Why go back to Vienna so soon?

In March, we saw an advertisement for this exhibition about the building of the Danube island. As the blurb says:

This dialogue-based tour traces the development of the Donauinsel, how it became a diverse natural and recreational area by the water, and what we as residents of the city associate with this unique space today.

Elly really wanted to go but the exhibition started on the day we were to leave, so I plotted to take us back in July. I was keen to go back for a couple of reasons: I love doing things for my wife, I was interested too, and I want to spend as much time as I can in the Muttistadt.

Day 1 (Thursday 9 July)

Here’s our travel details. (My attempt at cyclemetering the flight failed.)

mode	depart time	depart from	arrive time	arrive at
tram	11:00	home	12:00	EDI
flight O£346	13:25	EDI	17:00	Vienna Intl
city airport train	18:37	Vienna Intl	19:00	Wien Mitte
U4 to Schwedenplatz, then U1	19:00	Wien Mitte	19:30	Nestroyplatz

We stayed in the Henriette, our favourite Viennese hotel. Here are the very few photos I took today:

Day 2 (Friday 10 July)

This video gives an idea of why Vienna needed controls and flood defences. basically, the Danube channels meandered a lot. (The wee grey blob to the south-west is the city.) By the 19th century, the main channel was to the north-east of the city, with just what was to be named the Donaukanal skirting the city at Handelskai (literally ‘trade quay’). In the middle of this century, the main channel was straightened and running almost straight northwest-by-north to southeast-by-south. A loop, known as the Alte Donau (Old Danube) remained to the northeast of that.

So this, along with some dams on the main channels banks, regulated the Danube – but not enough. In the winter of 1850 (as had happened previously), ice-induced floods were heading towards the city. (I seem to recall reading that the river had frozen upstream, holding back water. When if thawed, it released a flood.) In any case, this year, the city received warnings thanks to Austria’s telegraph network. Despite the warnings, there was a lot of harm and danger for these floods. (You’ll see some photos later.) So ways to prevent future disasters were needed.

The idea was to dig a new channel, of course called Neue Donau (new Danube), parallel to the main channel. Normally, it would only be partially full, but when floods threatened, its gates would open so it could swallow the impending flood-water and safely deliver it south-east of the main city. I guess that this also helped smooth the flow so areas downstream had more time to prepare against floods, and so that the floods would surge less. I’d like to know what the downstream counties made of this. (Right now they are desperate for water.) The area between the main and new channels would naturally be called the Donauinsel (Danube Island).

However, this work didn’t start until quite a way through the 20th century, affected by lots of arguments over practicalities, politics, how the island (if it was created) would be used, and how it would be paid for. Here are ‘before’ and ‘after’ plans.

introduction to the exhibition

These first photos are about the need for flood defences.

The ‘Lobau’

However, there was still flood-plain near the river, often used for recreation.

Planning begins

Construction

bridges

the island, water-treatment and power-generation

it’s never finished

time to think about nature

lunchbreak

By now we were in need of a break. I’m sure you are too after looking at all the photos so far. (You did look at every one, didn’t you?)

How the island is used now

(AKA ‘And we’re back into the exhibition for more!’)

BRUCE – ADD 6561, AND 6577 ONWARDS HERE

Here are our meanderings from the museum to the island, and back to the Henriette, according to cyclemeter.

Saturday – going to Wiener Neustadt

Sunday – cruising on the Donau and Donaukanal

Monday – around Vienna and going home