Sleeping in a Rubber Boat

In sweltering Vienna, solutions are getting increasingly bizarre

The ongoing heat wave is taking a particularly heavy toll on the people of Vienna—many are currently looking for creative ways to cool off.(Bild: Krone-Collage/APA/HELMUT FOHRINGER, zVg, P. Huber, Krone KREATIV)

The ongoing heat wave continues to make for nearly unbearable nights—and is sparking creative solutions to beat the tropical heat. While some Viennese spend the night by the water, others flee to garages or basements, or seek relief under lawn sprinklers...

Two women at the Hirschstetten swimming pond proved particularly creative. Instead of staying in their stuffy bedroom, the two decided on the spot to spend the night in a rubber dinghy right on the water. To keep their makeshift sleeping quarters from drifting away, they tied the boat to the shore.

Warning

Even if the heat inspires creative solutions: A rubber dinghy is not a place to sleep. Anyone who spends the night on the water exposes themselves to an increased risk of accidents in an emergency.

27 degrees as the low in Vienna
The scene fits the picture of a city that has been suffering from a persistent heat wave for days. This heat wave has already set several records in Vienna: For the first time, temperatures reached 40 degrees in the city, and at the same time, the night brought no relief—temperatures in Vienna did not drop below 27 degrees.

Across Austria, a new record for the lowest nighttime temperature was even set: 27.5 degrees in Neulengbach.

But these two women are by no means the only ones coming up with ways to beat the heat. Natascha (32) from Leopoldstadt has found her very own refuge: “I always go to our garage to cool off and sit in the car for an hour or two.”

I always go to our garage to cool off and sit in the car for one or two hours.

Natascha (32)

Sprinkler system becomes a free morning shower
Daniel (29) from Josefstadt and his girlfriend also start their day with a special way to cool off. “We’ve already treated ourselves to a morning shower from the sprinkler systems in the Volksgarten several times,” the Viennese man says with a smile. And for many Viennese, their own basement has also become a popular retreat.

The tropical night sparked some creativity: Two women spent the night in a rubber dinghy moored to the shore at the Hirschstetten swimming pond.(Bild: zVg)

In parks such as the Volksgarten, sprinkler systems provide relief from the heat.(Bild: APA/HELMUT FOHRINGER, Krone KREATIV)

For many Viennese, this hot summer means that sleeping becomes a challenge, cooling off is in short supply—and creative solutions suddenly become part of everyday life. This was particularly evident at the Hirschstetten swimming pond: an ordinary inflatable boat was quickly transformed into a floating bedroom under the open sky.

The night will be “cooler”—but it will still be warm
It remains to be seen whether people will have to resort to the inflatable boat again tonight. Although the afternoon thunderstorms will initially pass through in the evening, they are expected to gradually subside overnight. After that, the sky will be mostly clear and starry. With lows between 16 and 25 degrees, it will get a bit cooler, but in the east—and thus also in Vienna—the night will remain exceptionally warm.