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Schweizerhaus

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 that time. In 1814 it was reputedly renamed Zum russischen Kaiser (Russian Tsar).
From 1907 to 1920, there was 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 or an original Swiss owner. Rather, the name came about in the time of the emperors because Switzerland had been associated for centuries with opulence and sophisticated gastronomy. Another theory is related to the Swiss hunting helpers on the imperial hunting grounds, who had a lodge there.

The Beer Garden:

The restaurant has a huge beer garden which is subdivided into smaller areas, each of which is modeled after a district of Vienna. The bar is an exception here, since it is named after the Viennese train station Franz-Josef-Bahnhof. Also, there are two independent areas which are named after two parts of the city: Oberlaa and Kaisermühlen. This arrangement is meant, above all, to make orientation easier within the garden. The various geographical reference points also help the crew.

Food and Drinks:
Apart from the classic Viennese culinary specialties, such as goulash and Wiener Schnitzel, the trademark dish of the restaurant is Schweinsstelzen (knuckle of pork) and Kartoffelpuffer (potato pancakes). Potato chips were invented here: At the time a thermostat for frying did not exist, so thin slices of potato were used as an indicator for temperature. Soon, they discovered that the fried potato chips also tasted great. Another culinary invention by Mr Kolarik senior was the Radimat–a piece of radish cut in the shape of a spiral.

Another specialty is Budweiser Budvar beer, a popular beer brand from the Czech Republic, served fresh from the tap with less CO2 than usual. Mr Pane Kolarik found his source of beer supply in 1924 in the town of Budweis. He spoke Czech well and this surely helped him to build up a business relationship which the Budweiser Brewery evaluates as follows: “The Schweizerhaus has always been our window on the world.”

Channel: Typisch Wien
Categories: Food & Drink, Wienerisch

Weiterführende Links:

• Budweiser wiki
• Falter
• schweizerhaus
• wiki