26.03.2026 – 30.08.2026
It is impossible to imagine Vienna without the Donauinsel (Danube Island). Built together with the New Danube to protect Vienna once and for all from devastating floods, more than 200,000 people visit the island, which is over 21 kilometres long and up to 250 metres wide, every day on warm summer days. Originally conceived as a purely technical flood protection project and highly controversial politically, it took more than 30 years of planning and construction for the Donauinsel to develop into a diverse natural and recreational area on the waterfront. The exhibition at the Wien Museum sheds light on the history and present of this special landscape, which today is one of the most important open spaces in the growing city and serves city dwellers of all ages and backgrounds for a variety of activities. The exhibition covers the history of efforts to provide effective flood protection for Vienna and the ‘wild’ use of the former floodplain, which already foreshadowed much of the later use of the Danube Island, as well as the complex planning and construction history of this island, which is unique in its dimensions, and its central ecological and social significance in today’s increasingly dense and hot city.
The Donauinsel – 21 kilometres of open space
26.03.2026 – 30.08.2026
Wien Museum
Karlsplatz 8
1040 Vienna
www.wienmuseum.at
