburbs (Kahlenbergerdorf, Nußdorf, Heiligenstadt, Sievering and Josefsdorf) to become the 19th district of Vienna, Döbling.

Grinzing was known for their wine industry and for their Heurigens, which draw numerous tourists each year to this day. Heavy bus tourism and the diminishing wine industry has caused the Heurigens to lose some of their charm, and the Viennese seldom frequent the Heurigens. To repair their image, in 2005, the Döbling Green party politicians began a competition to inspire ideas to calm their traffic problems and improve their quality of life.

Economy

About 45 percent of the land area is covered by forest, which all belonged to the Stift Klosterneuburg. Another 23 percent was used for vinyards, and agriculture played a secondary roll, covering just 10 percent of the land. The brewing industry also played a roll in certain eras. The Grinzing Brewery was founded in 1814 in the Trummelhof, which operated intermittently until 1831.

Sightseeing

Grinzing is known for its numerous Heurigens, a wine-drinking locale special to Vienna. Other attractions include the Pfarrkirche and the Kaasgrabenkirche. A peel tower of the Habsburg ( on German Wikipedia) dynasty, and the Hermannskogel are located in part of the spacious Wienerwald, and the restaurant "Cobenzland and a Karl Lueger monument are located on the Reisenberg stream. The grave of Austrian composer Gustav Mahler is also located here.