The City of Vienna is establishing an alcohol-free zone at Franz-Jonas-Platz in the 21st district, close to the Floridsdorf train station.

A similar zone has been in place at Praterstern since 2018. Speaking to reporters on Wednesday, alongside Vienna’s Chief of Police, Gerhard Pürstl, Mayor Michael Ludwig confirmed that the new ban would take effect by early February. The district council has long advocated for such a measure in Floridsdorf, though Ludwig had previously opposed the idea.

The decision to proceed was made “after thorough consideration,” Ludwig said during a press conference in a park in the 6th district. Franz-Jonas-Platz now meets the criteria for such a zone, Ludwig explained, citing the area’s incident statistics. “We have noticed that heavily intoxicated individuals tend to gather there, which affects both the atmosphere and the quality of the space,” the mayor commented.

Pürstl: “Easier to Intervene”

 The city hopes the measure will have a preventative effect. “Based on the surveys conducted over the past few months, we wanted to implement this at a time when these individuals are not yet frequenting the area in large numbers,” Ludwig said. “This is, of course, primarily an issue during the warmer months.”

Police Chief Pürstl emphasised the importance of “the perceived sense of safety among Viennese residents” when it comes to measures in public spaces. “Certain patterns consistently define some areas of Vienna,” he said. Drawing on the experience at Praterstern, he added that the alcohol ban “is a measure that significantly facilitates police intervention.”

For now, no further alcohol-free zones are under consideration, Ludwig clarified. Measures like these must always be carefully evaluated and “are not introduced hastily, but only after a thorough examination of the circumstances,” the mayor stressed. “What we want to avoid is creating problems in other parts of the district as a result of such measures.”