Vienna Lost and Found Service processes 126,000 items annually

The Vienna Lost and Found Service in Margareten processes approximately 126,000 items annually. Last year, owners reclaimed about 57,000 of these objects. The facility receives roughly 1,000 items per week, with volume peaking at 1,400 during busy periods such as the start of the school year.

Commonly lost items include keys, mobile phones, wallets, and identification cards. Specifically, the service registers around 30,000 IDs and 20,000 wallets each year. In May alone, approximately 9,000 keys were recorded. The facility also handles seasonal items, such as sunglasses and bags lost by tourists from Italy, Spain, and Japan during the summer.

Managed by Esmada Kurbegovic and a team of 15, the service utilizes 100 collection boxes and collaborates with partners including Wiener Linien, ÖBB, and various museums. Items are categorized by month and type, with specific labeling used to track their origin. Most items have a six-month storage period, though smaller everyday objects like umbrellas or scarves are kept for only two months.