Many Vienna cultural locales flooded by rain
A number of Vienna cultural locales were flooded or otherwise disrupted by yesterdays (Thurs) heavy rain.Water was ankle-deep in five of the seven cinemas at Lugner City, and one of them had to be evacuated during a film showing and the buildings lowest floor had to be closed. Theatre manager Alexander Fischbacher said it was likely that the cinemas would be open again by this evening.Water also entered Halle E at the Museums Quartier, the site of the premiere of Robert Lepages Vienna Festival Weeks production “Lipsynch,” but production manager Herbert Stangl said there hadnt been much damage. He said clogged rain gutters on the buildings roof had allowed water to seep into the hall.Rain caused an electricity outage at the Theatre in der Josefstadt before the premiere of Arthur Schnitzlers “Das weite Land,” but a theatre spokeswoman said the theatre had used an emergency generator to power lobby lights and a floodlight for the stage. She added there had been no water damage.State broadcaster ORF announced today that its planned cultural hiking day on Viennas Bisamberg on Sunday had been cancelled owing to warnings of more heavy rain in the afternoon.It would have been the third annual such event, which attracted some 10,000 people last year. No substitute date has been selected.Viennas Albertina Museum, which was heavily damaged by flooding last year, emerged unscathed yesterday.A museum spokesman said there had been no problems, adding that there was continuous visual and technical inspection of the underground storage area where many artistic masterpieces are stored.Last years flooding caused evacuation of all works of art in the storage area. The process of returning them will be finished by January.The museum spent two million Euros on renovating the building and making it more secure.