Stadlau

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Stadlau is a neighbourhood in Vienna, in the Donaustadt district (district 22). It covers 4.99 square kilometers and has about 16,152 residents.

History in brief:
- First mentioned in 1150 as Stadelouve, meaning “barn in the floodplain.” It was a fief of the Babenbergs with wealthy farmers on land between the Danube and the Prater.
- An important river crossing with a ferry to the city; a parish church was built in 1160.
- A major flood in 1438 damaged much of the settlement.
- By around 1820 it was a small linear village with 10–15 houses.
- The Danube was regulated in the 1870s, changing the landscape.
- Stadlau railway station opened in 1870, starting industrial growth; a cemetery followed in 1875.
- In 1904 Stadlau became part of Vienna (21st district, Floridsdorf).
- A new church finished in 1924 became an independent parish in 1940.
- After Austria’s 1938 annexation by Nazi Germany, Stadlau joined the expanded 22nd district, Groß-Enzersdorf. In 1954 the district boundaries were adjusted, creating the present Donaustadt.

Today:
- Stadlau borders Kaisermühlen, Kagran, Hirschstetten and Aspern. It is the smallest part of Donaustadt and includes part of the Old Danube, the New Danube and the Donauinsel.
- Three bridges connect to the other side of the Danube: Stadlauer Brücke, Praterbrücke and Donaustadtbrücke; a weir across the New Danube is open to pedestrians and cyclists.
- The area is home to WAT Stadlau (multi-sport club, founded 1914) and FC Stadlau (football, 1913). It also hosts one of Vienna’s three gurdwaras (Sikh temple).
- The Old Danube is an oxbow lake and the New Danube is swimmable; the Mühlwasser network also runs through Stadlau.
- Public transport is convenient: three U2 metro stations (Donaustadtbrücke, Stadlau, Hardeggasse). Stadlau station is a rail hub with S-Bahn service and lines to Laaer Ostbahn and Marchegger Ostbahn.