Vienna is an exceptional river city because it is situated at the upper section of the Danube. Upper river sections are characterized by steep slopes, swift currents and high sediment dynamics, creating a dangerous neighbourhood for humans and their infrastructure. Between 1715 and 1783 alone, newspapers in the United Kingdom reported 14 times on Viennese bridges over the Danube damaged by ice floes and the ensuing floods, the situation obviously being bad enough to be newsworthy (Winiwarter in Costlow et al., 2017).
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