German TV show to spotlight Danube river restoration at Donau-Auen National Park

Photo courtesy of DANUBEPARKS

Last week, our partners at Donau-Auen National Park and DANUBEPARKS welcomed a German television crew to document works at our Upper Danube Demonstration Site - one of the most ambitious river restoration projects currently underway along the Danube!

The visit came about via the European Open Rivers Programme, which is supporting our large-scale restoration work at the Paradeiserinsel island complex within the national park - situated around 30km east of Vienna. The site is a fantastic example of how multiple funding streams can come together around a shared goal, as the restoration efforts are also supported by the INTERREG Slovakia-Austria project, DanubeRest.

What's Being Restored

The restoration work aims to bring back natural river dynamics by removing approximately 2.7 km of bank reinforcements and groynes. These structures currently block water flow, increase the rate of sediment build-up, and degrade habitat quality in the side channels around the island - issues that have long affected this stretch of one of Europe's largest navigable rivers.

Filming week

Photos courtesy of DANUBEPARKS

During their visit, the film crew captured footage of the restoration works in progress at Paradeiserinsel, set side by side with sections of the river that remain heavily regulated. They also visited the Spittelauer Arm, a former LIFE project site that was successfully reconnected to the main river years ago. This site now serves as living proof of what long-term river revitalisation can achieve - a clear before, during, and after comparison all in one visit.

The footage will appear in Quarks, a popular German science programme, with broadcast scheduled on SWR and WDR for August, all going well. Updates will be shared across our social media channels - so watch this space!