Austria is not just an economic state and an enterprising country of passion and innovative entrepreneurs – it is also a cultural community and a nation that lives out its customs and traditions to the full. Many cultural institutions and celebrations promise a special experience, but only a few are inscribed in the World Heritage List or the Register of Intangible Cultural Heritage maintained by UNESCO (the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization). These indexes are part of the organisation’s mission to protect and preserve cultural heritage, including specific sites, monuments, landscapes and locations as well as artistic and orally transmitted traditions, social rituals, techniques of traditional craftsmanship and performing arts.
On the International Day of the Intangible Cultural Heritage in mid-October, six listings from Austria were added to the roll of honour. Along with the likes of yodelling, traditional Walser Valley costume craftsmanship, and the skills and customs associated with the rare “Tux-Zillertal” breed of cattle, a Viennese institution has been inscribed in UNESCO’s Register of Intangible Cultural Heritages: step forward, “Vienna Wurstelprater Culture”.
The Wurstelprater in Austria’s capital is one of the oldest amusement parks in the world. It has achieved international fame as a popular tourist attraction, but unlike similar theme parks, the Wurstelprater has always been free to enter, making it a very special place to meet all kinds of people – no less than seven million visitors come to enjoy its 50 hospitality outlets and more than 200 attractions every year. It has also proved a source of inspiration, content and a backdrop for writers, composers, and film-makers alike.
The leafy park, once an imperial hunting ground reserved for the aristocracy, was gifted to the people of Vienna as a place for rest and recreation by Kaiser Joseph II in 1766. When businesses selling food and drink were given permission to set up shop, it opened the doors to what has been the Prater’s calling card ever since – the publicans, coffee-sellers and gingerbread-bakers who hung out their shingles were followed in short order by swingboats, carousels and bowling alleys, and amusement and entertainment joined rest and relaxation as the order of the day. Since its earliest incarnation, the Wurstelprater has constantly updated itself, with cabinets of curiosities, marionette theatres, shooting ranges, hurdy-gurdies, pub singers, female ensembles, “Venice in Vienna” (probably the world’s first theme park), the ferris wheel and a host of modern and highly technical rides making an appearance. Such progress has been accelerated as experience and knowledge is handed down within the “Prater families”, many of whom have been established in the park since the 19th century and own some 90% of the businesses. They know the ropes and have been keeping the park alive and shaping its destiny for generations. It is they – along with the visitors – who create the Prater’s unique atmosphere.
It is precisely this tradition and culture that has been honoured as Intangible Heritage – just in time to celebrate the 260th anniversary of the Wiener Wurstelprater this year. Your UNESCO Cultural Heritage tour can now begin in Vienna and will take you through the whole of Austria.
