Austria – indeed the entire German-speaking world – is known for its honest manner of dealing with things that have been left behind.
That said, it’s good to know how to go about finding your possessions, depending on where you think you’ve lost them.
If you lose an item in public
You may have been walking down the street and seen a scarf or a pair of gloves tied to a fence.
These have been picked up and placed there hoping their owner will come and claim them.
This is the general protocol for small goods that aren’t keys, phones or wallets.
Keys, phones and wallets are generally handed in at the cashier at the nearest shop or cafe, so this should be your first port of call for lost items.
Lost property generally then makes it way from there to police stations – particularly wallets with ID and bank cards – so your next line of enquiry should be your local Polizei.
Most major cities then have a Fundbüro or Fundamt – lost property office in English.
Anything not claimed promptly usually ends up there, where it is kept for a length of time, usually a year.
You can find the contact information for several of those here.
For smaller towns and villages, a Google search of the city and ‘Fundbüro’ should give you the information to get in touch.
READ MORE: What you should do if you lose your residence permit in Austria
If you lose an item on public transport
That will depend on the kind of public transport you are using.
For public transport within major cities, you should first contact the local provider
From there, most public transport providers regularly send unclaimed items to the city’s Fundbüro (see above).
If you’ve lost an item on a service operated by the state railway, ÖBB, the procedure is a little different.
If you’re confident you left an item at a railway station or a train, your first action should be to use the Online Tool to describe your item in as much detail as possible – from there, station staff will be tasked with looking for your item.
There are also ÖBB lost property offices at Bregenz, Bruck an der Mur, Innsbruck, Linz, Salzburg, Vienna and Villach, which can be contacted via the hotline at +43 5 1778 97 22222.
If you lose something at an airport
All of the major airports in Austria have their own lost property offices, and you can find their details here.
Still stumped?
Neighbourhood social network FragNebenan is a fairly useful way of putting out a message regarding lost items – particularly in large cities like Vienna.
If you don’t want to sign up for yet another app, most neighbourhoods, towns and villages have their own Facebook communities where people regularly post items that have been found.
Have we missed any good resources for finding lost items? Let us know in the comments!
Please whitelist us to continue reading.
Member comments