From the Danube Canal to the Prater in Vienna through the Leopoldstadt

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Vienna travel tips - Magnificent facades on our way from the Danube Canal to the Prater in Vienna

Vienna Leopoldstadt sightseeing

Which sights does Leopoldstadt offer in Vienna? We decide to explore the surroundings of the Schick Hotel Capricorno to explore where we stay overnight. The hotel is located directly on the Danube Canal and thus on the edge of the 1st district, the old town of Vienna. Leopoldstadt or the 2nd district begins on the other bank. Leopoldstadt lies on an island between the Danube Canal and the Danube.

 

 

Danube Canal to Prater - Vienna Leopoldstadt sights
From the Danube Canal to the Prater in Vienna past the Vienna Leopoldstadt sights

 

The district is still considered to be the Jewish quarter of Vienna today. On our walk from the Danube Canal to the Prater in Vienna, we meet people who wear the kippah on their heads, the men's headgear. We hardly hear any German or Austrian on our tour. On the other hand, many we meet speak French or English.

 

 

At Nestroyplatz in Vienna
At Nestroyplatz - one of Vienna's Leopoldstadt sights

Walk through Leopoldstadt

We start our walk from the Danube Canal to the Prater in Vienna through Leopoldstadt in Praterstrasse and follow it to Nestroyplatz. There is a statue of the actor and playwright there. On the way we notice houses with portals and balconies. The Johann Nepomuk Church is further down Praterstrasse. Their insides, however, seem rather gloomy to us. Not far away is the Dogenhof with its Venetian facade.

 

 

Architectural detail
Detail

 

In the Prater in Vienna - one of the Leopoldstadt sights

At the Praterstern we turn off to the Prater area and pass the main avenue in the Prater, under whose maple trees joggers, cyclists and walkers enjoy the spring green. Tulips in all shades of color are blooming under the trees and put us in a spring mood. A few steps further the Ferris wheel turns its circles and stops at every gondola that arrives below to let the passengers off.

We stroll through the Prater, but the noise of the stallholders doesn't entice us to take a ride on one of the carousels. Even a scary tour through the ghost train does not attract us. We'd rather go back to Leopoldstadt to look for traces of the Jews.

 

 

The Prater Ferris Wheel in Vienna
The ferris wheel in Vienna - Leopoldstadt sights
On the Prater fairground in Vienna
On the Prater in Vienna
Main avenue in the Green Prater
Hauptallee in the Prater - one of Vienna's Leopoldstadt sights

Leopold I. and the Jews

This district owes its name to Leopold I, who finally banned the Jews from here in 1669. They were expelled from downtown Vienna as early as 1624. Around 1700 ten Jewish families were again allowed to live in this part of the city. Reason: you needed their money to finance government spending. In 1764 Maria Theresa allowed the immigration of Jews, whereby the Sephardi from Spain received more rights than the Jews from the Orient. They settled between Praterstrasse and Taborstrasse.

The Jews in Vienna after 1918

During and after the First World War, more and more Jews came to Vienna. Before 1938, around 180.000 Jews lived in Austria's capital. A third of them lived in Leopoldstadt. When the National Socialists took power in Austria in 1938, the Jews fell victim to the persecution of the Jews. Many fled. Or they were transported to concentration camps. Jews are now living in Leopoldstadt again. We notice metal plates in the street on which the fates of the residents are described. They remind me of the stumbling blocks we encountered from our travels Salzburg know.

 

In the Leopoldstadt in Vienna
In the Leopoldstadt in Vienna

 

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Glorious balconies in the Leopoldstadt in Vienna
Balconies are one of the sights in Leopoldstadt in Vienna
Window reliefs in the Leopoldstadt in Vienna
Window reliefs in the Leopoldstadt in Vienna

 

The Leopoldstadt in Vienna

Leopoldstadt is quiet on this Sunday afternoon. We hardly meet anyone else on our walk from the Danube Canal to the Prater in Vienna. A father carries his offspring through town. Walkers overtake us. Apparently a photographer has the same idea as we do. Every few meters she photographs a subject that strikes her.

We follow Heinestrasse to Große Stadtgutgasse and walk through Glockengasse back to Taborstrasse. Along our route we discover one city palace after another with entrance portals and facades that are interrupted by reliefs. But only when we reach Taborstrasse does it get livelier again. Shop windows are tempting to stroll around here, and the traffic on this thoroughfare keeps things going.

 

At Taborstrasse in Vienna
On Taborstrasse in Vienna - the architecture of the houses is one of Vienna's Leopoldstadt sights

Conclusion: Vienna Leopoldstadt sights show a different Vienna

Our tour from the Danube Canal to the Prater in Vienna through Leopoldstadt shows us a side of the city that we have never seen before. This neighborhood gives us a glimpse into the city's past. We feel a little bit the Vienna of the imperial era. In his squares, the houses with the wrought iron balconies and bay windows, we feel the history of the Jews. They are slowly returning to the neighborhood to which they were once banished.

 


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Leopoldstadt Vienna sightseeing
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Source Vienna Leopoldstadt Sights: Research on site. We would like to thank the Hotel Capricorno for their support.

Text Vienna Leopoldstadt Sights: © Copyright Monika Fuchs
Photos Vienna Leopoldstadt Sights © Copyright Monika Fuchs

From the Danube Canal to the Prater in Vienna through the Leopoldstadt

Monika Fuchs

Monika Fuchs and Petar Fuchs are the authors and publishers of the Food and Slow Travel blog  TravelWorldOnline. They have been publishing this blog since 2005. TravelWorldOnline has been online since 2001. Their topics are trips to Savor, wine tourism worldwide and slow travel. During her studies Monika Fuchs spent some time in North America, where she - partly together with Petar Fuchs - traveled to the USA and Canada and spent a research year in British Columbia. This intensified her thirst for knowledge, which she satisfied for 6 years as an adventure guide for Rotel Tours and then for 11 years as a tour guide for Studiosus Reisen around the world. She was constantly expanding her travel regions, but curiosity still gnawed at her: "What's beyond the horizon? What else is there to discover in this city? Which people are interesting here? What do they eat in this region?" As a freelance travel journalist (her articles have appeared in DIE ZEIT, 360° Canada, 360° USA, etc.), she is now looking for answers to these questions as a travel writer and travel blogger in many countries around the world. Petar Fuchs produces the videos on this blog as well as on YouTube. Monika Fuchs from TravelWorldOnline is among Germany's top 50 bloggers in 2021. Find more Information about Monika and Petar Fuchs here.

4 thoughts too "From the Danube Canal to the Prater in Vienna through the Leopoldstadt"

  1. Dear Monika, dear Petar,

    that would have been a tour that I would have liked. Going for a walk, "making a journey through time" and taking photos. Simply letting a city sink in is the best way to get to know it.

    Thank you for the article!

    Best regards,
    Barbara

    1. Dear Barbara,

      yes, we like to do that again and again. It's fun to just let yourself drift in a foreign city. You often discover something unexpected.

      Best regards,
      Monika

  2. The beautiful facades have struck me in Vienna in many places. Great photos you have made! I was there in August and did not catch so good weather, so walking through the city was unfortunately as good as flat. Well, next time. :-)

    warmly
    Anna

    1. Yes, we were lucky with the weather and had a whole day to look at the region between the Prater and the Danube Canal. We just let ourselves drift. Since you will often find surprisingly beautiful corners.

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