Schweizerhaus

The Schweizerhaus (literally "Swiss house") is a Viennese restaurant, rich in tradition, that is inseparably linked with the Prater, a large public area and park in Vienna, Austria's capital.

Beer garden

The restaurant has a huge beer garden which is subdivided into smaller areas, each of which is named accordingly to a town district of Vienna (itself being situated in Leopoldstadt, 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 and Wiener Schnitzel, the trademark dish of the restaurant is Schweinsstelzen (pig's feet). Another specialty is Budweiser Budvar beer, a popular beer brand from the Czech Republic, 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 Prater 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. The motive is still unclear, since no threats or other clues were left behind. There is no question of insurance fraud since the Schweizerhaus does extremely well economically.

External links

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Anja Z.
14 July 2017
Erdäpfelpuffer = fried potato pancake, greasy as fuck, but delicious. Bratwürstel mit Bierkraut = sausages with cabbage (sauerkraut), also delicious. Service fast as the speed of light. ????
FRITZ fritztheyodeler
16 July 2015
An authentic beer garden here with beer flowing (literally) until closing. Chow down on some pig/pork ankle and choose to he a glutton. It's ok, it's ok. Enjoy yourself. Get the cold "frucade" too.
Lubomir K.
14 June 2015
This is a must when you visit Vienna. Stelze (pork knee) is rather for 2 (hungry) people, because it weights around 1 kg. When larger group of people, be careful, waiters can do "weird" calculations ‼
Joanna
6 August 2021
8/10 Great beer garden with traditional Austrian food. Great service. Huge portions. We had Viennese schnitzel, dumplings, potato fritters with garlic, sausage with sweet mustard & goulash.
Sabrina
6 November 2016
Right by the amusement park "Prater". It has the best authentic austrian cuisine and it's always packed, so be sure to make reservations. gepudert.net
Natalia Honcharova
24 August 2019
Nice beer-garden but overcrowded as it’s located near the Prater amusement park. However, the area is quite big and you can always find a sit somewhere outside or at the 2nd floor ????????
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8.6/10
Anton Nekhaenko and 95,539 more people have been here
Map
Waldsteingartenstraße, 1020 Vienna, Austria Get directions
Mon-Sun 11:00 AM–11:00 PM

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