“There are so many reasons why one would come to the Favoriten: To get mugged; to get raped…”

Why (not) Favoriten?

A headline of “Favoriten ist Wiens gefährlichster Bezirk”, or “Polizei entlarvt Wiens gefährlichste Bezirke” would be the closest image one could picture the Vienna’s 10th district in the media, the “favorite” district. Why would one come to Favoriten? Or why wouldn’t they? Coincidently, we found a blog that followed the same question: “I have read or browsed quite a few guidebooks for Vienna… in none of these books I have come across a single reference to the 10th district, Favoriten. I find that unfair - there are so many reasons why one would want to go to Favoriten: To get mugged; to get raped; to get molested by a gang of foreign teenagers - or simply to watch a bum take a decent poo in the public.”

This statement draws a perfect reference to the fact that, Favoriten is definitely not the favorite district to everyone. This is not only related to the political and medial bias, but also grounded on the former image of the suburb inhabitation form, which is associated with immigrants, poverty and crime. Vienna’s outer districts, each with a socioeconomic and cultural character well known to the city’s residents, are separated by the Gürtel; a demarcation line between the city and the suburb. Favoriten, as well as other parts of the suburbs, faces these stereotypes. And they are still boiling in our nowadays society.

What should we do to address this misinformation and reclaim it? 

Our project Meine Favoriten, Deine Favoriten is trying to engage with the 10th district residents and empower them. Rasing topics with regards on their dailies and individual perceptions. Showing their voices and what they see, how they think of it and what they stand up for. Is “favoriten” crime-infested or safe? Crumbling or in the progress? We presume that the “I” level of perceptions can reduce the gap between residents and the general inhabitants of Vienna. Moreover, we believe that a common ideology, or a common ground, can be found by bridging active exchanges.

The Meine Favoriten, Deine Favoriten newspaper edition has shown our satirical but also critical opinions of Favoriten, as a place worth visiting, seeing, living in. It presents as a media platform which contains our author’s views and the contents of our interview together with our researches. By spreading out around the city and creating new attentions, we are also open to receiving more feedbacks from the public, through our connected Instagram account @Favoriten_Vienna and website: Favoritenblog.wordpress.com.

Meanwhile, series of documentaries is also been released online. It contains the dailiness and the dynamics of the district, as well as several vocal recordings from our interviewers - 10th’s residents. The visuals of this series serve as our own "eye", as our perceptions of the surroundings and all its contents, structural and social, but also acting as podcaster which gives the diversity of Favoriten voices. 

"一个人之所以会来法沃里滕，有太多的理由：被抢劫；被强奸......"

法沃里滕，为什么不呢？

 "Favoriten ist Wiens gefährlichster Bezirk（法沃里滕是维也纳最危险的区）"，或者 "Polizei entlarvt Wiens gefährlichste Bezirke（警察曝光维也纳最危险地区）"，这样的媒体标题是人们对维也纳第10区最接近的印象-- "最爱 （Favorite）"的区。为什么来法沃里滕？或者说为什么不愿意来？我们意外发现了一篇博客，也是按照同样的问题来写的。"我读过或浏览过不少维也纳的旅游指南... 在这些书中，我没有看到任何一本提到第10区，法沃里滕。我觉得这不公平--一个人想去法沃里滕的理由太多了：被抢劫；被强奸；被一帮外国少年调戏--或者仅仅是看一个流浪汉在公共场所体面地大便。"

这句话引出了一个完美的参考，那就是，法沃里滕绝对不是所有人都喜欢的区。这不仅与政治和偏见有关，也符合以往郊区居住形态的刻板印象，通常将移民、贫困和犯罪联系在一起。维也纳每个区都有城市居民所熟知的社会经济和文化特征，其中的郊区（外围区），是由被Gürtel隔开的（像北京的环线）。法沃里滕和其他郊区地方一样，都面临着这些刻板印象。而在我们现在的社会中，它们仍然在酝酿。

我们应该怎么做才能反思这些错误的信息并重新书写一种叙事？

我们的 "我的法沃里滕，你的法沃里滕"项目试图让第十区的居民参与进来，并赋予他们叙述自己街区的权力，展示他们的声音和他们的所见所闻，法沃里滕究竟是犯罪猖獗还是安全？残破还是在进步中？我们推测，一种主观的叙述 可以缩小市内居民与市郊居民之间的印象差距。而且，我们相信，通过积极的交流架起桥梁，可以找到共同的意识形态，或共同沟通的基础。

《我的法沃里滕，你的法沃里滕》报刊展现了法沃里滕是一个值得参观、观赏和生活的地方。作为一个媒体平台，它包含了我们作者的观点、我们的采访内容和我们的研究，用讽刺和幽默回应了针对塑造恐慌的媒介声音。通过我们的Instagram账号@Favoriten_Vienna和网站，在城市中传播，创造新的关注点，我们也愿意接受更多公众的反馈。Favoritenblog.wordpress.com。

