Lusthaus

On the site of the historic Lusthaus in Leopoldstadt, on the axis of the Prater Hauptallee next to the Freudenau, there was already a hunting lodge in the mid-16th century, which was rebuilt by Isidore Canevale in 1766 when the Vienna Prater was opened to the public. In the 19th century, the 8-cornered central building became a popular meeting place for Prater visitors. After a bomb hit during WW II, it was rebuilt in a somewhat simplified form in 1949.

The round hall on the ground floor is today used as a cafe-restaurant and shows representations of gods and heroes of Greek mythology. On the first floor there is a richly decorated hunting hall with a Diana cycle.

Isidore Canevale, an Austrian architect of French origin, was also responsible for the (recently reopened) Josephinum, the so-called Narrenturm and the striking entrance gate of the Augarten.