Old Postcard Wednesday--Flughafen, Wien

 

I need assistance from my dear friend, Francessa, in Vienna to translate this handwritten German. She is extremely busy with her teaching right now, but in the event that she finds this post perhaps she will take pity on me and help me out. This old postcard was mailed to me in its used condition by my childhood pen pal Rosmarie Gugler who lived in Mauer-Ohling, Austria, in 1962. I wrote about Rosmarie in a former post and about how I have been hoping to find her (still hasn't happened).

Check out that prop plane coming in for a landing on the bottom left of the postcard! And on the top left, those unearthly-looking tall plants looming in front of the dining room...I wonder what kind of plant that is and if it is still popular landscaping at the Vienna Airport. Is that tall building the airport hotel, and is that why an arrow is drawn pointing to one room--perhaps as an indicator that it was where the sender of this old postcard stayed prior to or following a flight? There are plenty of hotels around the Vienna Airport area these days, per Vienna Airport Hotels Guide. I can tell how the airport has grown, judging from Bing images (this one of the whole layout is copyrighted but worth the click to see).
I loved this nighttime view:

Below is an information overview, via Airports Guides:

Vienna International Airport (VIE)
History, Facts and Overview
(Vienna, Austria)

The Aspern Airfield was created in 1912 and remained the region's main military airbase for many years. It was not until 1938 that Austria saw the arrival of Vienna Airport, built nearby and within the south-easterly city of Schwechat. It was the year of 1954 when Vienna Airport finally superseded Aspern Airfield in terms of importance and usage, and five years later, the existing runway was extended.

Construction of the terminal building at Vienna Airport commenced shortly afterwards and in 1972, an additional runway was added to meet demand. Further improvements have been made in subsequent years to accommodate charter flights, including the recent addition of the SKYLINK terminal, which is able to cope with large Airbus planes.

Vienna Airport boasts modern facilities, including a total of over 70 shops, including duty-free outlets. Various cafes and restaurants are also available, such as Bar Cafeteria ARS and Cafeteria Europa, should you require refreshments.

Business travellers will find conference and meeting facilities at the onsite Astron Hotel and Convention Centre, while the airport's recently opened VIP Business Centre offers similar services.

 More from the site linked above:

A busy two-terminal facility that provides an essential gateway into and out of the capital city of Austria, Vienna International Airport (VIE) is the country's largest and most significant airport. Located around 16 km / 10 miles to the south-east of the city centre, Vienna Airport is close to Ebergassing, Fischamend, Himberg, Mannswörth and Schwechat, often going by the alternative name of Schwechat Airport.

Vienna Airport serves flights to a vast number of international destinations, as well as to a variety of domestic cities, with the main airlines including Air Berlin, Austrian Airlines, Austrian Arrows, Lufthansa, Niki and SkyEurope. Currently in excess of 14 million passengers pass through the terminal each year, although this figure is set to rise sharply following the completion of the new SKYLINK terminal.

For full information, visit the Vienna International Airport website. You sure won't want to miss playing the Follow Me Song featured at the website; or click here! Somehow I just can't imagine Francessa humming this song to herself.....well, maybe she does while she is grading tests, thinking about her next flight out of Flughafen Wien!


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