Wien River

Infobox River | river_name = Wien River

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caption = The Wienfluss in the Stadtpark
origin = Wienerwaldsee (a lake)
mouth = Danube in Vienna
basin_countries = Austria
length = 34 km (21 mi)
elevation = 520 m (1,706 ft)
watershed = 230 km² (89 mi²)

The Wien is a river that flows through the city of Vienna. It is 34 kilometres long (21 miles), of which 15 km are within the city. Its drainage basin covers an area of 230 km² (89 mi²), both in the city and in the neighbouring Wienerwald.

In German, the river is colloquially called the "Wienfluss". Since English uses the name "Vienna" for what in German is called "Wien", in English the river is sometimes called the "Vienna River".

The Wien has its source in the western Wienerwald near Rekawinkel and its mouth at the eastern end of the city centre of Vienna, next to the Urania, where it flows into the Donaukanal ("Danube canal"), a branch of the Danube.

Within the city limits, the river bed consists almost entirely of concrete, which was installed between 1895 and 1899 in order to stop the devastating floods, sometimes accompanied by cholera, which the river had regularly caused before that time. At the same time, the Stadtbahn ("city railway") was built, which makes use of the concrete river bed and is only separated from the river by a wall. It is now part of the Vienna U-Bahn system.

The Wien is subject to huge variations in flow. In its headwaters in the Wienerwald, the soil is underlain by sandstone. Because of this, during heavy rain the soil quickly saturates, resulting in substantial runoff. Thus, the flow of the Wien can quickly increase from a creek-like 200 litres per second to 450,000 litres per second in the heaviest rains or during the spring snowmelt in the Wienerwald, a ratio of over 2000.

Along the course of the river, the Naschmarkt and the Theater an der Wien can be found. Much of the river is covered over in the city, particularly in front of Schönbrunn palace, at the Meidling and Naschmarkt neighbourhoods and around Karlsplatz near the city centre.

Cycling and walking beside the Wienfluss

For safety reasons, cycling or walking in the concrete bed of the Wienfluss is officially prohibited. A continually controversial topic is whether to build cycle paths and footpaths next to the water. Proponents believe the water flow can be safely regulated, while opponents do not believe this is possible. In 2005, a short segment was opened to the public, near Hütteldorf railway station. It features an audible and visual alarm system to warn users to leave the path if flooding is imminent. Extensions to this path have been proposed, but continue to receive much opposition. The path is open from March to October.

See also

The Wien River has been the main motif of many collectors' coins and medals. One of the most recent samples is high value collectors' coin the Austrian Wien River Gate commemorative coin, minted in November 8 2006.

The River Gate was built in the years 1903 to 1906 and was opened to the general public on 15th November, 1906. In celebration of its centenary in 2006 the gate has been chosen as the main motif for this commemorative coin issue. The obverse side depicts the gate from its more prominent side, encasing the tunnelled exit where the River Wien flows into the City Park.

The reverse side shows one of the ladies that flank the entrance from the street. In its entirety, the gate forms one of the most beautiful Jugendstil scenes to be found in the city of Vienna.

Picture gallery