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Donaukanal

History:
The Donaukanal (“Danube Canal”, also referred to as Kleine Donau (“Small Danube”), and formerly also Wiener Wasser (“Viennese Water”)) is a branch of the river Danube. The Donaukanal branches off the main stream of the river in Nußdorf just upstream of the Nußdorf weir and lock (19th/20th district) and rejoins it near the Albern harbor at the so-called Praterspitz (2nd/11th district). This is where the Danube used to flow in the Middle Ages. The city of Vienna developed on a flood-proof plateau along the tributary.

As the Danube used to bring many floods, which changed the river bed again and again, the river bed has moved around a lot as well. People started to use the name “Donaukanal” around 1700 when the main river bed had shifted far to the east. The first reinforcement of the river bank was accomplished between 1598 and 1600. In the course of the continued reinforcement of the Danube in the 19th century, the Donaukanal was further extended around 1870. (Only then was the river bed moved from today’s Mauthnerwasser at the Lusthaus into the straight course between Freudenau and Gaswerk, and thus the island and the 2nd district were respectively enlarged.)

Between 1901 and 1906, the Kaiserbadschleuse (1st/2nd district) was built as part of a chain of locks, but it was practically never put into operation. The building on the left bank of the canal, originally designed by Otto Wagner to accommodate the sliding panels of the weir (the so-called “Schützenhaus”), is to be revitalized for a different function.

Leisure paradise in the middle of the city:
The Donaukanal between Roßauer Lände and Urania is a promenade, bicycle track, meeting place for skaters, street art mile, and music and pub scene–all in one. It is also the berth of the “Sommerbäder” (summer time swimming pools), which originally were floating swimming pools made of wood (“Badeschiffe”), and which today is a new boat featuring a swimming pool and a restaurant at the Urania. The passenger ships on the Danube have their landing places here (Twin City Liner and the river cruises of Wien-Rundfahrten); and on the lower part of the Donaukanal fishermen look for a good catch. At the confluence of the river Wien, the Strandbar Hermann with an artificial sand beach was established in 2000, and at the underground station the Summer Stage had become renowned even earlier, featuring outdoor shows and concerts around a catering pavilion.
The now internationally famous Flex is located on the Donaukanal embankment, too.

As the latest research by the University of Vienna shows, the Donaukanal serves as an area of retreat for many fish species. There are about 30 species of fish which are partly regarded as endangered in the Danube itself. Especially at the confluence of the river Wien, there are spawning grounds of fish species which cannot swim upstream due to the adverse regulation of the river Wien. The estuary of the river Wien is therefore a popular place for amateur fishermen.

Architecture:
The spectrum of architectural highlights along the Donaukanal covers Art Nouveau buildings designed by Otto Wagner (the underground station Roßauer Lände, Schützenhaus) and the Urania, the Ringturm from the 1960s, and the futuristic media façade of the Uniqua Tower.

Graffiti:
You might almost think you are in New York, and not in the middle of Vienna, looking at the graffiti on the walls along the Donaukanal. Seven legal “Vienna walls” allow graffiti artists to freely express their creativity without getting the police on their back.

For the last 10 years, the municipality of Vienna has provided surfaces to young artists to practice their art; and for the last two years, the project “Wiener Wand” (“Vienna wall”) has been in existence. The walls are marked with a dove and are to support the “dialogue between the writers and the public”.

Channel: Typisch Wien
Categories: Art & Culture, Food & Drink, Szene & Nightlife

Weiterführende Links:

• Donaukanal wiki
• Graffiti