Our focus is on cooperation, not on co-existence - that makes a big difference in life quality

“Intelligent input produces intelligent and useful output.”

Peter Eisenschenk was born on April 27, 1965 in Tulln. He is an Austrian politician. Member of the Austrian National Council from January 2007 to  October 2008. Since December 2009 Eisenschenk is mayor of the municipality Tulln an der Donau.

How would you describe your city briefly? What do you want our audience to know about it?

Tulln is a dynamic municipality which lies on the beautiful Danube River in the heart of the Tullnerfeld to the west of Vienna in Austria. With its 17,000 inhabitants, Tulln enjoys all of the advantages of independence while benefitting from the vicinity to a world cultural center. Tulln offers a high life quality including attractive living, work availability, excellent infrastructure, access to the main train and ship lines, airport, and extensive bike ways, education on all levels, a variety of leisure time programs, shopping, and a well cared for appearance. In addition Tulln is a town of history and art. The Roman Tower and museum and Egon Schiele’s birth house and museum are just two of the many reasons that Tulln is a great place to live or visit. Perhaps the most valuable asset that Tulln has to offer are the people.  Our focus is on cooperation and not on co-existence, and that makes a big difference in life quality.

Share some good practices and sustainable projects from your municipality. How do you finance them?

Tulln has hosted numerous Environmental forums to educate people to the importance of sustainablility and its impact on our community, state, country and world. The Tullner Zukunfsforum invites experts yearly to share information and developments current and draw from participant input for the good of our municipality. The truth is that intelligent input produces intelligent and useful output. In addition Tulln encourages and supports many sustainable projects. 40 percent of Tulln’s energy is self produced through photovoltaic facilities. Currently two kindergartens function through their own production of energy on energy day. Tulln also uses biomass heat which is sustainable and makes sense. An electric car-sharing program was introduced several years ago and has proved to be successful. Tulln has also worked hard to generate and develop a comprehensive bike network which makes biking easy, safe and friendly.

What technological processes do you implement in the municipality services?

Our government buildings primarily rely on photovoltaic energy.  In addition Tulln has resolved numerous challenges regarding weed control. As a garden city, this has become a primary topic. The purchase and use of a hot steam machine has made it possible to control invasive plants while protecting the natural balance of nature in the area. Perhaps it wouldn’t be considered technological but should not be underestimated, the use of the bike. Biking is an example of basic technology for the good of all and has become an important aspect of everyday life for many citizens of our community. It is a real win-win situation.

What do you think about a unified platform for European municipalities and its main goal to make and keep European citizens better informed about what is taking place in the European Union?

It makes sense to learn from each other! Exchanging ideas brings people closer and unites them. Together the people of the EU are strong.  An open area can bring new ideas to a community, and a voice can provide new ideas to others.

Which are the main goals and good examples you plan to develop for the near future?

Tulln the next step! Tulln has many ongoing goal-oriented projects. As the community of collaboration neighborhoods are a focal point. The focus is multifold including: town development, intelligent competition to generate secure success, mentoring the inner-city economic development and to reach the secure position of Tulln as the garden city of Austria. Our vision is to reflect our quality of life through our city as an oasis. One might ask why Tulln should be a garden city? It has hosted the world famous Gartenbau Messe over the last 60 years, it is the location of the Garten Tulln, it has many well-known garden centers, a university branch dedicated to soil management and an inner city which has been landscaped.

Another future oriented project has been to develop the house of digitization. The support for this project has been provided by the state government. Digitization has also been installed in the newly renovated Egon Schiele museum making it modern and visitor interactive. Such projects keep Tulln up-to-date and well worth living in.

Find out more about Tulln an der Donau here