Aryanization

One of the most visible landmarks in Vienna’s skyline is a giant ferris wheel in the of an amusement park. According to Jewish Vienna, when Emperor Joseph II transferred the royal hunting grounds to the public in 1776, the Prater became an important place for rest and relaxation as well as celebrations and sporting events (Feuerstein and Milchram 111). The Prater was filled with sensational attractions and was loved by the citizens of Vienna and tourists alike.

The park and the ferris wheel (the main attraction) was built around the turn of the century by Gabor Steiner. Steiner was a Jew. When the park opened in 1895, this was not a problem and for nearly forty years the people of Vienna came to the park to relax and enjoy themselves.

The invading Nazis believed that many of buildings and scenes that Steiner created were exotic and decadent (and therefore degenerate). The Nazis decided to destroy and rebuild the park according to their ideology. This process, along with any circumstances in which Nazis stole or significantly modified something owned or created by a Jew, was referred to as Aryanization. Under the concept of Aryanization, 60,000 Jewish homes in Vienna and 2.3 billion Reich mark in total assets were stolen during WWII (Feuerstein and Milchram 76). If an Austrian Jew was fortunate enough to have survived the Holocaust, he or she no longer had any property or assets.

As for Steiner, he was fortunate enough to emigrate to Hollywood in 1938. All that remains of the beautiful recreations of Venice and beautiful scenery that he created is a small side street in the park.