The Schweizerhaus (literally "

Swiss Swiss most commonly refers to: * the adjectival form of Switzerland * Swiss people Swiss may also refer to: Places * Swiss, Missouri * Swiss, North Carolina * Swiss, West Virginia * Swiss, Wisconsin Other uses * Swiss Café, an old café located ...

house") is a

Viennese Viennese may refer to: * Vienna, the capital of Austria * Viennese people, List of people from Vienna * Viennese German, the German dialect spoken in Vienna * Viennese classicism * Viennese coffee house, an eating establishment and part of Viennese ...

restaurant, rich in tradition, that is inseparably linked with the

Prater The Prater is a 6 km² public park in Vienna's 2nd district, Leopoldstadt. The name "Prater" is often used to refer to the Wurstelprater, an amusement park within the area. History Royal hunting ground The Prater was first documented in ...

, a large public area and park in

Leopoldstadt Leopoldstadt (; ; "Leopold-Town") is the 2nd municipal district of Vienna () in Austria. there are 103,233 inhabitants over . It is situated in the heart of the city and, together with Brigittenau (20th district), forms a large island surrou ...

, the second district of

Vienna Vienna ( ; ; ) is the capital city, capital, List of largest cities in Austria, most populous city, and one of Federal states of Austria, nine federal states of Austria. It is Austria's primate city, with just over two million inhabitants. ...

Austria Austria, formally the Republic of Austria, is a landlocked country in Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine Federal states of Austria, states, of which the capital Vienna is the List of largest cities in Aust ...

's capital.

Beer garden

The restaurant has a huge

beer garden A beer garden (German: ''Biergarten'') is an outdoor area in which beer and food are served, typically at shared tables shaded by trees. Beer gardens originated in Bavaria, of which Munich is the capital city, in the 19th century, and remain co ...

which is subdivided into smaller areas, each of which is named accordingly to a town district of Vienna (itself being situated in

, the 2nd of 23), with the bar being an exception. Its name ''Franz-Josef-Bahnhof'' (railway station) is taken from the Vienna train station of the same name. There are also two areas named for Vienna city sectors: Oberlaa and Kaisermühlen, so called independent regions. This arrangement is meant, above all, for easier orientation within the garden, and the various geographical reference points serve as an aid for the crew. Besides the classic Viennese culinary specialties, such as ''

goulash Goulash () is a meal (not quite stew or soup) made of meat and vegetables seasoned with paprika and other spices. Originating in Hungary, goulash is a common meal predominantly eaten in Central Europe but also in other parts of Europe. It is on ...

'' and ''

Wiener Schnitzel Wiener schnitzel ( ; , 'Viennese cutlet'), sometimes spelled Wienerschnitzel, is a type of schnitzel made of a thin, Bread crumbs#Breading, breaded, pan-fried veal cutlet. It is one of the best known specialities of Viennese cuisine, and one of ...

'', the trademark dish of the restaurant is ''Schweinsstelzen'' (pig's feet). Another specialty is

Budweiser Budvar Budweiser Budvar ( ) is a brewery in the Czech city of České Budějovice (), best known for its original Budweiser or Budweiser Budvar pale lager brewed using artesian water, Moravian barley and Saaz hops. Budweiser Budvar is the fourth large ...

beer, a popular beer brand from the

Czech Republic The Czech Republic, also known as Czechia, and historically known as Bohemia, is a landlocked country in Central Europe. The country is bordered by Austria to the south, Germany to the west, Poland to the northeast, and Slovakia to the south ...

, served fresh from the tap. The Schweizerhaus is open from March 15 until October 31.

History

The name ''Schweizerhaus'' is derived from a ''Schweizer Meierei'' (Swiss dairy) that was opened in the

in 1868. It supposedly already existed in 1766 as the ''Schweizer Hütte'' (Swiss lodge) in the Prater, which was not yet a public park at this time. In 1814 it was reputedly renamed ''Zum russischen Kaiser'' (Russian Tsar). From 1907 to 1920, there was already a restaurant at the present location of the Schweizerhaus. It was operated by a host named Jan Gabriel before Karl Kolarik took it over and made it into a family business. The term ''Schweiz'' (Switzerland) in the name of the restaurant has little or nothing to do with Switzerland, and is not even due to an original Swiss owner. Rather, the name came about because, in the time of the emperors, Switzerland had been, for centuries, associated with opulence and sophisticated gastronomy.

Fire in the Schweizerhaus

On the night of the 10th and 11 June 2005, a fire broke out in the Schweizerhaus . According to police reports, it was a case of arson by a yet unknown person.

References

External links

Official site
{{Coord, 48, 12, 50, N, 16, 24, 04, E, region:AT-9_type:landmark_source:dewiki, display=title Drinking establishments in Europe Restaurants in Vienna Buildings and structures in Leopoldstadt Prater

Beer garden

History

Fire in the Schweizerhaus

See also

References

External links