Liesing () is the 23rd district of Vienna. It is on the southwest edge of Vienna, Austria.
It was formed after Austria's Anschluss with Germany, when Vienna expanded from 21 districts to 26. Fifteen Lower Austrian districts, especially the old legal jurisdiction of Liesing, were incorporated into the 25th district.
After the allied occupation of Vienna, this law was not recognized and Liesing became a part of Lower Austria in the Soviet occupation zone. In 1946, a law intended to alter the districts of Vienna was vetoed by the occupation authorities. In 1954 the objection was withdrawn. Liesing was one of only two districts that remained in Vienna in the new organization. The areas Breitenfurt bei Wien, Laab im Walde, Purkersdorf, Perchtoldsdorf, Vösendorf, and Kaltenleutgeben returned to Lower Austria.
Since 1954, the 23rd district has been composed of the following former districts: Atzgersdorf, Erlaa, Inzersdorf, Kalksburg, Liesing, Mauer, Rodaun, and Siebenhirten.
Geography
Liesing lies in the southwest of Vienna and borders Lower Austria along with the districts Favoriten, Meidling, und Hietzing. The district lies along both sides of the Liesing brook and extends from the Vienna Woods into the Vienna Basin. With 7.7% of the total area, Liesing is the fifth largest district of Vienna and a third is natural areas. Areas in the district were threatened by flooding for a long time.
Geology
Liesing contains three geological regions including parts of the Vienna Woods and the Vienna Basin. The steep slopes and bare rocks of the Northern Chalk Alps (Kalksteinwienerwald) are found in the southwest of the district and stretch north as far as the Dorother Wald and, in the east, reach as far as Antonshöhe hill. The chalk zone in Liesing is divided into two sections. The Anhöhe of the Leopoldsdorfer Wald consists of Hauptdolomit, a type of rock formation that stretches in the direction of Kalksburg as far as the Himmelwiese. North of the dolomite zone, there is a wide band of Kieselkalk chalk. In the chalk region can be found the Antonshöhe, where radiolarit for flint cutting edges was mined in the Late Stone Age. North of the Kaltenleutgebner Straße along the edge of the valley can be found quarries delivering chalk, mergel, sandstone etc. for the building industry. To the north, are the soft hills of the Flyschzone (Sandstone Vienna Woods). During the formation of the alps, several layers of stone, sandstone, mergel and chalkmergel were deformed. The Laab und Kahlenberg "Decke" are relics of a sea that stretched from the edge of the alps to the Carpathian mountains during the Cretaceous Period and early Tertiary Period. At the final stage of the formation of the alps during the Miocene, the sea floor sank, leading to the formation of the Vienna Basin. Today this area lies mainly east of the edge of the woods. Gravel, sand and sandstone dominate this park of the district. In Atzgersdorf, the "Atzgersdorfer Kalkstein" was quarried for centuries, out of which Sarmatium was produced. In the Liesing area, deposits of tegel were formed during the Miocene and Pliocene.
Mountains and rivers
The highest elevations are found in the western part of the district, the Eichkogel at at the southwestern edge marking the highest point in the district. North of the Reichen Liesing, the Wilder Berg and the Antonshöhe are the highest points. To the east, the hills get progressively lower. While Kroissberg, at , Kadoltsberg and Neuberg hill represent the last areas of the previously extensive wine-producing area, the Wotrubakirche church is located on the Sankt-Georgen-Berg in between. To the north, Liesing borders on the Rosenhügel (in Hietzing) and the Wienerberg hill (in Favoriten).
The most important water course in Liesing has always been the Liesingbach. The "Reiche Liesing" flows from the west through Kalksburg, where it is joined by Gütenbach, which drains part of the Lainzer Tiergarten. Below Kalksburg, the Kalksburger Graben joins the Reiche Liesing underground, before it joins the "Dürre Liesing" to form the "Liesing". The canalization of the Liesing has been recently partially restored to a natural form. In the northern part of the district, the ponds, alte Ziegelteiche, Figurenteich and Steinsee (the latter not accessible to the public) can all be found along the Liesing. South of Siebenhirten, is the Schellensee lake which is also closed to the public.
District sections (Bezirksteile)