Skip to content
Menu
Wandering Wim's Blog
  • Home
  • About
  • Contact
Wandering Wim's Blog

A Walk through History: Count von Lacy

Posted on February 18, 2023February 19, 2023

Franz Moritz von Lacy (1725-1801) was an Austrian field marshal who served under empress Maria Theresa, and later became an adviser to emperor Josef II (her son). Because of his services, Lacy was made a count of the Holy Roman Empire.

Count von Lacy. Source: Wikipedia.

In 1765 von Lacy acquired the Schloss Neuwaldegg, next to the small village of Neuwaldegg in the hills a few kilometers west of Vienna, now part of the city’s 17th district. He had some major renovations done to this palace, which had originally been built in 1537 and then rebuilt in 1692-1697.

Schloss Neuwaldegg in 1813, a few years after Count von Lacy’s death. Source: Wien Museum.
Schloss Neuwaldegg today. It is under private ownership, and not publicly accessible.

In the forest behind the palace, von Lacy had a large landscaped nature park constructed, including several statues and other ornaments. Today the park is a public recreation area known as the Schwarzenbergpark, after the family who came into possession of the palace and gardens after von Lacy’s death.

The well-known pillars in the Schwarzenbergpark.
One of the original statues from Count von Lacy’s park, still present in the current Schwarzenbergpark.

Further up into the forest, on top of one of the hills, von Lacy also had a small “recreation village” built where he hosted and entertained his guests. Originally there were 17 huts made of wood and hay. Later some stone buildings were added as well, and the place became known as “Hameau” (little village).

Today only one of the buildings is left at Hameau, but it is still a popular destination for hikers and mountain bikers.

Count von Lacy died on 24 November 1801. He was buried in a small mausoleum he had built for himself inside his nature park. It is still there today.

Count von Lacy’s tomb, which is still present in the current Schwarzenbergpark.

The walk

It is possible to visit all of these sites along a nice walk through the Schwarzenbergpark. To get there, take tram 43 from the Schottentor tram/metro station (central Vienna) to Neuwaldegg (final stop). From there it is a short walk past Schloss Neuwaldegg to the entrance of the Schwarzenbergpark.

Once inside the park, follow the Schwarzenbergallee through the pillars and all the way to the end, from where a hiking trail (yellow markings) continues up to Hameau. An alternative trail goes back down to the Schwarzenbergpark, leading to von Lacy’s tomb. From there, return to the Schwarzenbergallee and follow it back to the palace and tram stop.

The walk and elevation profile.

This is a slightly shorter variant of Stadtwanderweg 3, with a total length of 7.5km and about 200m of elevation difference (up and down). You can also download the GPS track.

Share this:

  • Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window)

Traveling broadens the mind.
Hiking strengthens the body.
Photography elevates the soul.


Get notified about new posts:

If you appreciate the contents of this blog, please help keep it alive!

Prints of some of my photographs and other art are available at

©2023 Wandering Wim's Blog | WordPress Theme by Superb WordPress Themes