Ismaning Reservoir: A Wastewater Lake changes its Feathers? At the Ismaning Reservoir, approximately an hour by bike northeast of Marienplatz, the interplay between humans and nature is evident. It is not possible to swim in the lake. But it does more than just store water for Munich’s power generation facilities. It also provides a habitat for many species.

In this chapter of their virtual exhibition “‘Commanding, Sovereign Stream’: The Neva and the Viennese Danube in the History of Imperial Metropolitan Centers,” the authors describe fish resources in St. Petersburg and Vienna and their role in urban life from different perspectives. Fisheries constituted an important part of local economic activities and fishers—both poor professionals and wealthy leisure anglers—were very visible in the cities’ crowds, at their markets, and on the banks of their rivers and canals.

In this chapter of their virtual exhibition “‘Commanding, Sovereign Stream’: The Neva and the Viennese Danube in the History of Imperial Metropolitan Centers,” the authors discuss similarities and differences in the history of water supply, pollution, and waste management in St. Petersburg and Vienna.