And what's the Alte Donau?
"The "Alte Donau" or "Old Danube" in Vienna is a dead end of a former river branch of the Danube, separated from the actual Danube by a dam. Since the Alte Donau has no direct connection to the main course of the river, it is a shallow lake that is popular as a recreational area. The Alte Donau is one of the very few attractions of the otherwise boring suburban district of Floridsdorf, the 21st district of Vienna.
The Alte Donau is 1.6 square kilometres big and on average 2.5 metres deep; the deepest bits are 6.8 metres. The Alte Donau contains two islands, the Großes Gänsehäufel and the Kleines Gänsehäufel ("Big and Small Pile of Goose Shit"). The bigger one is what you normally refer to when you say "the" Gänsehäufel, since it holds Vienna's most legendary public lido. It is by far not the only lido of the Alte Donau.
In fact, the Alte Donau is something like the sea of the Viennese labourers and the typical 1920ies-working-class-pride can be felt at many spots. Other lidos include the Angelibad, the Eisenbahnerbad, the Arbeiterstrandbad, the Strandbad Alte Donau and the Bundessportbad - all in the Obere Alte Donau. In the Untere Alte Donau, you find the Gänsehäufel, the Polizeibad and the Straßenbahnerbad. Many of these lidos are owned and run by unions or representative groups for certain professions, such as policemen, tram staff or railway staff. This is typical for European countries with a strong socialist tradition.
The neighbourhoods of the Alte Donau are mostly Kleingartensiedlungen (allotment gardens, often with small houses that are permanently inhabited nowadays); the area around the UNO City has developed into a premier business area with several office towers. The Alte Donau is popular for dinghy sailing and windsurfing - according to local sailors, the office towers have changed the way winds "behave" in this area.
The old river course of the Danube can be easily detected on maps. The Danube left a few lakes just around the Alte Donau. Throughout the centuries, the Danube was rather frivolous in terms of floods - the course of the Alte Donau was the result of particularly disastrous floods in the 18th century. In 1870, after another pretty bad flood, Emperor Franz Joseph I ordered a proper training of the Danube."
Article taken from a travel website. My vote for "Coolest Island Name EVER" goes to the "Big Pile of Goose Shit" and my vote for "Greatest Presumption On The Part of An Emperor" goes to Franz Joseph I, who wanted the Danube "properly trained." Fuckin' emperors....
The pedalboat was fun. I guess I've been on one before, but it must have been decades ago and I can't remember with whom. But we pedaled our way around, staying on the water maybe 90 minutes or so, with some little excursions into coves, etc. Pics below:
B explained the public swimming and boating grounds this way: the working class needed a place for recreation, and for cooling off in the summer. It was feared they'd just sit around drinking otherwise. Most people were not landowners so public works projects like this were created for the enjoyment of all. It doesn't cost anything to visit the Alte Donau or swim. If you want to boat, sure, you have to rent one or rent a place to moor your personal watercraft. But anyone can come over, bring their dog, a good book, something to eat, and just sit and watch the sailboats go by, or swim (nude, too---there's a nude section). It like a huge public park, but with water.
I hope Americans take note of the mistakes the Austrians have made, and never allow the creeping specter of Socialism to gain a foothold. Public recreation areas for the working class---pfffffffft!
Yes, Comrade! I will divert precious monetary resources from our next super-necessary nuclear submarine, the USS Ann Coulter, to build a water park accessible to future generations!
We simply can't allow that sort of collectivist thinking, that Communism, in America. What would become of us if we did? How could we defend freedom when we're distracted with boating and swimming and sunbathing?
