As early as October

“Like a Thunderclap”: Firecrackers Wake Viennese from Their Sleep

A wooden pavilion near the skate park at the Großfeldsiedlung U1 station caught fire.(Bild: zVg)

Chaotic scenes in Floridsdorf, fear in Leopoldstadt. With the popular Halloween celebration just around the corner, perpetrators are making life difficult for residents in Vienna with illegal firecrackers. 

No sooner does it get dark than the streets of the Großfeldsiedlung neighborhood in Floridsdorf are filled with loud bangs. That’s how resident Michaela F. describes it to the “Krone.” “Starting at 6 p.m., you can watch the spectacle unfold right before your eyes,” she says.

In particular, a skate park across from the Großfeldsiedlung U1 station is the scene of illegal firecracker use almost every day. A few days ago, a wooden pavilion near the park also caught fire (see photo above). Residents observed several teenagers who are said to have been setting things on fire beforehand. 

Fireworks Starting in October
“Community life here is usually harmonious. Starting in early October, the situation changes drastically,” says F. The perpetrators act without scruples: “The fireworks are thrown at residents, pedestrians, and dogs,” she explains. Residents call the police several times a week.

When firecrackers are set off and people are frightened or put in danger, that’s when the fun stops for me.

Georg Papai (SPÖ)

Bezirksvorsteher Floridsdorf 

Bild: Martin A. Jöchl

The same goes for a resident of Mitterhofergasse, also in the 21st district. Recently, motorcycles in his apartment building were also damaged. Incidents involving firecrackers are a daily occurrence. For years now, residents of Floridsdorf have been complaining about the firecracker chaos in their neighborhoods. The “Krone” has also reported on this multiple times—including horrific accidents. This year, the situation is particularly bad.

More Police
This is also confirmed by District Chairman Georg Papai (SPÖ). Working with City Police Commander Michael Holzgruber, he secured increased patrols in the Großfeld housing estate and surrounding streets. Holzgruber explains that there has been an “increase in complaints related to noise pollution.”

The police regularly conduct targeted crackdowns on illegal fireworks.(Bild: Kerschbaummayr Werner)

But it’s not just in Floridsdorf that fireworks are causing sleepless nights. A “Krone” reader from Seestadt describes similar scenes: In mid-October, a loud bang filled the night sky. His dog, in particular, panicked.

Last week, a cigarette vending machine in Donaustadt was also blown up using a pyrotechnic device—as we reported.

Hotspot in Leopoldstadt 
Let’s shift our focus to the Nordbahnviertel neighborhood in Leopoldstadt. There, too, a neighborhood group on social media reports explosions almost daily.

“Did anyone hear that massive explosion today? It sounded loud and scary,” wrote a local resident over the weekend. A woman replied: “Yes, it was such a thunderclap that the ground really shook.”

Incidentally, the police have noted for years that incidents involving firecrackers increase around the spooky Halloween holiday. “Probably because the holiday is gaining in importance in Austria,” a police spokesperson speculates. In any case, residents should always contact the police in cases of noise pollution. The police will conduct targeted operations at regular intervals during the winter.