Vienna Woods, The | on the move in Austria # 2021

The singer and composer Ernst Molden sings: "Waun da Wiena en Woed ged, then it’s fine ..." This is particularly evident in times of the pandemic.

Usually the Lainzer Tiergarten is only partially accessible in winter to give the wild animals a break in the cold season. Due to the corona pandemic, the city of Vienna made an exception to let the Viennese into the park during the weekends in search of relaxation and company of the famous wild boars.

The Vienna Woods are the lungs of the city of Vienna. The covered with woods mountain region that extends to the north-west and south-west of the Austrian capital, represents the area, which is criss-crossed by hiking trails and includes wine towns such as Grinzing and Perchtoldsdorf. The green forest ring is the most important local recreation area for city dwellers.

The administration and management of the 42,000 hectares of forests including the alpine pastures and 2,500 hectares of agricultural land is the responsibility of the Municipal Department MA49. Forest director Andreas Januskovecz is, so to speak, the city's chief farmer and forester, he explains the tasks of his department.

The award-winning university professor Helga Kromp-Kolb - the Scientist of the Year 2005 - has been researching the importance of the Vienna Woods and its influence on the urban climate and our air quality for decades: life without the Vienna Woods would be very different.

The Vienna Woods also have a not inconsiderable influence on traditional viticulture, reports the doyen of Viennese winemaker Fritz Wieninger.

In 2005, almost the entire Vienna Woods region became a so-called biosphere reserve. The protection program was started in 1976 by UNESCO. The aim is to jointly implement nature conservation, sustainable, economic and social development in the region and the preservation of cultural traditions.