New Danube
Encyclopedia
The New Danube is a side channel on the eastern side of the Danube
in Vienna
, Austria
. It was created to provide flood relief by containing excess water. The Donauinsel
(Danube Island), made out of the removed material, separates the new waterway from the main channel of the river. The project was referred to by the United Nations Human Settlements Programme
(UN-HABITAT) as "the first truly multipurpose fully sustainable flood protection scheme."
The New Danube flows parallel to the river for approximately 21 kilometres (13 mi) through the Vienna metropolitan area. It diverges from the main channel in Langenzersdorf
in Lower Austria
(northwest of the city), flows through the 21st district, and rejoins it at the Danube-Auen National Park
in the 22nd district (in the southeast). The channel is about 150 m wide; the island varies between 70 and 210 m in width. The current course of the New Danube and the site of the Danube Island were previously a broad landscape of meadows set aside as a floodplain in the first effort to manage Danube floods
, in 1868–75. The left, northern bank of the New Danube is protected by the Hubertus Dam (Marchfeld Protective Dam), completed in 1875.
Following disastrous flooding in Vienna in 1954, years of discussion led to a new plan for regulating the Danube involving creating a relief channel and a long barrier island. Construction began in 1972 and was completed only in 1988.
At the beginning of the New Danube is a weir known as the influx building (Einlaufbauwerk), which is normally closed, making the New Danube a still body of water. When the Danube rises, it is opened to relieve pressure on the river and prevent flooding. This usually leads to a ban on swimming in the New Danube lasting for as long as several weeks, until the water quality improves. Further weirs are located just upstream of the Prater Bridge (Weir 1) and on the level of the Lobau oil terminal (Weir 2), approximately 1.5 km before the New Danube rejoins the main channel.
The New Danube can be reached via U-Bahn
lines U6 (Neue Donau station) and U1 (Donauinsel station), via tram line 31 across the Floridsdorf Bridge, and via various city bus lines. It has stretches suitable for regatta
s—in September 2009 the World Rowing Masters Regatta took place there—and a waterski lift. The best known stretch of shoreline is the Copa Cagrana, next to the Reichsbrücke
. Private motorboats are not permitted on the New Danube.
Danube
The Danube is a river in the Central Europe and the Europe's second longest river after the Volga. It is classified as an international waterway....
in Vienna
Vienna
Vienna is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Austria and one of the nine states of Austria. Vienna is Austria's primary city, with a population of about 1.723 million , and is by far the largest city in Austria, as well as its cultural, economic, and political centre...
, Austria
Austria
Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...
. It was created to provide flood relief by containing excess water. The Donauinsel
Donauinsel
The Donauinsel is a long, narrow island, in central Vienna, Austria, between the Danube river and the parallel excavated channel Neue Donau . The island is 21.1 km in length, but is only 70–210 metres broad...
(Danube Island), made out of the removed material, separates the new waterway from the main channel of the river. The project was referred to by the United Nations Human Settlements Programme
United Nations Human Settlements Programme
The United Nations Human Settlements Programme is the United Nations agency for human settlements. It was established in 1978 and has its headquarters at the United Nations Office at Nairobi, Kenya...
(UN-HABITAT) as "the first truly multipurpose fully sustainable flood protection scheme."
The New Danube flows parallel to the river for approximately 21 kilometres (13 mi) through the Vienna metropolitan area. It diverges from the main channel in Langenzersdorf
Langenzersdorf
Langenzersdorf is a town in the district of Korneuburg in Lower Austria, Austria....
in Lower Austria
Lower Austria
Lower Austria is the northeasternmost state of the nine states in Austria. The capital of Lower Austria since 1986 is Sankt Pölten, the most recently designated capital town in Austria. The capital of Lower Austria had formerly been Vienna, even though Vienna is not officially part of Lower Austria...
(northwest of the city), flows through the 21st district, and rejoins it at the Danube-Auen National Park
Danube-Auen National Park
The Danube-Auen National Park covers 93 square kilometres in Vienna and Lower Austria and is one of the largest remaining floodplains of the Danube in Middle Europe....
in the 22nd district (in the southeast). The channel is about 150 m wide; the island varies between 70 and 210 m in width. The current course of the New Danube and the site of the Danube Island were previously a broad landscape of meadows set aside as a floodplain in the first effort to manage Danube floods
Vienna Danube regulation
The Vienna Danube regulation refers to estensive flood-control engineering along the Danube river in Vienna, Austria during the last 150 years. The first major dams or levees were built during 1870-75. Another major project was constructed during 1972-88, which created the New Danube and Danube...
