On 23 April 2026, Donau-Auen National Park celebrated its 30th anniversary at Schloss Orth an der Donau, Austria, bringing together high-level representatives from politics, science, and international conservation networks.
For 30 years, the National Park has been a place where the Danube can still shape its own course — creating habitats, supporting wildlife, and showing how a living river works. Over time, Donau-Auen has also become a meeting point for cooperation along the Danube.
Donau-Auen National Park has played a key role in the DANUBEPARKS history as its formal headquarters, contributing to its development as a platform for transboundary cooperation and joint restoration initiatives along the Danube.
To honor the event, DANUBEPARKS was represented by its President, Dr. Vlatko Rožac (Kopački Rit Nature Park, Croatia), and Tomáš Kušík (BROZ, Slovakia).
One of the highlights of the day was the new exhibition “Im Fluss” at Schloss Orth. As one of the first guests to explore it, Dr. Rožac congratulated Donau-Auen National Park on this milestone. The exhibition invites visitors to discover how the river shapes the landscape and explore how nature and restoration can go hand in hand.
The anniversary event also highlighted the park’s continuous efforts in ecological restoration over the past decades, including side-arm reconnection, riverbank revitalization, and the creation of new aquatic habitats. Current flagship initiatives, such as the restoration of Schwalbeninsel and Paradeisinsel island complexes with the active support of DANUBEPARKS, continue to grow across borders and across sectors.
Thirty years on, Donau-Auen National Park is not only a place of nature, but also a place of cooperation, ideas, and shared commitment.
Happy 30th anniversary, Donau-Auen National Park and congratulations to the whole team!