PRATER

Description

Essentials about the Prater in brief

The Vienna Prater is an extensive area of about six square kilometers, which still consists to a large extent of alluvial landscapes originally shaped by the Danube. This makes the Prater almost twice as large as Central Park in New York City. The term “Prater” is often used to refer only to the well-known amusement park, which is actually called “Wurstelprater“. However, in terms of area, this makes up only a very small part of the entire “green” Prater area.

The Prater as a local recreation area

In 1766, Emperor Joseph II opened the Prater, then still serving as an imperial hunting ground, to the public. This happened to the great joy of the people, because in a time when there were still no urban parks and only very few people could afford a trip to the countryside, the Prater meant a great gain in quality of life for the Viennese. The city of Vienna still benefits from this quality of life today, because hardly any other large city in the world has such an extensive recreational area so close to the city center.

Today, the Prater belongs to sportsmen and recreationists alike. The numerous lawns invite you to chill out and barbecue. The beautiful green landscape is an Eldorado for joggers and walkers. And there is no end to the list of sports you can do in the Prater anyway. From swimming to skating and soccer, to horseback riding, tennis, golf, field hockey, bowling, skating – there is enough space for almost every sport.