Mayerling and Heiligenkreuz

The Habsburg tragedy and the medieval abbey

Two sites 5 kilometres apart in the Vienna Woods draw visitors for entirely different reasons. Mayerling is the location of one of the most consequential and mysterious events in Habsburg history — the deaths of Crown Prince Rudolf and Baroness Mary Vetsera in 1889. Heiligenkreuz is a living medieval monastery, Austria’s oldest continuously inhabited Cistercian abbey, founded 1133. Together they make one of the most rewarding half-day excursions from Vienna.

Mayerling: what happened in 1889

On January 30, 1889, Crown Prince Rudolf — the 30-year-old heir to the Austro-Hungarian Empire, the only son of Emperor Franz Joseph and Empress Elisabeth (Sisi) — was found dead at his hunting lodge in Mayerling. Beside him was the body of 17-year-old Baroness Mary Vetsera, his mistress. The official ruling was murder-suicide: Rudolf shot Mary Vetsera and then himself. The reasons — a deteriorating marriage, political frustration, a request to Rome for a marriage annulment that was refused, possibly a secret political conspiracy — have been debated for over a century.

The consequences were enormous. Rudolf’s death eliminated the direct Habsburg heir, and the succession passed to Franz Karl and eventually to Franz Ferdinand, whose assassination in Sarajevo in 1914 started World War I. The Mayerling tragedy sits, in retrospect, near the beginning of the chain of events that ended the Habsburg Empire entirely by 1918.

Emperor Franz Joseph had the hunting lodge demolished immediately and replaced with a Carmelite convent. The room where Rudolf died became the convent chapel. The convent museum, accessible to visitors, covers the events of January 1889 with photographs, documents and a sober account of the mystery that remains partly unsolved.

The Vienna Woods and Mayerling half-day tour from Vienna covers both Mayerling and Heiligenkreuz in a guided circuit — the most practical way to visit both sites without a car, with historical context provided.

The Vienna Woods and Mayerling enchanting escapes tour extends the circuit with more time in the valley and additional scenic stops.

Heiligenkreuz Abbey

Stift Heiligenkreuz (Holy Cross Abbey) was founded in 1133 by Margrave Leopold III and is one of the oldest Cistercian monasteries in the world to have been continuously inhabited by its founding order. The name refers to a relic of the True Cross brought from the Holy Land, still preserved in the abbey church.

The architectural complex spans nine centuries. The Romanesque cloister (1220–1240) is one of the finest in Austria, with red marble columns and Carolingian stone carvings. The Gothic chapter house contains the tombs of the early Babenberg rulers. The baroque church (1683–1730) has an ornate interior — gilded side altars, ceiling frescoes, and a remarkable Trinity Column in the courtyard.

Guided tours run four times daily (10:00, 14:00, and twice in the afternoon — check current schedule). English tours at 11:00 and 14:30. The Vespers service at 18:00 is open to visitors — Gregorian chant from the monastic community in the original Romanesque choir.

The abbey shop sells its own wines, schnapps, and the monks’ own face cream (Stiftskosmetik) — a popular souvenir. The abbey café serves lunch and afternoon coffee.

Getting there

The most practical option without a car is the guided half-day tour from Vienna. By car: take the A21 motorway southwest from Vienna toward Baden, then exit at Alland. Journey time approximately 30–35 minutes. Both sites are signposted from the Alland junction.

By public transport: Bus from Baden Josefsplatz to Heiligenkreuz (approximately 15 minutes), then walk or taxi the 5 km to Mayerling. Bus services are infrequent — check ÖBB schedules and allow ample time between connections.