Vienna Prater Park Opens for Business

This weekend was the official start for the opening of the funfair and amusement Park section of the Prater park, known as the Wurstelprater.

It includes 250 attractions which are accessed from the controversial Riesenradplatz that had been originally criticised because of cost – but feedback since its opening has been entirely positive from the companies operating there.

Previously there was a car park and a public toilet in the region – but since then the Disneyland style makeover to the entrance that includes space for a waxworks Madame Tussaud’s and a massive disco among other things has been widely regarded as a big improvement.

Restaurant owner Herbert Schmid said: “Its a great welcome to people visiting and I’m often completely booked up now.”

The development was originally supposed to cost 32 million euros but ended up costing almost double that.

The development was also criticised over the way the contracts for the building work were handed out and also because of its architectural and design layout which was regarded as kitsch.

But visitor numbers have so far proven the criticisms at least of the look to be groundless.