There is hardly another city in the world where you will find more green areas than in Vienna.
Parks and gardens enrich the city, encouraging to take long walks, hiking and bike tours or simply to enjoy a relaxing time in the nearby Prater, Vienna Woods and Lobau leisure areas. The same is true for the beaches and river banks of Old Danube, the Danube Island or the Danube Canal.
The City of Vienna aims to maintain and enhance these qualities. Please follow this link and read more about the activities and actions implemented.
With more than 80% coverage of all mobility needs of the Viennese population, the Wiener Linien (Vienna Transport Authority) network ranks among the best developed in the world. Wiener Linien have committed themselves to act according the propositions supply security, environmental sustainability, economical and social responsibility and have been awarded in 2001 from the Climate Alliance Austria for their achievements. Measures like the operation of the motorbus fleet with liquid gas, the partial energy recovery in the electric circuit as well as the use of solar energy for the water heating and support of the heating of some underground stations contribute substantially to the climate protection. Furthermore car washing facilities have been changed to water reprocessing and vehicles running with diesel were partly substituted with battery operated vehicles. To guarantee smooth arrival and departure at mega events such as concerts, the operation of vehicles and the amount of employees on duty is increased. More and more tickets include the reference "valid as ticket in Vienna" and hence can be used on all public transportation 2 hours before and up to 6 hours after the start of the event.
Please follow this link to read more about the Vienna actions and activities in the area Green Meetings & CSR.
Economical handling of energy is the main focus of the energy policy in Vienna. Energy efficiency serves the existence in the competition, the preservation of resources and the climate protection. The city of Vienna sets the focus especially on the expansion of the district heating and the domestic gas net to guarantee the urban power supply. Different renewable sources of energy are used for the production of power and warmth. More than 18% of these sources account for the electricity production and about 13% to the heat production. Exemplary large-scale projects:
Drinking Water The Viennese rave about "their" tab water which originates in the Lower Austrian-Styrian Alps. The water reaches Vienna through galleries by exploiting the natural drop resulting from the difference in altitude. Vienna finds itself in the unique situation of covering almost all of its drinking water demand from mountain springs. Only a small portion - about 5% of the annual consumption - is obtained by means of groundwater works, only used in case of pipeline repairs, pipeline damage or high water consumption volumes during hot spells. Since 2006, parts of the water volume pass through a Francis turbine, generating 3 million kw-hours of energy per year and supplying 1,000 households with electricity.
Vienna Water Charta Since 2001 Vienna is the only city in the world which has placed the Vienna drinking water under protection of the constitution. With the Vienna Water Charta the famous Mountain Spring water shall remain a basic resource for future generations.
Waste Water Waste water management plays an important role for securing the quality of life in Vienna. Virtually 100% of the population are connected to the public sewer network which puts Vienna in the international comparison on a top ranking.
Vienna ranks among the cleanest cities in the world, because waste prevention and resource conservation have the highest priority. This is reflected by the numerous initiatives of the city of Vienna, like the Vienna Waste Management Concept 2007, with several measurements to be implemented in the coming years: from waste prevention, waste sorting, waste collection and waste treatment to aspects of environmentally friendly waste transport. About 40% of the waste is collected separately, allowing it to be recycled. The Spittelau incineration plant is not only a well-known tourist attraction because of its redesign by Friedensreich Hundertwasser but also heats 60.000 households in Vienna. With the plant "Biogas Wien" clean energy can be obtained from organic waste and 600 Vienna households are supplied with district heating. Vienna has also Europe's most modern plastic sorting plant which ensures sorting purities of almost 100% and in the end allows again the production of new PET beverage packages. These are only a few examples how Austria and especially Vienna has successfully completed the transition from complete waste disposal to sustainable waste management, making it one of the top performers in this field in Europe.
The bicycle has reached an important place in the metropolitan area and therefore contributes substantially to climate protection in Vienna. The goal of the city of Vienna is to increase the traffic share of bicycles to 8% of the entire traffic volume until 2015. Currently the bicycle traffic network covers more than 1,000 kilometres. Besides various bike rental outlets, the Citybikes have been introduced in 2003. At 60 bike stations bicycles can be rent and also returned. Within the first hour, the use is free of charge. The only condition is a one-time registration via Cash Card, Citybike-Card or Credit Card. For a particularly environmental friendly transfer within Vienna, there is the so called FAXI available - the bicycle taxi.
Read more about the EcoBusinessPlan Vienna!
The world's largest Bruegel collection and the prettiest kiss immortalized by Jugendstil genius Gustav Klimt in his world famous painting can only be found in Vienna. The cultural capital is also a place where you can discover a rich diversity of styles and eras. Baroque opulence and cool avant-garde coexist in an exciting creative environment. Pieces by talented young designers now hang in the ornate staterooms and are just as impressive as the old masters found in Vienna's modern museums. The Albertina, a venerable palace, houses one of the most important art collections in the world. "Major" exhibitions take place here, and the museum's own collection is spectacular, with names such as Matisse, Renoir and Miro. The Museum of Fine Art on the Ringstrasse is devoted to Old Masters. Art treasures from all the key eras are on display here, in particular examples from the Renaissance and Baroque periods by Rubens, Titian, Rembrandt and Raphael. The museum also holds the world's largest collection of works by Bruegel. Some visitors even return to Vienna just to relive the experience of being a guest at Bruegel's Peasant Wedding. The picturesque Belvedere Palace is home to the biggest collection of Klimts in the world, including The Kiss. The Secession Building, which was used as an exhibition space by Klimt's secessionist group of artists, awaits with its ornate gold leaf dome at Karlsplatz. Renowned 20th century artists are represented at the MuseumsQuartier. Built by Baroque architect Fischer von Erlach, the former court stables now host a whole new district. The courtyard is once again brimming with life thanks to the Leopold Museum - the Schiele collection is always worth a visit - the Museum Moderner Kunst (Mumok), Kunsthalle, Architekturzentrum, Designforum, and various shops, cafés and restaurants. The 21er Haus, built in 1958 for the World Expo, most recently used in 2001 as the "Museum of Modern Art", has been renovated and will show Austrian art of the 20th and 21st centuries from November 2011. Young artists create a buzz about themselves at numerous exhibits in galleries or at the Viennafair Art Exhibition or at Vienna Art Week. Rising stars on the Austrian and international art scene can always be found at the Mumok and the Museum of Applied Arts/Contemporary Arts, or MAK for short. A rest in one of the city's traditional coffee houses is highly recommended following a visit to one of the museums. Take a seat - with any luck it will be a Thonet - and treat yourself. This too is very much a part of Viennese culture.
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