Hernals is the 17th district of Vienna. It was formed in 1892 from the independent municipalities of Hernals, Dornbach and Neuwaldegg and today has 56,488 inhabitants (2021). The district is appreciated by its residents mainly because of its simultaneous proximity to the city center (university and city hall district, Old and New General Hospital) and recreational areas (Schwarzenbergpark, Schafberg, congress park and bath). Hernals is characterized by a strong demographic mix, which is reflected in the diversity of the district's neighborhoods. In the district, for example, high-rise and late Wilhelminian style neighborhoods can be found next to communal housing complexes, cottage quarters and old village centers.

Culture and sights

The most important ecclesiastical sights in Hernals are the Kalvarienberg Church and the Redemptorist Church. In addition, there is the Jörgerbad, the sports club field (at Frauenfeld in Dornbach) and the Alszauberbrunnen with statues of a Schrammel quartet. In the district part Dornbach the Dornbacher parish church, the Herz-Jesu-Sühnekirche and the St. Anna chapel are worth mentioning; in Neuwaldegg the castle Neuwaldegg and the Schwarzenbergpark.

Parks

Hernals is home to Austria's oldest landscape garden, the Schwarzenbergpark in Neuwaldegg, which merges directly into the Vienna Woods and covers about 80 hectares. In addition, Hernals is home to other small parks such as Lidlpark, which covers around 17,000 square meters and features numerous ornamental Japanese cherry trees. The Alexander-Lernet-Holenia-Park and the Josef-Kaderka-Park in Dornbach as well as the Pezzlpark in Hernals have less than 10,000 square meters of space. 

The Hanslteich is a popular destination for walkers and excursionists. The pond was built around 1920 for ice harvesting. It is fed by the Alserbach and is surrounded by forest and meadow. It is freely accessible and used for boating.

The 61.000 m² large congress park in Ottakring borders directly on the Hernalser area.

Theater

The founding of theaters in Hernals had little success in early times. A summer theater, the First Vienna National Arena, was founded in Hernals to replace the Josefstadt Theater, which closed in the revolutionary year of 1848. After a few years, however, the theater was closed. The Dornbacher Theater, founded in 1966, also had to close after only six months.

Smaller theaters also existed in the interwar period, such as a farmers' stage on the corner of Dornbacherstrasse and Vollbadgasse, which was taken over by the Theater in Dornbach, an operetta stage, in 1948. Despite sold-out performances, the theater had to close just one year later due to money problems. Today, Hernals is home to two important and well-known theaters. The traditional Vienna Metropol stages musicals, concerts and cabarets, while the Kulisse is purely a cabaret theater.