Donaukanal

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The Donaukanal and its gently sloping banks (Details)

The Donaukanal ("Danube Canal") is a former arm of the river Danube rather than a canal. 17.3 km long, it is a waterway situated entirely within the city of Vienna, Austria: it bifurcates from the main river in Döbling and joins it again in Simmering, thus creating an island consisting of two of the 23 districts of Vienna, Brigittenau and Leopoldstadt.

As opposed to the Danube itself, the Donaukanal borders Vienna's city centre, Innere Stadt, where the Wien River flows into it.

As in German the name Kanal, which has been used since about 1700, evokes associations of an open sewer, attempts at renaming the Donaukanal have been made (one suggestion was Kleine Donau—Little Danube) but have not met with success.

The banks of the Donaukanal were immortalized by Heinz Conrads in his song "A schräge Wiesn" ("A Sloping Lawn"; later covered by Willi Resetarits and Rainhard Fendrich), where the hero, Franz, chooses not to go on holiday. Instead, he spends his spare time napping on the grassy slopes next to the Donaukanal.

The paths on both sides of the Donaukanal are regularly used by joggers, cyclists and skaters. Recently, there have been successful attempts during the summer months at turning the place into a more attractive recreational area (summer stages, flea markets, cafés, etc.). Boat rides circling Leopoldstadt and Brigittenau start at Schwedenplatz.