The early 19th Century had the park at the border of the city of Vienna, just inside the city walls, which were demolished in the mid-19th Century. The glacis in front of Karolinenstadttor (Caroline City Gate) were a famous site of enjoyment for young and old. Instead of the walls and the glacis, which were torn down by the Kaiser, a new boulevard was constructed – Ringstrasse. Mayor Zelinka initiated the construction of a park on the leftover territory, and municipal garden designer Rudolf Siebeck, who had been on-site since 1861, took the task. As a result, with the aid of landscape painter Joseph Selleny, the new City Park was laid out as a traditional English landscape. The official inauguration of Wiener Stadtpark in August of 1862 made it the first public park in the city of Vienna.

What opened in 1862 was actually on the left bank of the Wienfluss (Vienna River), which crosses through the city. A year later, the other part of the Stadtpark was established on the right bank of the small 35-kilometre river, featuring the so-called Kinderpark (Children’s Park). Then as now, this side of the Vienna River is a playground and sports area. Both sections of the park are connected via the Karolinenbrueke (Caroline Bridge) over the Vienna River, which was built in 1857. The modern name of this bridge (since 1918) is Stadtparkbrueke (City Park Bridge). The following years of the Stadtpark’s development were devoted to the regulation of the river and the construction of several bridges, as well as further creating the overall image of the park. A great impetus to the finalising of the park’s layout was given by the construction of the Kursalon (1867) and its surroundings. The Stadtpark underwent some more revisions at the beginning of the 20th Century, when architects Friedrich Ohmann and Josef Hackhofer regulated the river.

There are many sights in Wiener Stadtpark that deserve visitors’ attention. One of these is the Kursalon, where healing mineral water from the former water glacis was originally served. Kursalon’s functions developed further with the concert performances held there since the second half of the 19th Century. Another hot spot is the guilded bronze-and-marble relief, the Johan Strauss Monument, commemorating the so-called King of Waltz, who initiated the concerts in the Kursalon. Sculptures of other renowned musicians, such as Schubert and Stolz, are also on display there, adding to the largest sculpture collection among Vienna‘s parks. An interesting augmentation to the Stadpark is the Meierei, the ex-milk hall where a restaurant operates nowadays. Nevertheless, the Stadtpark is a natural green space and functions as such, with all of its amazing flora that is specially cared for to remain fresh and blooming throughout the year.