Why should I be swimming in the Donaukanal if I can go to the New or Old Danube or in any other Viennese Freibad?
First, it is a glorious experience to swim in the middle of the city. And why not use every possibility for refreshment in our everyday environment?
Secondly, as many other cities, Vienna is strongly affected by overheating in summer, so it seems logical to use the Danube sidearm that leads directly through the city center as a spot to cool down. The closer these spots are to our living areas, the better the impact is on our life quality and on our environment, from an ecological viewpoint.
Donaukanal as a public space in the city’s center is under strong economical pressure. Swimming offers a positive alternative that opens perspectives on a different development beyond mass tourism and pressure to consume in communal spaces. For swimming in the Donaukanal one does not need to buy a ticket and can just enter in the water wherever it is suitable – this activity should stay free and therefore spontaneous for all of us!
Having this vast amount of fluid/liquid public space 850.000m2 in the center of the city is a rare and precious quality Vienna has. To use the Donaukanal to have a swim on an everyday basis (as like a jog along the banks, but with refreshment) adds to Vienna's citizen's and visitor’s possibilities and brings joy. Swimming in Donaukanal offers a chance to get in touch with urban ecosystems and challenges our perception of nature and urban spaces.
Secondly, as many other cities, Vienna is strongly affected by overheating in summer, so it seems logical to use the Danube sidearm that leads directly through the city center as a spot to cool down. The closer these spots are to our living areas, the better the impact is on our life quality and on our environment, from an ecological viewpoint.
Donaukanal as a public space in the city’s center is under strong economical pressure. Swimming offers a positive alternative that opens perspectives on a different development beyond mass tourism and pressure to consume in communal spaces. For swimming in the Donaukanal one does not need to buy a ticket and can just enter in the water wherever it is suitable – this activity should stay free and therefore spontaneous for all of us!
Having this vast amount of fluid/liquid public space 850.000m2 in the center of the city is a rare and precious quality Vienna has. To use the Donaukanal to have a swim on an everyday basis (as like a jog along the banks, but with refreshment) adds to Vienna's citizen's and visitor’s possibilities and brings joy. Swimming in Donaukanal offers a chance to get in touch with urban ecosystems and challenges our perception of nature and urban spaces.