New department head of the Viennese city gardens: Karl Hawliczek takes over!

New department head of the Viennese city gardens: Karl Hawliczek takes over!

Wien, Österreich - On July 1, 2025, Karl Hawliczek will be the new head of the Vienna city gardens (MA 42). He follows Rainer Weisgram, who has headed the department since February 2005 and is retiring. The order certificate was presented by Vienna's magistrate director Dietmar Griebler in the presence of the personnel and climate councilor Jürgen Czernohorszky and Manfred Obermüller from the Younion. Hawliczek, who has been with the Vienna city gardens since 1995, has extensive experience in the department. He was recently deputy head of office and held various management positions, including the management of the planning department and the department for green area maintenance. Czernohorszky paid tribute to Weisgram and emphasized Hawliczek's expertise.

The Viennese city gardens (MA 42) employ around 1,500 employees and look after more than 1,000 parks and road connection green on over 17 square kilometers. Central tasks include maintaining 155,000 m² of grass and perennial beds as well as 890,000 m² of natural meadow areas. Vienna is characterized by a high proportion of green space of over 50 % and manages more than 500,000 trees. Around 4,500 trees are planted annually to secure the tree population in the long term.

tree plantings and sustainable city greening

In Vienna, extensive tree plantings are currently being carried out, which are particularly geared towards the resistance of the plants. The largest tree nursery, the Mauerbach tree nursery, trains up to 20,000 trees every year. Of this, around 4,500 trees "Maturieren", which are planted as urban trees. Of the 500,000 trees in Vienna, there are 100,000 on streets, while the remaining ones can be found in parks. In order to compensate for the loss of trees, the tree protection law requires that a replacement tree is planted for each removed tree. The MA 42 carries out around 3,000 substitute plantings annually, and to ensure the optimal irrigation of the new plantings, Gieß bags are used.

The average life expectancy of a road tree is 50 years, with the oldest tree of Vienna, an oriental plane tree being planted in 1739. In addition to the tree planting, it is common in urban parks to set around one million flower bulbs every year. These activities are part of a comprehensive concept for promoting the green infrastructure in Vienna.

The tradition of the Viennese city gardens

The historical development of the Viennese city gardens goes back to 1872 when the municipal nursery was founded. The Volksgarten, which was opened in 1823, was the first public park in Vienna. Systematic creation of parks began in 1858 with the opening of the city park in 1861. Vienna is famous for its parks that offer habitats for protected animals and plants. The care of these areas lies in the hands of the Vienna city gardens and not only includes parks, but also dog zones and playgrounds.

In total, the Viennese city gardens look after over 900 parks as well as 650 playgrounds and 180 dog zones. These areas are maintained through a wide range of measures, with an urban parking picture regulating the selection of plants and design. Themed gardens in Hirschstetten and Kagran are open to the public and also serve to train in horticulture and floristry. The Mauerbach tree nursery and the Hirschstetten flower gardens are the main sources for plants and play a central role in the greening of the city.