The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1916-09-24
VIENNA EXPECTING
TO BE METROPOLIS
AFTER WAR. ENDS
Business Interests Already
Planning improvements in
Old City for the New
Era Coming

Vienna, August TO- Correspondence of
the Associated Press)-on the theory
that Vienna, by reason of it's geograph-
ical position, is going to be the great
connecting point and commercial center
for firmly welded commercial and in
drstrial district extending from the Bal
tic and North sea to the Black sea-
farseeing Vienna men already are plan
ming for and urging vital and radical i'm
provements in the old Kaiser City.
Their plans, which include identifying
the already beautiful capital as well as
largely Increasing it's commercial facili-
ties, call for many millions. The leader
OF the movement is the city architect,
Heinrich Goldemund. His plans consist
of seven features: The construction of
roads and chaussees throughout the en-
virons which shall connect the city with
the beautiful wooded districts that lie
round about it; the protection, repair,
restoration and upkeep of the historic
and artistic .old city" the erection of a
memorial building with a hall of fame
commemorative of the world war; the
erection of new state art gallery; the
modernization and Capitalization of the
pr esent complicated and somewhat dis
mates in no less than seven depots the
construction of a modern. and adequate
harhor for Danube river boats comprising
protection against high water; and the
building or completion of new canal
bridges.
Of greatest Importance to the CONNER
.cial future of Vienna, in the opinion of
. Architect Goldemund, are the railway
and the Danube harbor questions. Par
th.f
lem must be solved, he says.
He has carefully worked out tentative
plans which call for a consolida ton of
the five state and two private railroad
lines now entering Vienna. Through ter
miIaton in one grand central station
is not possible, some of the existing ter
minals can be dispensed with And since
they lie in thickly populated districts,
their sites have a value which, in part
bcan offset the expense of his plan. In
this connection he would erect on one
such abandoned site a new and adequate
custom house, and devote the present
custom house site for houses or business
buildings, or for anaadequate postoffice-
also crying need at present.
Vienna has long suffered from freshets
and high water in the Danube, and Ar
cLitect Goldemund believes that it is time
to tackle the problem. The more so be-
cause every available inch of ground has
been occupied by warehouses and grain
elevators which are utterly inadequate to
accommodate the business that he ex-
poets after the war. New ground must
he gained, therefore, if Vienna is to keep
Fup with the commercial procession-or
rather, land that at present cannot be
used because it is flooded every year
must be made available by other means
of protection from the river.
river harbor on a large scale is an
unquestioned necessity, says Herr Golde-
mund, and can be built by making use
of the old Danube bed without an i'm
moderate amount of money He plans in
connection with the harbor series of
connecting canals to the present river
course, and to all the railroad termi-
nails.
."Fhe chief state authorities says the
architect in discussing his plans, "are
row confronted with the duty, not to be
postponed, of doing at last for the inn
perial capital and residential city that
which should long ago have been done
and which has been done in other cities.
II the present situation Is not taken adj
vantage of, and If, instead of quick de-
cisiop, there should once more be fearful
hesitation and dawdling, Vienna will be
surpa ssed by other cities. 1t will be
surpassed to the detriment of this en-
tire half of the monarchy, and deprived
Of it's development to the chief empo-