‘Do-Re-Me’ - The Sound of Music - Donaupark parkrun #235 - 24/07/26

Celebrating Kristy's birthday with a parkrun in Vienna!

With its Imperial history, the influence of the Holy Roman Empire, and the vast wealth of the Habsburg dynasty, Austria’s capital Vienna is no ordinary city.

Upper Belvedare. Baroque and Romantic palaces, Renaissance museums, Gothic cathedrals, grand operas and coffee houses. Photo credit Peter K Burian, CC BY-SA 4.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0>, via Wikimedia Commons

During the mid-19th century, the Emperor of Austria Franz Joseph I ordered the creation of the grand circular Boulevard, the Ringstrasse. This contains much of Vienna’s cultural and artistic masterpieces: Baroque and Romantic palaces, Renaissance museums, Gothic cathedrals, grand operas and coffee houses. Almost half of the city is made up of parks and meadows, and just 4 km from the centre is Donaupark, home to Donaupark parkrun, the crowning cherry for this birthday celebration long-weekend.   

We arrived on Thursday, enjoying a luxurious walk through the magnificent Upper Belvedere Palace before heading to The Sound Museum, previously home to Otto Nicolai, the founder of the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra. The museum showcases legendary classical composers like Mozart, Beethoven and Strauss. Dinner was at In-dish, a first-class Indian restaurant.

Dinner time at In-dish.

Friday included a trip to Kunsthauswien designed in Hundertwasser style with undulating floors, bright colours and foliage throughout. The afternoon and evening were spent at Prater, a gigantic theme park in the city where we enjoyed the rides and atmosphere before having dinner at the Schweizerhaus, a huge beer garden famous for its beer and pork knuckles. Giddy times put us in great spirits and anticipation for our visit to Donaupark parkrun.

Pre parkrun dinner. Photo credit Kristy Foster

Vienna has a fast and reasonably priced transport system. We jumped onto the U1 line, got off at Alte Donau station and walked the 400m along Arbeiterstrandbadstrasse 122, to the Donaupark entrance. 

We had arrived early and watched as participants, young and old, males, females, and families started to appear. Everything was familiar yet different; I couldn’t believe I was about to do a new parkrun in another country!

We received a warm welcome at Donaupark parkrun.

Gerda led the new runners' welcome, putting everyone at ease. She explained the course is a 3-lap anti-clockwise route. It passes through luscious gardens, past ponds, bridges, playgrounds, meadows and provides a great framing of the Danube Tower. She then handed over to Wolfgang, today's Run Director, who welcomed the 104 first-timers, including visitors from Poland, Germany, England, Scotland and Zimbabwe! We headed over to the start, were counted down, and then we were off, me doing my 141st different event and first in Austria. 

Wolfgang was today's Run Director.

I was running with my daughter in the buggy. The paths were wide and impeccably maintained. I settled into a comfortable rhythm, enjoying the park's flora and fauna. I said Danke to the marshals and other participants and enjoyed being entertained by one man running dressed as a chicken head 🙂

Today’s first finishers were;

First female - Magdalena Schneeberger completing her 4th parkrun

First male - Peter Jewel who recorded a personal best

Of the 237 finishers, 25 people completed personal bests, well done to you all!

Whilst cheering in other finishers, I got talking to a father and his son, fellow LFC fans, visiting from England. His wife and daughter were still on the course. The inclusivity of parkrun shining through. 

Runners from England, Scotland and Zimbabwe!

With our runs completed and photos taken. We went to Cafe Oide Donau, which is in the Donaucity Sports Centre next to the park. It had great outdoor seating, and I had the waffles 🙂 

The results were processed quickly, with our new flag now showing on the parkrun app page. Full of satisfaction, we headed back to our hotel to shower and change before visiting The Palm House in the Burggarten, which is a beautiful Art Nouveau structure. Hundreds of exotic butterflies flutter around in this miniature tropical rain forest. We had dinner in the shadow of the magnificent Romanesque and Gothic St Stephen's Cathedral. 

In front of the Schonbrunn Palace.

Before leaving on Sunday, we made it to The Immersive Mozart experience and then cake at the famous Sacher hotel. 

If you’re looking for a wonderful way to mark a special occasion, international parkrun tourism is surely the way to go. 

A huge thank you to all the volunteers at the Dounapark parkrun for making it so welcoming. It provided a wonderful gateway into this beautiful city. Vienna is a truly remarkable ‘Do Re Me’ city; I had the most enriching and restorative visit. 

Wishing you happy volunteering, walking and running. 

www.nuhorizons.uk

You can read about how parkrun was created by the founder, Paul Sinton-Hewitt, a care leaver, in his book ‘One Small Step’, The Definitive Account of how a run became a Global Movement by clicking here.