VWW: Simmering Hot

An alternative adventure into less-known Vienna. Simmering is one of the least-visited parts of our city, and we will not even see the best-known sites over here in South East Wien, like Zentralfriedhof, Alberner Hafen, or Cemetery of the Unknown.

Instead, guide Eugene wants to show you some insider details like Mautner-Markhof's former mustard factory, new film studios from Vienna Film Commission, Schloss Neugebäude, a pet cemetery, Gasometer, the mighty Danube river in its powerful eastern stream, a former Siemens factory, Europe's oldest refugee camp, - Macondo, created by Hungarian dissidents in 1956, and a funky new housing development near Enkplatz.

Simmering is big, fast-developing, agricultural, the lowest part of town, and the only part of Vienna which voted to elect an FPÖ local government, in the last 100 years. And that word Simmering means something in English - unlike the names of the other 23 districts. Eugene chooses to celebrate the alternative definition of Simmering as hot and cooking. This is the home district of Christian Kern, one of guide Eugene's favourite Austrian politicians in the last 15 years.

As long as this part of Vienna was majority Blau, so Eugene applied to the culture budget each Autumn, and took away a part of that FPÖ arts funding, to make a tour on Tag der Flucht, sponsored by United Nations High Commission for Refugees, to make a tour called Wien Unbekannt, meeting at S7 Zentralfriedhof, then visiting the Jewish Cemetery, FC Karabakh (a dissident footie team from Azerbaijan) and then the annual fest on Tag der Flucht, at Diakonie's Zinnergasse refugee camp, full of Palestinian food, and Afghan dance and tunes.

This part of our city has a large population, but not so much presence or personality. We want to change that. There is so much infrastructure here, from Wien Energie, MA 48, Wiener Bestattung, OMV and then beyond to the airport. All of this is downwind from the city centre, to avoid pollution from these dirty industries. With the U3 connection into the heart of die Elfte, this place is not hard to reach, but remains unvisited... We aim to have lunch in a lively local Beisl.

Let's step inside a fast-changing part of our home town, and greet the locals. Vienna Walking Week is Whoosh's annual project to celebrate the city in its hottest weeks, and go beyond the cliches to the real city, with a group of engaged locals....