About us, English Page of the Federal Agency for Water Management

Mission

Panta Rhei - Everything flows. Rivers and streams are the lifelines of nature and at the same time intensively used by us. In the event of flooding, these veins of life can be dangerous.

Photo shows: Steep riverbank, eroded by the extreme flood in August 2013.

History of the Institute for Hydraulic Engineering and Hydrometry

In 1913, our institute was founded as a research facility for hydraulic engineering. This makes us one of the oldest hydraulic engineering laboratories in the world.

This picture shows a handmade drawing from 1904. At that time, they were planning to build a new institute for river engineering. The drawing shows an elevation (today we speak of side view) and a ground plan (i.e. a view from above). The planned minimum length was 25 m and the width 5.5 m (all interior dimensions). The channel length itself (which corresponded to model construction) was 21.2 m and the width 2 m. The remaining area was intended for the supply and discharge of water via pipes, an elevated water tank, which is supplied by a pump and some space for building materials such as sand, gravel etc. for model construction.

New hydraulic engineering laboratory

The relocation of our institute to the new hydraulic engineering laboratory on the Brigittenauer Sporn at the beginning of 2023 marks the beginning of a new chapter in our history.

The picture, taken from the south at an angle, shows the Danube Canal in the foreground and the hydraulic engineering laboratory building on the other bank. It is a very light-coloured building. The windows can be recognised as vertical, darker stripes. A railway bridge is visible in front of the building, which runs over the Danube Canal. Some company cars can be seen in the delivery area of the building. The photo was taken in autumnal and cloudy weather.