Greater Vienna

On 30 September 1888, Emperor Franz Joseph I gave a speech on the occasion of the opening of the Türkenschanzpark in the then still independent city municipality of Währing.

The speech was probably inspired by the Imperial and Royal Government of Count Eduard Taaffe and caused a stir, as the Emperor commented positively on the incorporation of the suburbs.

In 1898, the Austrian Illustrated Newspaper (German: Österreichische Illustrierte Zeitung) wrote: "Greater Vienna has changed enormously in just a few decades.

Narrow and winding alleys have been replaced by wide streets with magnificent palaces, and areas that were undeveloped just a few years ago now boast huge house complexes.

In the so-called old districts, this disappearance of houses that have become dear to us is particularly noticeable ..."At the beginning of the 20th century, Vienna reached the 2 million population mark for the first time.

Individual aspects of the National Socialist urban planning for Vienna were pursued until well after the Second World War, such as the idea of the Danube Island.

On 23 April 1938, the Magistrate's Office drew up an act on the expansion of the territory and from May onwards, the individual administrative groups held discussions on the subject.

In some cases, extremely far-reaching expansions were considered (up to 8500 km2), as far as the sources of the Viennese high spring water pipelines in the south and the Reich border in the east.

In particular, the civil servants who had been taken over from earlier times spoke out against this, as Vienna would then have had to take over the sometimes high debts of the Lower Austrian municipalities, with particular reference being made to the completely different situation compared to Hamburg.

On 24 May, the incorporation of Fischamend, Klosterneuburg, Schwechat, Mödling and Hadersdorf-Weidlingau (today part of the 14th Viennese City District Penzing) was announced.