
The Donaukanal (, ''Danube Canal'') is a former arm of the river
Danube
The Danube ( ; see also #Names and etymology, other names) is the List of rivers of Europe#Longest rivers, second-longest river in Europe, after the Volga in Russia. It flows through Central and Southeastern Europe, from the Black Forest sou ...
, now regulated as a water channel (since 1598), within the city of
Vienna
Vienna ( ; ; ) is the capital city, capital, List of largest cities in Austria, most populous city, and one of Federal states of Austria, nine federal states of Austria. It is Austria's primate city, with just over two million inhabitants. ...
,
Austria
Austria, formally the Republic of Austria, is a landlocked country in Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine Federal states of Austria, states, of which the capital Vienna is the List of largest cities in Aust ...
. It is long and, unlike the Danube itself, it borders Vienna's city centre,
Innere Stadt
The Innere Stadt (; ; "Inner City") is the 1st municipal Districts of Vienna, district of Vienna () located in the center of the Austrian capital. The Innere Stadt is the old town of Vienna. Until the city boundaries were expanded in 1850, the I ...
, where the
Wien River
The Wien is a river that flows through the capital of Austria, Vienna.
Geography
The river Wien is long, of which are within the city. Its drainage basin covers an area of , both in the city and in the neighbouring Vienna Woods. Its source li ...
(''Wienfluss'') flows into it.
["Donaukanal", aeiou Encyclopedia (see below: External links).]
The Donaukanal bifurcates from the main river at the
Nußdorf weir and lock complex, in
Döbling
Döbling () is the 19th Districts of Vienna, district in the city of Vienna, Austria (). It is located in the north of Vienna, north of the districts Alsergrund and Währing. Döbling has some heavily populated urban areas with many residential bui ...
, and joins it again just upstream of the "Praterspitz", at the
Prater park in
Simmering
Simmering is a food preparation technique by which foods are cooked in hot liquids kept just below the boiling point of water (lower than ) and above poaching temperature (higher than ). To create a steady simmer, a liquid is brought to a boil, ...
. The island thus formed between the Donaukanal and the Danube holds two of the 23
districts of Vienna
The districts of Vienna ( German: ''Wiener Gemeindebezirke'') are the 23 named city sections of Vienna, Austria, which are numbered for easy reference. They were created from 1850 onwards, when the city area was enlarged by the inclusion of surrou ...
:
Brigittenau
Brigittenau () is the 20th districts of Vienna, district of Vienna (). It is located north of the central districts, north of Leopoldstadt on the same island area between the Danube and the Danube Canal. Brigittenau is a heavily populated urban a ...
(20th District) and
Leopoldstadt
Leopoldstadt (; ; "Leopold-Town") is the 2nd municipal district of Vienna () in Austria. there are 103,233 inhabitants over . It is situated in the heart of the city and, together with Brigittenau (20th district), forms a large island surrou ...
(2nd District). The canal is crossed by fifteen road bridges and five rail bridges.
[
Because in ]German
German(s) may refer to:
* Germany, the country of the Germans and German things
**Germania (Roman era)
* Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language
** For citizenship in Germany, see also Ge ...
, the name ''Kanal'', which has been used since about 1700, evokes associations of an open sewer, attempts at renaming the Donaukanal have been made (one suggestion was ''Kleine Donau''—''Little Danube'') but have not met with success.
History
The name ''"Donaukanal"'' ("Danube Canal"), has been used since 1686, for the southern branch of the River Danube in Vienna. Originally a natural branch, during 1598–1600, it was regulated for the first time by Baron von Hoyos.[
In the 19th century, the Schwimmtor, a movable floating barrier, was constructed near the upstream entrance to the canal. It was designed to protect the canal from floods and drift ice, and entered service in 1873. The Nußdorf weir and lock complex were constructed between 1894 and 1899, and provide a greater degree of flood control than the Schwimmtor. However the Schwimmtor remained in use until ]World War I
World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...
, and was not scrapped until 1945.
Usage
In the early 1990s, work started in the southern section of the Donaukanal (between the 2nd and 3rd districts
A district is a type of administrative division that in some countries is managed by the local government. Across the world, areas known as "districts" vary greatly in size, spanning regions or counties, several municipalities, subdivisions ...
) to create a recreation area along its banks.[
The paths on both sides of the Donaukanal are regularly used by ]jogger
Jogging is a form of trotting or running at a slow or leisurely pace. The main intention is to increase physical fitness with less stress on the body than from faster running but more than walking, or to maintain a steady speed for longer periods ...
s, cyclist
Cycling, also known as bicycling or biking, is the activity of riding a bicycle or other types of pedal-driven human-powered vehicles such as balance bikes, unicycles, tricycles, and quadricycles. Cycling is practised around the world fo ...
s and skaters. Recently, there have been successful attempts during the summer months at turning the place into a more attractive recreation
Recreation is an activity of leisure, leisure being discretionary time. The "need to do something for recreation" is an essential element of human biology and psychology. Recreational activities are often done for happiness, enjoyment, amusement, ...
al area (summer stages, flea market
A flea market (or swap meet) is a type of street market that provides space for vendors to sell previously owned (secondhand) goods. This type of market is often seasonal. However, in recent years there has been the development of 'formal' ...
s, cafés, etc.).
Boat rides circling Leopoldstadt and Brigittenau via the Donaukanal and Danube start at Schwedenplatz, close to the city centre. The same location provides the Vienna terminal of the Twin City Liner fast ferry service that links Vienna with Bratislava
Bratislava (German: ''Pressburg'', Hungarian: ''Pozsony'') is the Capital city, capital and largest city of the Slovakia, Slovak Republic and the fourth largest of all List of cities and towns on the river Danube, cities on the river Danube. ...
, transiting the Donaukanal to reach the Danube.
The Donaukanaltreiben Festival
Donaukanaltreiben Festival in Vienna, Austria is one of the cultural festivals in Europe. It is held every year in June in several locations along the Donaukanal, in Vienna. Mainly Austrian people, Austrian professional and amateur bands are invi ...
is held every year in June in several locations along the Donaukanal. Mainly Austrian professional and amateur bands are invited but from year to year the organisers invite bands from the neighbouring countries.
Cultural influences
The banks of the Donaukanal were immortalized by Heinz Conrads in his song "A schräge Wiesn" ("A Sloping Lawn"; later covered
Cover or covers may refer to:
Packaging
* Another name for a lid
* Cover (philately), generic term for envelope or package
* Album cover, the front of the packaging
* Book cover or magazine cover
** Book design
** Back cover copy, part of ...
by Willi Resetarits
Wilhelm Resetarits (21 December 1948 – 24 April 2022), better known as Willi Resetarits and Ostbahn Kurti, was an Austrian folk and early Austropop singer, actor-comedian and human rights activist.
Biography
Resetarits was born in Stinatz ...
and Rainhard Fendrich), where the hero, Franz, chooses not to go on holiday. Instead, he spends his spare time napping on the grassy slopes next to the Donaukanal.
References
External links
*
"Donaukanal"
at the ''aeiou Encyclopedia
Austria-Forum is a freely accessible online collection of reference works on Austria in German language, German, with some articles in English language, English, initiated by Graz University of Technology, TU Graz. As of 2022, Austria-Forum has be ...
''
{{Authority control
Danube
Tributaries of the Danube
Tourist attractions in Vienna
Rivers of Vienna
Döbling
Brigittenau
Leopoldstadt
Innere Stadt
Landstraße
Simmering (Vienna)
Rivers of Austria