The area is known for the Battle of Aspern-Essling, which was fought in the nearby Lobau on 21 and 22 May 1809. In the battle, the Austrian army, led by Archduke Charles, repelled an advance by Napoleon; it was the closest the French emperor had come to being defeated since his rise to power. In 1858, a large stone lion sculpture was installed in front of St. Martin's Church to commemorate the battle and the Austrian soldiers who died to repel Napoleon.
In 1904, the formerly independent village was incorporated into Vienna as part of the 21st district, Floridsdorf. Only in 1946 did it become part of the newly created 22nd district, Donaustadt.
In 1912, the Aspern airfield was opened to the north of the historic town center. This was the center of Austrian civil and military aviation until the Second World War. From 1945 to 1955, Aspern was part of the Soviet sector of Vienna and the airfield was primarily used by the Soviet occupying forces. The airfield was closed in 1977.In 1979, a contract was signed between Federal Chancellor Bruno Kreisky and GM Austria regarding the construction of an engine plant in the southern area of the airfield. In 1983, after an investment of 9.8 billion schillings (around 700 million euros), the facility went into full operation with around 2,200 employees. The plant was expanded several times until the 2000s and currently (2021) operates as Opel Vienna
Aspern borders four other Katastralgemeinden of Donaustadt: Stadlau, Hirschstetten, Breitenlee and Essling, as well as the Lobau floodplains. With an area of 19.88 km2 it is the second largest area of Donaustadt, only behind the uninhabited Lobau.
The public transport system is run primarily by the Wiener Linien.
Aspern is home to six overground metro stations on the U2 line of the Vienna U-Bahn:
Furthermore, the town offers an array of bus lines, including the 22a, 26a, and 98a routes, as well as the 25 and 26 tram routes.
Seestadt Aspern is a quarter under construction within Aspern, on the ground of the former airfield. It is one of the largest ongoing urban development projects in Europe. By completion there are expected to be 25000 residents and 20000 jobs in the city. The city is named after the Aspern Lake, an man-made lake dug in its centre.