Schweizerhaus
The Schweizerhaus or “Swiss house” is a popular Viennese restaurant linked with Prater, a large park and public area in Vienna. Derived from the “Schweizer Mejerei” (Swiss dairy) that opened in the Prater around 1868, the Schweizerhaus supposedly existed around 1766 as the “Schweizer Hutte” (Swiss Lodge) at the Prater, but was not a public park yet. In 1814, the lodge was renamed as “Zum russischen Kaiser” (Russian Tsar). From 1907 up to 1920, the present location of the Schweizerhaus already had a running restaurant, which was operated by Jan Gabriel. The restaurant was then took over by Karl Kolarik and made the Schweizerhaus into a family business.
The term “Schweiz”, which means “Switzerland” used in the restaurant’s name, had nothing to do with the Switzerland country, and is not even named as such due to a previous Swiss owner. Instead, the restaurant’s name came about during the time of the emperors because Switzerland has been associated with luxurious and sophisticated cuisine.
The Schweizerhaus has a large beer garden that is subdivided into smaller areas. Each of the small areas is named after a town district of Vienna, except for the main bar. The name Franz-Josef-Bahnhof, for instance, is named aafter the Vienna railway station. Two other areas, called Kaisermuhlen and Oberlaa, are also named after Vienna city sectors. The arrangement of the beer garden was designed to keep an easier orientation within the huge garden, while helping the crew serve easily with geographical reference points.
The Schweizerhaus serves traditional Viennese culinary specialties, such as Wiener Schnitzel and goulash. However, the trademark dish of Schweizerhaus is the “Schweinsstelzen” (pig’s feet) and the Budweiser Budvar beer – a popular beer brand originating from Czech Republic – which is normally served fresh from the tap. The restaurant boasts a dish they call “Rohscheiben” (raw potato slices) that the restaurant claims they invented. Whether this claim is true or not, the dish truly has a distinct taste in all of Vienna. Today, the Schweizerhaus is open for business starting March 15 to October 31.
On the night of June 10 & 11, 2005, a fire broke out at the Schweizerhaus. According to local authorities, the fire was a case of arson from an unknown person with an unclear motive since there were no clues or threats left behind. Police did not question Schweizerhaus’ owners with insurance fraud as the restaurant is doing extremely well during the fire.