同时，我们还在网上发布了一系列的纪录片。这部纪录片包含了该地区的日常和动态，以及我们的采访者--第10区居民的一些声音记录。这个系列的视觉效果作为我们自己的 "眼睛"，重视我们对周围环境和所有内容，结构和社会的看法，同时也作为播客，提供了法沃里滕声音的多样性。

Chapter 1. Meine Favoriten Voices

’People don’t know the district and they just come to here having an ice-cream at Reumannplatz or going to Oberlaa…Otherwise there’s no reason to go to the 10th district’ The interview we had with Favoriten Gebietsbetreuung officer was fabulous, he pointed out: ‘…and suddenly there’s an interesting area, I mean, I have interviews from students amost everyday now, and this is what happens 20 years ago in Ottakring...A case studies of an urban issue, and usually this is the starting process of people taking here as a part of the city, which wasn't before. And the image of the 10th district is still nagetive.’

The highest crime rate is the 1st district, but nobody talks about it. When there’s something happens in Favoriten, it’s bigger than any others….

The most monstrous crime of the 10th district, it’s the fatty ice-cream from Tichy - the famous Eismarillenknödel. In the early summer of this year, a regular Monday, we went to THE Tichy finaly. And everyone we saw in Reumannplatz, was having an ice from Tichy. Moreover, even as a foreigner, Tichy is still the most well known ice salon in Vienna and the most visible advertisements can be find in the city.  Tichy’s 3rd generation has been brought up, loved, educated and entertained here in Favoriten, for her, the 10th district is a colorful area which inhabits anyone from anywhere. But everyone is not everywhere, they are here, ’so different but together.’

Exit from the metro U1, Reumannplatz station, you can always pick a side, whether go for an ice first, or swimming in social democratic waters first. Amalienbad was came from the name of Amalie Pölzer, a more than active social democrat and feminist, favoriten’s own wonder woman. Whilst once swimming and bathing in public was considered a privilege and during the period of Red Vienna this has been changed. Thanks for the social democrat city council, which believed that swimming and bathing should be no luxury but affordable for everyone and accessible to, specially for the major working class of the district. Amalienbad is now one of the most hotspots in Favoriten.

Few steps further than Amalienbad, there’ll be another crowd of people waiting for the bus to Oberlaa. For sure this is not the only way of getting there, since the metro line is going to extension right to there, but still, the Therme Wien is the closest one in the city. 

Meine kinder (my children) asked me, mama, why don’t you move…I said, Nein (no), I’m so happy to be here, it’s everything here!

In Böhmischer Prater, every thing is mini-size, like little kids’ wonderland. And besides this amusement park is the Freizeitgebiet Löwygrube Park where you can have a overview of the city and have a picnic and enjoy the public sports facilities. Although it’s around the edge of Favoriten and quite far, it’s easy to reach through S-bahn and buses.

The surrounding for me is ideal, really. It’s always improving. The park is like heaven to me.

But if you came from the other parts of the city, a tram line 6 will be a different journey through Favoriten. After it pass Matzleinsdorfer Platz, cross a long, dark underground passage, reached Quenllenstr. and then get upload and full filled again in Favoritenstr., it  could bring you to the Brotfabrik Wien, in Absbergasse. It does not smell like bread anymore but it smells like art. Atelia 10 hosts artists and art enthusiasts, who experience various mental and psychological difficulties, it gives them a space, a certain freedom and the needed tools to express themselves, thereby strongly focusing on what they are capable of and what they can do. “The most tender place in my heart is for strangers”, quote from a song by Marianne Faithfull. Are artists strange people or do strange people become artists?

Art is always strange, or, at least it’s great to be special.

Superar, which is one of the neighbours of Atelia 10, with lots of 8-18 year-old kids having free education of classical music. ‘Many children left Superar and it’s very difficult to figure out the specific reasons. The adolescent group of them mostly left Superar because of their school’s regular course, but the others are usually hard to find out the reasons’, said by Ms. S, manager of Superar. It might relate to the family situations or the surroundings of children. Howerver, outside of their family and school, kids can learn not only musical instrument in Superar but also social skills and develop a hobby.

Ms.T is one of the kids we interviewed from Superar, she’s 15 years old and she’s been actively attending Superar lessons 3 times a week and for 7 years now. Each time it costs 2-3 hours, and she’s always there. Her passion through music could be also be testified by this little tale, once she was having ice-creams in Reumannplatz, and she suggested to her string quartet friends spontaneously, “Let’s play something in here!”.

Mr.F is a student who is studying Political Science and Sociology at Vienna University. He was living in Favoriten for 3 years and later we discovered that he was actually one of the neighbours of Mr.D who’s also been interviewed from us by the same day. They are studying the same programme in the same university. 

