The Prater is Vienna's most famous public park.
The name "prater" generally refers to the famous amusement park whose full name is Wurstelprater, dominated by one of the best-known symbols of the Austrian capital: the huge Ferris wheel of more than 60 meters high, which in 1949 was immortalized in the famous film "The Third Man" by Carol Reed.
You may be surprised to know that the wheel - inaugurated in the late 19th century for the Golden Jubilee of Kaiser Franz Joseph I, i.e. for his 50 years on the throne - was almost entirely rebuilt, except for the metal structure, after it was damaged in a devastating fire in 1945.
The Prater has not, of course, always been an amusement park!
This green area was initially an imperial hunting reserve, established by Emperor Maximilian II. In 1766, at the behest of Joseph II, it was opened to the public and equipped with outdoor cafeé and kiosks. During the Congress of Vienna in 1814/1815 and the 1873 World's Fair, this idyllic green space became the perfect setting for important events and celebrations.
A pedestrian street, the Hauptallee, passes through the center of the park. The annual Vienna Marathon runs along its five-kilometer-long route, lined with some 2,500 chestnut trees. With its 1700 hectares, the park is a popular training ground for runners all year. If you want to take a leisurely ride through the park, comfortably seated, I recommend the Praterzug electric train, or the historic miniature railway called the Liliputbahn: maximum result with minimum effort!
An interesting fact: In October 2019, a marathon was concluded right here in the Prater, which for the first time saw an athlete succeed in completing the 42,195-meter route in under two hours: 1'59''40 to be precise. The Kenyan athlete, Kipchoge, broke his own record in Vienna. The feat was not approved as a new record, however, because Kipchoge was "aided" by 41 other runners who preceded him in an aerodynamic formation so that he could save valuable energy during the long run.
