INSEL DONATION

A real outdoor Leisure centre, the Donau Insel is a recent creation. It was in the early 1970 s that the construction of the bed of the present Danube was undertaken, a twin arm and parallel to the river, in order to avoid the inconvenience of repeated floods. Excavation work lasted 15 years. Materials extracted from the soil were used to form the island on the Danube.

In Copa-Cagrana, under the Donauinsel metro station, there is a huge leisure complex open all summer. This is one of the favourite nights of young Viennese people who are looking for the freshness of the nearby river. On both sides of the Danube, many outdoor bars offer very pleasant terraces.

The island festival (Donauinselfest) takes place on the first weekend of the summer and celebrates the arrival of the beautiful days. For three days, giant podium concerts host pop music and rock concerts, saucisses and customers are swamped by visitors'streams (over 2 million in three days). Do not miss…

The asphalt-covered banks, 21 km long, and the beaten earth trails are widely used by the athletes. On the river side, the Danube is very clean and invites to bathing (side Neue Donau only, because the other, larger artery is reserved for navigation). The large lawns are all places where it is good to stretch after a good conditioner. On the banks, pontoons made of plastic cubes have also been developed, and the Viennese are benefiting from these sunbathing structures. FKK (Freie KörperKultur or Free body culture) camps spread on the banks and are frequented by the nearby naturist population.