“That’s so unreal, it’s exactly my old flat!”, he said, “Did you see the wooden tiles at the balcony, I bought them!”, after sending him a balcony photo of Mr.D’s flat, it seems like these two neighbours are finally been connected and had their first ‘talk’.

Mr.D later became a close friend to us, he toured us once through Favoriten, he invited us in his house and we finished 16 cans of beer, he joint our exhibiton and brunch also… He is active, but he think the Turkish culture in Favoriten is more active than he does. “Sometimes I’m annoyed that I can’t get a beer in the street”. Turkish people in Favoriten, they are usually very traditional. Thus they follow Ramadan rule quite strictly. And some of Turkish and Balkan restaurants don’t serve any kinds of alcohol beverages because of their religious reasons. Mr D’s flatmates also joint the talk.

Mr.M had a Turkish girlfriend who came from Istanbul. She loved to go to Turkish restaurants and communicating in Turkish, even her German is more than nattive. When it comes to the set up marriages, he as an ‘white’ Austrian, sometimes he feels that he has few superiorities, they are more exclusive in the community while forming a new family. And the later generations of migrants are especially hard to integrate and facing different identities. However, if you know some Turkish words in Favoriten, like ‘thank you’ in Turkish, the shop keeper and waters are often surprised and extremely friendly.

“How can we establish successful integration support or system?”

Although Mr. O is living in Vienna a very long time but he still has lots of problems especially which are coming from his appearance and religion. He was working as a taxi driver before. One day he got Austrian guests and they recognized that he is not from Austria and then they told him “Go back to your country. Leave Austria.” And sadly, these kind of situations were happening to him not only once, but quite often.

But inclusive attattitude is still here. “ WAT BUDDHA VIENNA”, many people call this Budhist temple as a Meditation center. Enyone can visit there and join their meditation programme, although originally the temple is rooted from Thailand, there’re some Austrian names on small Buddha statues which mean that they donated and remarked here.

Chapter 2. The Taste of Favoriten

‘I’m living in the 10th district and the quality of the water is very sensitive, very smooth and the drinking water is very different.’ Mrs. E approached me when I was in Viktor-Adler-Platz, she’s definitly in Love with Favoriten. ‘Favoriten, oh, the best berzik (district)!’ And when it comes to the topic of the life in Favoriten, Favoriten str. and Viktor-Adler market are been hightlighted from her bio-life style. Fresh meat in the Markt, bio-eggs in Billa and ingredients in asian supermarket…she said, ‘It’s everything here’. 

When we asked how she adapted her home taste, especially she’s 50 years old now, originally from Philippines, raised 2 kids in Austria… And she told us, she has no problem with integrating in here. ‘I cook everything by myself and I don’t eat can foods… I can get all (ingredients) I need, if I wanna spicy… No problem at all!’

To get closure of the topic of taste, she also played with words that her art taste is improving since she got a painting teacher, and her retired life is more joyful than ever.

‘Mag das, just like that, is our kantine’s official name now’. The manager from Brotfabrik’s kantine Ms. F is a characteristic woman. I asked her,  ‘What’s your favorite taste’, and she told me that there’s no particular taste, because the sense of taste, it’s just sweet, sour, spicy.. And the flavor of their dishes is actually depends on the chefs, who always put a twist on it. And it might just because of a bad mood of the day, but also a taste itself is a combination of emotion and ingredients - a food experience is multi-sensational.

This adaption is not only happening in restaurants, but also everyone’s kitchen, especially for one’s arrival process. That one has to face that even the recipe is still the same, the ingredients and the method could never been completely same as in the homeland. A change of a home taste. My colleague and me, neither of us has been living in Vienna more than 2 years, we all felt that once or constantly, a taste of home is uncatchable but you do feel the missing of the home taste is so present, as if a feeling of identity lost.

Ms. F is a Malaysia-Chinese, she speaks German and English. When we ask about her home taste, surprisingly she told us that ‘taste doesn’t change because of your home country’. However, the kantine’s taste is always changing, there’s no fixed menu, but they offer lots of ‘Austrian’ dishes. Even though the recipe is not exactly same to any original dishes, like Wienerschnitzel, but the customers still feel comfortable. 

We are in the Brotfabrik (bread factory) but we aren’t factory workers… If everyone is doing the same task everyday, it would be SO BORING.

‘There s one more Austrian Wurst Stand in my street, and I went there, and the owner told me that, wow you are coming to me not the Turkish kebab, I’m the last one in my street! And he’s not even Viennese, he’s from Hungary’. After a gust of laughter, Mr. D continued, ’why is the 10th district especially dirty? There’re so many rats, because there’s no garbage bin on the street, and they are always full!’

I’m annoyed that my food choice in here is pizza, kebab, schnitzel… I wanna have some food which is more healthy also…

We brought these questions to the conversation to Gebietsbetreuung weeks later, and with regards to the water quality, he stated that it’s rather a myth, that the 10th district’s water is especially better than others. It obviously taking part of the local identity of the 10th but also Vienna in general.