Anninger Alte Rodelbahn. The beginning

Ruins on the Anninger still bear witness to a time when tobogganers duelled on the “greatest artificial track in Austria”.

There is not much room for winter sports in Vienna and the surrounding area. The media and local politicians are always mulling over plans, and there is talk of a ski jump and a ski world cup race at Schönbrunn Palace, but little is happening in concrete terms. A look into the history books shows that there were certainly opportunities for winter sports in the past.

A few kilometers outside Vienna, near Mödling, was the Anninger toboggan run, “the most modern and magnificent artificial track in Austria” (Illustrated Sports Journal, January 7, 1928). The story began with the founding of the Anninger toboggan club in 1907. The club converted Anninger Street into a toboggan run so that Austrian championships and international races could be held on Mödling’s local mountain.

But the potential for conflict on the mountain has not only existed since ski tourers and mountain bikers became popular; even in the “good old days” there were probably various disagreements between those seeking relaxation and their different wishes. In order to defuse the situation and at the same time strengthen the sport of tobogganing, a separate artificial track was built away from the road in 1924.

Lack of snow and first winner

With a length of 1,700 meters, the track led from the former “Kaisergerndlhaus, crossing Anningerstrasse on a wooden bridge, down to the Hinterbrühler Kiental.” However, it took some time before the track could finally take on its ceremonial purpose. The banal reason: lack of snow. After the Austrian tobogganing championships on artificial tracks had been postponed several times, a major race was held on the “new” track for the first time in January 1929. Fred Langer was able to write his name in the history books as the first winner (Badener Zeitung 12.1.1929). In the following years, despite the tobogganing club’s financial problems, several championships were held.

Anninger toboggans also played a prominent role. They were manufactured by Georg Weiss, the owner of the Krauste Linde inn. Their good reputation was based on the “fact that Mödling residents always win prizes, often even first place, in competitions with their low Anninger toboggans.”

Fatal tobogganing accident on Anninger Toboggan

 A fatal accident in 1935 resulted in the track being shortened, and the Second World War brought a temporary end to the races on the Anninger. The steep curves and the bridge were used as firewood. It was not until the 1960s that tobogganing was able to gain a foothold again for a short time.
 
After tobogganing became an Olympic sport, the new guidelines also had to be implemented. In 1966, the “Grand Prix of Austria” was held on the 1,000-meter-long new track. The renaissance did not last long, however, and the last race on the Anningerbahn took place in 1971. Ruins of the partially concrete toboggan run are still clearly visible today.

Alte Rodelbahn , © Wienerwald Tourismus GmbH / Miloš Štáfek

Official races have not been held for a long time, but the Anninger is as popular as ever as a toboggan run. Provided there is enough snow, the Anninger road is busy until late in the evening. The track may no longer have the gradient it used to have, and there have been no steep curves for a long time, but the constant oncoming traffic and the notorious S-curve at the Hans-Riffer spring should still warn you to be careful.

Now, the Anninger Alte Rodelbahn is perfect area for mountain biking and other sport activities. You can find a lot of interesting trails near the old toboggan.