Leopoldstadt is a district located in the centre of the city of Vienna, Austria and representative island created due to the surrounding waters of the Danube River and Danube Canal. This 19 square kilometre area of land is home to nearly 100,000 people and often referred to as Matzo Island due to its high prevalence of Jewish lineage.
Leopoldstadt is teeming with cultural landmarks, most notably the Wiener Prater, containing a large amusement park and iconic Wiener Riesenrad Ferris wheel. Another place of interest is the riveting Augarten, Vienna’s oldest Baroque Park with its exquisite flower varieties and towering pathways of trees. Leopoldstadt offers innumerable art attractions including multiple theatres and cinemas with remaining notable landmarks consisting of the Vienna Museum and the Augarten Bridge.
Public transportation around the island is prevalent, centred at the main station Praterstern. This station routes all major bus, tram, and U-Bahn lines. From the Vienna International Airport, the S-Bahn can be taken to Praterstern.
Leopoldstadt is recognised as Vienna’s first Jewish community, established back in 1625 under Rabbi Yom-Tov Lipmann Heller. The Holocaust broke down the community but after the fall of communism in 1989, the Jewish population was able to regrow within the area of Leopoldstadt.