Ombudswoman Gaby Schwarz: Fencing in dogs or children?

At the Süßenbrunn bathing pond in Vienna's 22nd district, a 60,000 square metre area is a dog-free zone in autumn/winter. From May to September, a narrow strip is defined as a no-dog zone, but without fencing, according to the city council. There is a children's playground in the centre of the area, which often leads to conflicts between families and dog owners. Four years ago, a father of a family approached the Ombudsman Board with this problem. Now the municipal authorities have presented a plan that has been agreed with the owner of the area: instead of demarcating a dog-free zone, the children's playground and a bathing area are to be fenced off.

Ombudswoman Gaby Schwarz appeals to the City of Vienna to resume negotiations with the landowner: "We have not yet received an official proposal. However, I doubt whether the current plan is actually the best solution. Fencing off a children's playground that can only be accessed through the dog walking zone cannot be the last word in wisdom. The alternative would be to create a generously fenced-off dog-free zone so that families and bathers can move freely and safely around the rest of the site. And I say that as a dog owner for decades."

Motor vehicle operation on grassland contrary to the law?

The ORF programme "Bürgeranwalt" (Citizens' Advocate) from 28 February 2026 discussed the case surrounding a car dealership in Altlengbach. Local residents turned to the Austrian Ombudsman Board with the complaint that the tinsmith and paint shop was not legally built in the middle of the Vienna Woods Biosphere Reserve on grassland for agricultural and forestry use.

Ombudswoman Gaby Schwarz states: "The use under commercial law was checked and confirmed by the district authority. Whether the buildings were erected and used correctly is another question. In order to clarify this, we need the building file from the market town of Altlengbach, which we do not yet have."