1983 Hainburg Au Occupation: A Pivotal Austrian Environmental History Exhibition

This entry details the occupation of the Hainburg Au in December 1984, a pivotal event in the Austrian environmental movement. Following the decision to build a Danube power plant, protests culminated in clashes between demonstrators and police, ultimately leading to the cancellation of construction and the establishment of a national park.

In December 1983, the construction of a Danube power plant near Hainburg was approved, sparking the formation of protests. Despite the decision, work commenced nearly a year later. An organized march by the Austrian National Union of Students (ÖH) to Hainburg led to several hundred individuals remaining in the Au (floodplain). The clearing work was initially paused, but on December 19, 1984, planned clearing operations resulted in confrontations between 4,000 demonstrators and 2,000 police officers. Ultimately, the government halted the clearing efforts, and a definitive construction freeze followed in 1986. The planned tenth and largest Danube power plant was not built. Furthermore, the 'Konrad Lorenz People's Petition,' conducted in spring 1985, gathered over 350,000 signatures to ban large power plants and establish a national park near Hainburg. The occupation of the Au became a key event, and Hainburg a memorial site for Austrian environmental consciousness. The occupation of the Au is one of the most significant events in the Second Republic in terms of democracy and environmental policy.