Ever wondered how Vienna became the water city it once was? The story of the Schwimmschulteich reveals a hidden chapter in Vienna’s relationship with its waters.
Let me tell you a story of Vienna and its waters. Tourists often miss the fact that Vienna’s historical center isn’t right on the “Beautiful Blue Danube.” Today, even locals find it hard to believe Vienna is a water city. But looking back, it’s clear Vienna was once deeply connected to its waters. The Schwimmschulteich is a part of that story.
Before the First Viennese Danube Regulation between 1870 and 1875, the Danube branched out across the Vienna Basin. The river landscape, with its flowing arms and oxbow lakes, stretched for kilometers. Both the Roman settlement of Vindobona and the medieval city were built along these large river arms. Vienna was indeed a city on the Danube. But from the 13th century, the main river channel shifted further northeast, away from the city center.
Countless water projects followed. Until the 19th century, the city relied on a navigable Danube arm. The Wiener Arm, later called the Donaukanal after 1704, was crucial for transport. You could find ship landings, wood storage, markets, and shipping administration along its banks.
However, the Danube wasn’t the only water source. Numerous brooks flowed from the Wienerwald, or Vienna Woods, into the Danube. These brooks determined the location of suburbs and businesses. The Wien River and the Liesing were the largest streams. Most smaller streams barely reached 100 liters per second. The Wien River was central to water usage. Around 1825, about 110 mills operated within the city using mill streams parallel to the Wien River. These streams were protected from floods. During low flow, the water was concentrated in these small canals.
From the 16th century, these small streams faced problems. As Vienna’s population grew, more drinking water wells were dug. Springs also supplied the first water pipes, mainly benefiting the nobility. These facilities drew groundwater and reduced the outflow of the Schwimmschulteich and other bodies of water. As the population increased, sewage discharge into the Wienerwald streams and the Danube channel also increased. From 1753, city authorities promoted sewers to solve the waste problem. Ironically, this intensified water pollution until around 1900. Before sewers, cesspools discharged waste outside the city. Afterward, sewage flowed into creeks and then the Danube channel. By the 19th century, the Wienerwald streams and Danube channel became sewers. Historical sources say that by 1870, storing fish in the Danube channel before selling them became a health risk.
The transformation of the Wienerwald streams into sewers sealed their fate. When cholera hit Vienna in 1831, main sewer canals were built along the Wien River. Plans to vault the river were only partially realized. But many other urban Danube tributaries disappeared underground from the 1840s. Only the upper reaches outside the city remained. Today, these are important aquatic habitats.
Much of Vienna’s historic water city is now hidden underground. Some streets in the 9th and 2nd districts follow old river arms of the Danube. In the suburbs, main roads mark the paths of former streams. The Danube, Wien, and Liesing rivers faced many technical changes until the 1990s. Today, flood protection dams are common. Long stretches of the Wien and Liesing rivers are paved over. The Danube was continuously developed for shipping, and a hydroelectric power project was completed in the 1990s. Only in recent decades has water restoration become a priority.
Today, as you stand here at the Schwimmschulteich, remember that Vienna’s waters have shaped its history. The interlinking of water and urban development shows both the benefits and threats to urban waters.