Donaustadt | Fotoeins Fotografie

24T68 Vienna 22: Aspern Seestadt

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In the Austrian capital, the 22nd district is the city’s largest by area, and presently undergoing rapid change as new residences and homes are created to keep up with demand. In the fall of 2013, eastward expansion of the U2 (purple) metro line reached the former Aspern airfield, reconverted for the creation of Seestadt (“Lake City”). From 2014, the development of Seestadt in multiple stages encompasses 240 hectares (almost 1 square mile) with living space to accommodate more than 25-thousand inhabitants.

Aspern has additional history as the stomping grounds for the French army and Napoleon’s invasion of Austria, with major battles against Austrian forces in May 1809 (French defeat at Aspern) and July 1809 (French victory at Wagram).

*Next to the U2 station stands the HoHo Wien tower: the world’s 3rd tallest timber building at 84 m; over 75% of the structure is made from sustainably-sourced wood native to Austria.*

*The Seestadt is presently one of Europe’s largest urban development projects.*

*When the bakery queue is long at 8am on Sunday, it’s time to join in …*

*… and take part in the freshness at Leo Seestadt: fresh-baked breads and pastries, freshly-pressed orange juice with juicy pulp.*

*In memory of Aspern Airfield, 1912-1977, a centre of Austrian flight.*

*Aspern Airfield, in operation 1912-1977, with runways 09-27, 13-31, and 36. The former airfield is now the Seestadt development.*

*In front of Aspern parish church is “The Lion of Aspern”, by A. Fernkorn, 1858.*

*Behind the parish church are a small museum (Museum Aspern 1809, limited hours), as well as memorial plaques and stones.*

I made all photos above with an iPhone15 on 14 Jul 2024. This post composed with Jetpack for iOS appears on Fotoeins Fotografie at fotoeins DOT com.

24T60 Summer fade over the New Danube

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The summer heat is back, but a strong breeze all day has helped with comfort levels. With the U2, I made my way to the east end of the Austrian capital city for these scenic views over the New Danube, within an hour from sunset. (In Vienna, there are 4 water features named “Danube.”)

As light levels slowly dimmed, another day – travel day 60 – was drawing to a close, and I thought a lot about how much I’ve seen into the first two-thirds of my “90-day Euro season”.

*2024h, about 30-minutes before sunset*.

I made both photos above with an iPhone15 on 6 Jul 2024; the screenshot is from Organic Maps. This post composed with Jetpack for iOS appears on Fotoeins Fotografie at fotoeins DOT com.

24T59 Napoleon in Vienna: Donau-Auen National Park

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Some 9600 hectares (37 square miles) of green space between Vienna and Bratislava makes up the Nationalpark Donau-Auen. Almost one-quarter of that space lies within Vienna’s borders as the Lobau. It’s in this space I’m looking for signs of Napoleon’s French army in 1809 when they crossed the Danube and fought Austrian troops at Aspern-Essling (May) and Wagram (July).

The light dotted line marks the city limits for Vienna. I visited the Upper Lobau of Nationalpark Donau-Auen up against the city’s eastern border; I’ve marked 7 points of interest in this screen capture of Organic Maps.

Using the ROYGBV sequence (increasing wavelength): Red, Übergang der Franzosen 1809; Orange, Pulvermagazin der Franzosen 1809; Yellow, Friedhof der Franzosen 1809; Green, Napoleonstraße 1809; Blue, Napoleons Hauptquartier 1809; and Violet, Brückenkopf der Franzosen 1809. *The 2 grey pins are the last stop for bus 26A (upper right) and a stop for bus 92B (lower left).*

*Guide to walk to look around the Lobau. I’ll go much farther than this suggestion.*

Übergang der Franzosen 1809

French crossing (the Danube)

*Übergangsstelle der französischen Armee 1809*

Pulvermagazin der Franzosen 1809

French gunpowder magazine

Friedhof der Franzosen 1809

French military cemetery

*About 3000 were buried in the area during the Battle of Aspern-Esslingen in May 1809.*

*Top half: Obere Lobau / Upper Lobau. Red dot marks the present spot.*

Napoleonstraße 1809

Napoleon’s Road

Napoleons Hauptquartier 1809

Napoleon’s headquarters

*Napoleons Hauptquartier 1809. Some 75-thousand soldiers were assembled after crossing the Danube in May 1809. These troops would soon head north on “Napoleon’s Road”.*

Brückenkopf der Franzosen 1809

Bridge head for the French

*Brückenkopf der Franzosen 1809. While the Austrians kept trying to destroy the makeshift woodframe pontoons, 75-thousand French soldiers successfully crossed over the Danube near this location.*

I made all photos above with an iPhone15 on 5 Jul 2024 (and collected multiple mozzie bites). This post composed with Jetpack for iOS appears on Fotoeins Fotografie at fotoeins DOT com.

24T49 Little rail: the Danube Park Train

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The Donauparkbahn started operation in 1964 with the Vienna International Garden Show. The novelty train runs on a narrow 381 mm (15 in) gauge over a total distance of almost 3.5 km with 3 stops. Managed privately by “Liliputbahn im Prater”, daily operations run from about 10am to 6pm with round-trip fares ranging from 3,50 to 6€.

My crucial question is: how do I get to drive this sweet ride?

*Caution sign for bicyclists and pedestrians: train, level-crossing.*

https://videopress.com/v/tWh7nHY3?resizeToParent=true&cover=true&preloadContent=metadata&useAverageColor=true

VIDEO: 42-seconds of blissful funness.

I made both photo and video with an iPhone15 on 25 Jun 2024. This post composed with Jetpack for iOS appears on Fotoeins Fotografie at fotoeins DOT com.

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