, in 1868–75. The left, northern bank of the New Danube is protected by the Hubertus Dam (Marchfeld Protective Dam), completed in 1875.
Following disastrous flooding in Vienna in 1954, years of discussion led to a new plan for regulating the Danube involving creating a relief channel and a long barrier island. Construction began in 1972 and was completed only in 1988.
At the beginning of the New Danube is a weir known as the influx building (Einlaufbauwerk), which is normally closed, making the New Danube a still body of water. When the Danube rises, it is opened to relieve pressure on the river and prevent flooding. This usually leads to a ban on swimming in the New Danube lasting for as long as several weeks, until the water quality improves. Further weirs are located just upstream of the Prater Bridge (Weir 1) and on the level of the Lobau oil terminal (Weir 2), approximately 1.5 km before the New Danube rejoins the main channel.
The New Danube can be reached via U-Bahn
Vienna U-Bahn
The Vienna U-Bahn is a rapid transit system consisting of five lines. It is the backbone of one of the best performing public transport systems worldwide according to UITP in June 2009. More than 1.3 million passengers use the Vienna U-Bahn every day...
lines U6 (Neue Donau station) and U1 (Donauinsel station), via tram line 31 across the Floridsdorf Bridge, and via various city bus lines. It has stretches suitable for regatta
Regatta
A regatta is a series of boat races. The term typically describes racing events of rowed or sailed water craft, although some powerboat race series are also called regattas...
s—in September 2009 the World Rowing Masters Regatta took place there—and a waterski lift. The best known stretch of shoreline is the Copa Cagrana, next to the Reichsbrücke
Reichsbrücke
The Reichsbrücke is Vienna's most famous bridge, linking Mexicoplatz in Leopoldstadt with the Donauinsel in Donaustadt on the other side of the Danube. It lies on an important axis leading from the city centre at Stephansplatz, through Praterstern, and on to Kagran in the north-east...
. Private motorboats are not permitted on the New Danube.
External links
- Plan of New Danube and Danube Island, City of Vienna (German)
See also
A series of articles on regulation of the Danube in chronological order- Internationalization of the Danube RiverInternationalization of the Danube RiverThe Danube River has been a trade waterway for centuries, but with the rise of international borders and the jealousies of national states, commerce and shipping has often been hampered for narrow reasons. In addition, natural features of the river, most notably the sanding of the delta, has often...
, for events from earliest times to the Treaty of Paris in 1856 - Commissions of the Danube RiverCommissions of the Danube RiverSee Internationalization of the Danube River for events before 1856.The Commissions of the Danube River were authorized by the Treaty of Paris after the close of the Crimean War...
, for the international bodies governing the waterway from 1856 to 1940 - Nazi rule over the Danube RiverNazi rule over the Danube RiverNazi rule over the Danube River was brought about by force of arms, through annexation of Austria, invasion of Yugoslavia and of the Soviet Union and treaties with the Kingdom of Romania and Hungary, but a legal cover was provided through moves that resulted in a new international order on the...
- Danube River Conference of 1948Danube River Conference of 1948The Danube River Conference of 1948 was held in Belgrade, Yugoslavia, to develop a new international regime for the development and control of the Danube in the wake of World War II...
- Danube CommissionDanube CommissionThe Danube Commission is concerned with the maintenance and improvement of navigation conditions of the Danube River, from its source in Germany to its outlets in Romania and Ukraine, leading to the Black Sea. It was established in 1948 by seven countries bordering the river, replacing previous...
, for events since 1948 - International Commission for the Protection of the Danube RiverInternational Commission for the Protection of the Danube RiverThe International Commission for the Protection of the Danube River is an international organisation with its permanent secretariat in Vienna. It was established by the Danube River Protection Convention, signed by the Danube countries in Sofia, Bulgaria, in 1994.The commission became active in 1998...
, for the organization established in 1998 and charged with environmental and ecological activities