Fiakers determine the cityscape of the inner city of Vienna. The horse-drawn carriages are considered a tourist attraction, with the carriage drivers acting as guides, bringing interested parties closer to the city and sights. Fiaker rides are also very controversial: outdated, the suffering of the animals, which are exposed every day to noise, asphalt and exhaust fumes, is too great. krone.at took a look behind the scenes of the bodywork.
Discussions about the future of horse-drawn carriages in Vienna have been going on for a long time – and are given a new impetus with each new incident. While Viennese mayor Michael Ludwig thinks little of banning the city’s symbol from the streets of Vienna, Health Minister Johannes Rauch thinks the carriages are “a little outdated”.
Sure, sights like the following will stab any animal lover’s heart: a horse slipping on the slick downtown asphalt, a stumbling horse that falls to the ground moments later, an animal succumbing to a spinal cord injury. A homegrown problem – according to critical voices about carriage rides in Vienna – because horses simply have no place in the city. Exposed to sweltering heat in summer, way too many hours of work a day, cars honking by, on roads with poor grip.
Checked in Simmering and a horse farm near Vienna
Is the image of the battered horse that every day pulls people through the city in a carriage, hour after hour? And what happens after the end of the last touristic tour of the city? We meet the industry representative of the Viennese quality carriages, Marco Pollandt and Johann Paul in Vienna-Simmering, where one of the two stables of his carriage company is located. From here, the Fiaker drivers left for the city center in the morning.
Source: Krone
I am Ida Scott, a journalist and content author with a passion for uncovering the truth. I have been writing professionally for Today Times Live since 2020 and specialize in political news. My career began when I was just 17; I had already developed a knack for research and an eye for detail which made me stand out from my peers.
