Fresh fruit for all on the Danube Island

• 30 pick-your-own fruit trees
• Varieties: apples, pears, apricots and peaches
• Location: 1220 Vienna, Danube Island - upstream of Donaustadt Bridge, near the Wehr 1 barrage
• The Fruitmap tool shows the location of the trees and indicates when the fruit is ripe

30 fruit trees were planted on the Danube Island near Donaustadt Bridge in October 2018, allowing visitors to the Danube Island to pick their own apples, pears, apricots and peaches. Volunteer tree patrons look after the trees, supported by a team of experts.

The trees and the land they stand on were made available by Municipal Department 45 - Water Management (MA 45).

How does the pick-your-own system work?

The fair use principle applies, which means that nobody should pick more than they can carry in their own hands. However, a little bit extra is allowed when very large quantities of fruit are available.

Digital map shows location and ripeness

The orchard is on the Danube Island upstream of Donaustadt Bridge, close to the Wehr 1 barrage.

The Fruitmap digital tool shows the location of the individual trees and indicates whether the fruit is ripe. The Fruitmap also gives the age of the trees, the fruit variety and details of the tree patrons.

A community project with multiple stakeholders

The orchard project on the Danube Island was realised by a partnership of different stakeholders:

• The ObstStadt Wien initiative promotes fruit for everyone in the city and seeks cooperation with organisations, associations and the City of Vienna to realise this aim.
• Municipal Department 45 - Water Management (MA 45) made available a 2,000 square metres piece of land on the Danube Island for the orchard as well as funding the 30 fruit trees. The department's involvement in the planting of the orchard was one of the measures undertaken under the auspices of the EU LIFE DICCA project.
• The neighbourhood initiative Agenda Donaustadt coordinated the planting and recruited the tree patrons.
• The NGO Ökosoziale Forum funds the project website and the digital tool Fruitmap.