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The fact that Vienna not only sets the tone when it comes to schnitzel, mixed drinks and music, but is also at the forefront when it comes to the high quality of drinking water, is known far beyond the borders - and has been since 1873.
"The initial situation was clear: Vienna urgently needed water," the historian Peter Payer begins his book "Mountain Water for the City" and continues: "Around 1860 the population had exceeded the half-million mark, and the trend continues to rise rapidly."
Local drinking water supplies and domestic fountains, which were often contaminated with germs and carried diseases, could no longer meet the requirements of the imperial capital and residential city, and certainly not sustainably. Vienna was not alone at the time; Paris and London were also looking for solutions when it came to drinking water supplies.
The following options were discussed in Vienna: water extraction from the Danube, the Vienna River and other nearby channels, from deep springs (Fischa-Dagnitz) in the southern Vienna Basin or - as an idea that was initially hard to imagine - from the high springs in the Rax and Schneeberg areas. To make its decision, the local council relied on the expertise of a specially founded water supply commission. Its chairman was (from 1863) Vice Mayor Cajetan Felder. When Felder became mayor in 1868, the water issue had become a top priority.
Payer traces the chronology of the origins from the water crisis, through decision-making, construction and opening in a professionally sound manner. The crucial first milestone was the so-called Oath of Leobendorf. Cajetan Felder, the geologist Eduard Suess, whom Felder had brought into the commission, and government councilor Heinrich von Fellner had visited the Kaiserbrunn spring in the Höllental (Lower Austria), whose crystal-clear spring water was supposed to be the first choice.
When there was a wait at the Leobersdorf train station, the three promised each other that they would do everything they could to get this water to Vienna. Felder summed up in his memoirs: "So […] Leobersdorf became the Rütli of the high spring pipeline." If the three knew what they wanted, they had to convince the local council in 1866. The vote resulted in 65 yes and 45 no votes for the 95 kilometer long spring pipeline project.
Numerous historical photos, caricatures and watercolors, including those by Franz and Rudolf von Alt, document the construction of the line with its impressive aqueducts in Leobersdorf, Baden and Liesing to the three reservoirs in Vienna (Rosenhügel, Schmelz and Wienerberg).
The opening by the emperor on October 24, 1873 at the Hochstrahlbrunnen on Schwarzenbergplatz is far from over. On this day the prehistory just ends. The first winter (1873/74) brought a water shortage; on the one hand, the karst springs supplied less water and, on the other hand, there were significant pipe losses. In the years 1887 to 1900, additional sources were connected.
Aside from the building history, Payer also traces the myth and popularization of high spring water through contemporary documents. Pieces of music, postcards, euphoric media reports and much more increased the reputation of Vienna's water and manifested its value in the long term among the population. Anyone who wanted to score points with the audience relied on “high spring soda water”. The Anker bread factory's advertising slogan from the 1930s is legendary: "What does the Viennese look forward to when they come back from vacation? High spring water and Anker bread."
The damage caused by the Second World War is highlighted, as is the expansion and pipeline improvements in the 1960s, which led to up to 220 million liters per day flowing into Vienna today without (!) pumping power, purely with a natural gradient.
In addition to the article by Peter Payer, a conversation with Paul Hellmeier, head of the municipal department 31 Vienna Water, and the photographic exploration ("Moated castles, entry towers, aqueducts") by Johannes Hloch provide insights into the present day of the first high spring pipeline. Once again it shows how well everything works and is organized. “We have not yet reached our capacity limits,” said Hellmeier.
The final list of sources and literature lists not only books, but also newspaper articles and musical compositions as well as films (including by Georg Riha). The timeline begins with 1861, the year an international competition was announced, and ends 162 years later (2023).
Conclusion: The book, a landscape format with a hardcover, is an easy-to-read, clear and comprehensive presentation of the success story of Vienna's first spring pipeline with an attractive layout. (Thomas Hofmann, March 22, 2024)