| Most people link Vienna to a single river, but dozens of tributaries used to flow into the Danube within the ity's boundaries. All but the Wien River have gradually been buried under layers of streets and houses and integrated into the sewer system in the course of the urban expansion during the 19th century. Most of them have been forgotten. The Ottakringbach is one of them. It used to flow from the heights of the Vienna Woods past Minoritenkirche (The Church of the Minorites) and down through Tiefer Graben to Maria am Gestade Church where it joined the Danube. Causing frequent flooding in the city, it was eventually diverted into a new riverbed outside the city walls as early as the 14th century. This illustrated walk follows the Ottakringbach's historic course. Depending on the time of the year and day of the week, we may include a look into the so-called "Überfallskammer" underneath Karlsplatz where the river, now a sewer, joins the Wien River's main sewer. It is a film location well known from Carol Reed's cult classic "The Third Man". |
