Viennese Prater by Night

The so-called Prater is a massive park in the 2nd district of Vienna, and just a relatively small part of it is actually an amusement area. As a kid, I loved going there; it was our miniature version of Disneyland without Micky. Interestingly, the Prater hasn’t changed much since back in the 90s (still many Spice Girls and lousy techno music is played at the attractions astoundingly), and kids continue to love it. My first roller coaster ride was on the “Wilde Maus” (picture 2), and I will never forget how my father and I went lost in a house of horror, using a lighter to find the way out. Or how we used to get there on the 1st of May with friends. A construction of steel spinning around its axis was always somewhere in the background, with small red wagons attached to the outer frame. The beating heart of the park is the so-called “Riesenrad.” One of the oldest Ferris wheels in Europe is still standing and is also one of the defining landmarks of Vienna (picture 5).