Noise near Russian Embassy in Vienna appears to stop

A persistent humming noise near the Russian Embassy in Vienna’s Landstrasse district appears to have stopped, ORF Wien reported, citing the Austrian Press Agency. The noise had continued for months along Reisnerstrasse.

The city had conducted a noise measurement after the disturbance was reported publicly. Vienna’s building police said the measurement showed that the noise exceeded the designation-based base noise level under ÖNORM throughout the day.

The findings were submitted to the city’s health service, which concluded that the affected residents were exposed to health-relevant noise and faced a health risk. Two roof ventilators on a Russian Embassy building at Reisnerstrasse 45 were identified as the source.

The humming, which included a prominent frequency of about 790 hertz, suddenly disappeared on Friday afternoon, according to APA observations. It was still absent on Saturday evening, when the sound of running police vehicle engines dominated the noise along Reisnerstrasse.

Residents in the embassy district had complained about the disturbance. The property management of a neighbouring building first contacted Vienna’s building police in early May and later complained to the Russian Embassy in writing in late July. The noise was also heard at the neighbouring German Embassy, which described it as a disturbing development. The Russian Embassy said it had noticed no noise and received no complaints from neighbours.

The exact circumstances remain unclear. The building at Reisnerstrasse 45 is used for consular purposes and borders a Vienna primary school. Residents said extensive electronic equipment had been installed on its roof several years ago, while aerial images show a conspicuous roof covering measuring about 20 square metres.