Vienna installs railway carriage as information centre in new reserve

A disused railway carriage has been placed on former tracks in Breitenlee, Vienna’s 22nd district, where a former railway site is being restored as the city’s largest nature reserve, ORF reported.

The old Austrian Federal Railways carriage was transported by rail from Knittelfeld to Breitenlee. Vienna’s professional fire service used two cranes to move it onto a low-loader, drive it a short distance and lift it into its prepared final position.

The carriage will serve as an information centre for the Life VienNatura project. Project director Ferdinand Schmeller said it would reflect the area’s railway history, as the location had once been a shunting yard. The site was dismantled after the First World War during the recession and has remained unused for around 100 years.

That prolonged absence of development allowed unique natural habitats to form, strongly influenced by the Pannonian climate in eastern Vienna, Schmeller said.

The city bought the land with support from European Union funding and the federal government. Climate Councillor Jürgen Czernohorszky said the new reserve would cover an area roughly the size of the Vienna district of Josefstadt.

Restoration work has been under way since March. Asphalt and gravel are being removed, while invasive plants including tree of heaven and goldenrod are being cleared. Workers have also cut vegetation back and planned a path through the area so residents can experience it.

A total of 90 hectares is to be restored. Some sections will remain as undisturbed as possible, while the area around the information centre will be opened for local recreation. The reserve is scheduled to open next spring.