Wurstelprater

The Wurstelprater (Wurstel or Wurschtel being the Viennese name for Hanswurst) is an amusement park and section of the Wiener Prater (a park) in Leopoldstadt, Vienna, Austria.

This institution dates back to the time of the Austrian Empire, when Emperor Joseph II made the Prater (which had been serving as Imperial hunting ground until then) open to the public in 1766, which makes it the second-oldest amusement park in the world after Dyrehavsbakken in Copenhagen, Denmark. Soon the first snack bars, stalls and bowling alleys opened up on the grounds and the Wurstelprater was born.

The best-known attraction is the Wiener Riesenrad, a Ferris wheel. The park also features various rides, bumper cars, carousels, roller coasters, shooting galleries, ghost trains, a Madame Tussauds wax works cabinet and much more. Apart from the rides, the park features various famous traditional Viennese restaurants (such as the Schweizerhaus and the Walfisch) and souvenir shops.

The mascot for the park is Calafati, a 9 m-tall sculpture of a Chinese man, which stands near the Wiener Riesenrad.

The park is open from 10:00 am to 1:00 am daily in its season, which runs from 15 March to 31 October. Some attractions, as well as the food stands and restaurants, are open throughout the year. There is no entrance fee to get into the park; instead, each attraction charges its own fee, the attractions being individual businesses mostly owned by local families.

During the advent season, a small Christmas Market can be found on Riesenradplatz, right beside the Wiener Riesenrad Ferris Wheel at the Wurstelprater entrance. This Wintermarkt is open from mid-November till beginning of January and features traditional Christmas gifts as well as seasonal food and beverages.

The Wurstelprater is located in the Wiener Prater and can be conveniently reached by public transport (U1/U2 Praterstern) as well as by car (parking facilities available).

Notable Attractions

 * Wiener Riesenrad; A 64.75 m tall ferris wheel that was first constructed in 1897 and is one of Vienna's most popular tourist attractions.
 * Wiener Looping; A new Mack Rides looping roller coaster currently under construction and set to open in September 2024. Upon its debut, it will become the largest fixed-location coaster in Austria and the park's first to straddle multiple parcels of land.
 * Olympia Looping; The world's largest portable roller coaster, designed by Anton Schwarzkopf and Werner Stengel and operated by Rudolf Barth. It resides at Prater seasonally before attending Oktoberfest in Munich and Hyde Park Winter Wonderland in London.
 * Praterturm; A 117 m Star Flyer designed and operated by Austria-based Funtime.
 * Geisterbahn; A ghost train attraction first opened in 1933.