Everything about Leopoldstadt totally explained
» This article is about a district of Vienna. Leopoldstadt is also the German name for the town Leopoldov in Slovakia.Leopoldstadt ("Leopold-Town") is
Vienna's second district. There are 90,914 inhabitants (census 2001) over 19.27 km². It is situated in the heart of the city and, together with
Brigittenau (20th district), forms a large island surrounded by the
Danube Canal and, to the north, the
Danube. It is named after Holy Roman Emperor
Leopold I (
1640–
1705). Due to its relatively high percentage of
Jewish inhabitants (38.5 per cent in
1923, for example before the
Holocaust), Leopoldstadt gained the nickname
Mazzesinsel ("
Matzoh Island"). This context was a significant aspect for the district twinning with the
New York City borough
Brooklyn in 2007.
Places of interest include the
Wiener Prater (from
Latin pratum "meadow"), former imperial hunting grounds to which the public was denied access until
1766. The area of the
Prater closest to the city centre contains a large
amusement park, known as the
Volksprater ("People's Prater") or
Wurstelprater (after the
Harlequin-type figure of
Hanswurst), and at its entrance there's the giant
Ferris wheel ("
Riesenrad") opened in
1897 which features prominently in the movie
The Third Man and which has become one of Vienna's trademarks. There is also a miniature
steam railway ("
Liliputbahn") which, on its track through the woodland parallel to the
Hauptallee, passes Vienna's
Ernst Happel Stadium. The
Schweizerhaus ("
Swiss Hut"), an establishment boasting a huge
beer garden, sells the original
Czech Budweiser draught beer. The owners claim that, back in the
1920s, the
potato crisp was invented there. Nearby you can find the "Republic of
Kugelmugel", a
micronation proclaimed in
1984 that became a landmark of the area.
Another, smaller, park in Leopoldstadt is the
topiary-type
Augarten, which is the home of the
Vienna Boys' Choir and of a
porcelain manufactory ("Augarten-Porzellan"). Sadly, its distinguishing marks are two disused
Flak towers built towards the end of the
Second World War. For features of this versatile district not listed here, see the bottom-linked
Leopoldstadt Category page.
In the mid-
17th century, part of the built-up area used to be the
Jewish ghetto. During the time of the
Austro-Hungarian monarchy, Jewish immigrants from eastern parts of the realm again flocked to Leopoldstadt. Today, the members of Vienna's Jewish community prefer to live there, and there are a number of shops selling
kosher food. Several parts of the old residential areas have been
gentrified, resulting in a gentle shift from Leopoldstadt's predominantly
working class population towards a somewhat wealthier clientele.
Currently a new extension of the
U2 metro line is being built which will connect the city centre with the stadium and the outskirts of the city which are situated across the
Danube in
Donaustadt.
Further Information
Get more info on 'Leopoldstadt'.
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