Between Worlds
With the horrors of war at an end, how did Vienna reclaim itself? Who was in charge? In 1945, and for many years thereafter, the city was old in both demographics and infrastructure. It was also an in-between city situated along the Iron Curtain that separated east and west, unsure if its future lay in renewal or stasis.
Yet much of what makes Vienna so livable today – the Danube Island, a flood dam and vast recreational area; the city subway; and carefully restored, iconic old neighborhoods – has origins in this postwar period. During this time, Vienna also reconnected with the world, drawing immigrants, international organizations, and tourists.
Vienna’s approach to modernization proved moderate and halting; generally, the city did not favor radical change. But Vienna produced innovations nonetheless. For the first time, the municipality granted residents a say in city planning, thereby also meeting civic activists’ demands for greater voter participation.