Simmeringer Haide

This flat industrial zone once echoed with artillery fire. For centuries, the Simmeringer Haide served as a military training ground where the Austrian army practiced cannon drills. The street name Schusslinie, firing line, still marks where soldiers once aimed their weapons across the open plain.

Then came October 23, 1909. The military cleared the heath for an entirely different kind of demonstration. Louis Blériot, fresh from crossing the English Channel three months earlier, flew his fragile monoplane before 300,000 spectators. Emperor Franz Joseph I watched from the crowd as the French pilot soared overhead. Bleriotgasse still carries his name.

The airfield did not last. After World War I, the city moved fast to industrialize the area. Gas works, power plants, and tram depots replaced the open plain. The main sewage treatment plant, waste incineration facilities, and public transport workshops now occupy the former training ground. Some vegetable farms survive between the concrete, a reminder that this land was never meant for heavy industry.