Best district for a UN employee

[Parsifal]

Would have to disagree about general inconvenience of public transportation in the 1070-1090 - the 13A is invariably relatively full because it conveys more people across more districts than other bus routes. Prior to the rerouting of the 1 tram, which now gives me a door to door route to work, the 13A was by far and a way the easiest way to commute to the 9th.

The verdant 13th is in parts like a recreation of Buddenbrooks - home of vile postcode snobs, a stuffiness that clings on to past grandeurs - and of course there Küniglberg and all who work there... Enough said.

So many 13A defenders - I'm surprised! Yes, the route is a good one, and the buses run frequently enough I suppose. But it's that stretch between Piaristeng. and Neubaug. at rush times, where the buses are particularly odourous and always packed full to bursting. I think 'relatively full' is something of an understatement; more often than not when I've used it, half the bus has to empty at each stop just to let off the people who get trapped in the middle.

Hietzing used to be all haute and now it's all petite; I do know two people who live there purely on account of the PLZ. Still, it's nowhere near as bad as Kensington and Chelsea.

Any chance you know of a place one could go to get more information on this bit of history? I was in Berlin last week and that whole section of history really sparked my curiosity to see it all more from a local perspective (I only had up to that point a few anecdotes from my grandfather who was conscripted into the Hitler-Jugend).

I would also recommend Kershaw; he's a major historian whose contribution is unlikely to be bettered for a long time. However, I find the sections on Hitler in Vienna a little disappointing. Kershaw is clearly more comfortable writing about Hitler than pre-war Vienna, and it shows in the analysis that is brought to bear. A better book in this regard, and one full of the local detail that you're interested in, is Brigitte Hamann's 'Hitler's Vienna: A Dictator's Apprenticeship'.

For an authoritative and comprehensive overview of modern Viennese history district by district, I'd recommend any volume written by Felix Czeike. I don't think any of his works have been translated into English however, and the prose is a little dated and purple in places. However, as a chronicler of Wien his efforts are unparalleled. He was director of the city archives and published over 50 books about Wien; as this old Falter article explains, 'nobody knows Vienna as well as Czeike'. I frequently use Czeike's contributions as reference works, and have been impressed - easy to navigate, rarely misses anything of significance but doesn't get bogged down in irrelevancies, and always relishing in his subject with an enthusiasm that's quite infectious.

[CapnNismo]

Are the Czeike books written per district? Like, 1 book for the 9th district and another for the 5th? I'll have to check it out, though, thanks! It'd be a great read for my German, I bet. I need to improve my knowledge on Austrian history, pre WW2 and post. Thanks for the recommendations!

[Mischa]

Hi there,
I believe UN City is in district 22, but from what I gather from other postings, there isn't much there for a family (with one child) - mostly work and business. So, if I widen the circle a little bit, I guess I would be looking at districts 1, 2, 3, 9, 20.

22nd is a very big district - the UN City is "work and business" but across the Wagramer Strasse from there it is very nice.
As far as "there isn't much there for a family with one child" depends how old your child is and what your family likes to do. As far as sports and recreation go 22nd district and 2nd district have most of that. We live in the 22nd district and most of our neighbours work at the UN City.
However, if your child is older then 10 you might consider more inner districts which offer a bigger selection of after school activities.

[blondgeek]

I am in the 22nd, just across the street from the Kaisermühler U1 stop. So even though I am theoretically far from the 1st district, in reality I am only 7 minutes away by U-bahn. This area is the best for green spaces and sports. The Donauinsel can't be beat for biking, blading, sunning, and barbecuing. Also the Donaupark has lots of things for kids to do. Right near the Donaupark is a large sports center that has football (soccer) and indoor and outdoor tennis. In the summer, there is plenty of swimming close by, from a free dip in the Kaiserwasser to a plethora of beaches on the Alte Donau. In addition, there is sailing and other boating activities on the Alte Donau. There are plenty of places to eat along the Alte Donau. For mallrats, there is the Donauzentrum and the cinemas there and also the cinemas on Reichesbrucke. The VIS is in the 22nd. You can ice skate year-round at the Eishalle (can't remember the name).

[CapnNismo]

blond, the city is trying to get people to stop swimming around the Alte Donau and move to the Neue Donau. I heard that quite often last summer, so something to keep in mind.

The 22nd is good for pretty much anyone that isn't sending their child to public school. The 22nd is swiftly becoming (from what I have heard) one of those places where Austrians are a minority in the public schools. Donauzentrum is bad, though. It's the Lugner City for the other half of the city. Ugh. Other than these problems, however, the 22nd is being built up rapidly. Lots of new housing being built there, so that's always nice. If you're not near an Ubahn in the 22nd, though, the public transport isn't the best in the city.

[blondgeek]

Why do they want them to stop swimming in the Alte Donau? I assumed that swimming in the Neue Donau was more dangerous because of the current.

[CapnNismo]

Why do they want them to stop swimming in the Alte Donau? I assumed that swimming in the Neue Donau was more dangerous because of the current.

Because of the damage to the environment via the oils in your skin and other human by-products. I imagine once summer rolls around again the city will be putting out more information about it.

[manu]

oh noes that is sad news

[Tatt]

Why do they want them to stop swimming in the Alte Donau? I assumed that swimming in the Neue Donau was more dangerous because of the current.

Because of the damage to the environment via the oils in your skin and other human by-products...

That reasoning seems a bit of a stretch Capn, considering all the other living creatures in and around the Donau. I wouldn't have thought a few thousand swimmers per year make even any noticable difference to toxicity in such a large amount of water.

Also then how would it be better if they all moved to the Neue Donau instead of the Alte? Downstream it's all the same.

I'm not questioning your information, just saying I can't see that it makes much sense for the city - for toxicity reason at least.

Andreas

[Sunshine]

The neue donau flows a lot stronger than the alte (does the alte actually flow at all really)

It would be very sad. I love the alte donau on a summers day

[CapnNismo]

Again, I don't really remember... that's just something that jumped into my head. Wait until the summer and there will certainly be more detailed information to come.

[Dagnamski]

My incling is that the old danube is totally submerged in toxic scum, leeches and mosquito lavee.

Logically any standing water in a city must be full of crap as underground water will mostly come from the 22nd district of the city bringing heavy metals, motor oil and whatever else.

It looks dirty to me anyway even though being touted as "the best place to swim" never follow the crowds as a rule of thumb.

To live, hmmm. Avoid the 22. Avoid 2nd. Numbers 1-9 preferably near the U1 underground line is your best bet. But as in any bigish city, you can go round the corner from a nice spot and its a dump.

[_rip]

The UN have a dedicated housing agency within their complex, so they have experience in tailoring to your needs.

There are other comments on here someplace about the UNOV housing agency, which a quick search through the archives I am unable to find.

If you have questions about that process, pm me and I'll fill you in.

[Olegis]

If you pick 18th or 19th you will not regret.

[loulou]

Live in the 22nd, you know it makes sense. And it is great for families. Loads live in beautiful Hardeggasse, where I live, close to an outdoor bathing lake and kids' play area.

Also, the U2 U-bahn extension will be completed later this year, thus improving accessibility even more!