Perhaps unexpectedly, Leopoldstadt earned the nickname “Matzo Island”. Leopoldstadt is the 2nd municipal district of Vienna in Austria. It is in the heart of the city. Leopoldstadt forms a large island with Brigittenau. The island is surrounded by the Danube Canal and the Danube. As of 2016, over 103000 people inhabited Leopoldstadt.
Leopoldstadt’s story is deeply intertwined with Vienna’s Jewish community. Rabbi Yom-Tov Lipmann Heller became rabbi of Vienna in 1625. He secured the right for Jews to establish a central community in Leopoldstadt. By the mid-17th century, the Jewish ghetto was part of the built-up area. It was called Im Werd. The Jewish population lived in Unterer Werd.
Leopold I, Holy Roman Emperor, harbored hatred for the Jews. In 1670, he forcefully expelled the Jewish community. This event is known as Vienna Gesera. The local non-Jewish population supported the expulsion. The inhabitants renamed the area Leopoldstadt in honor of the emperor.
During the Austro-Hungarian Empire, Jewish immigrants flocked to Leopoldstadt. They came from eastern parts of the realm. The Nordbahnhof railway station was nearby. It was a main arrival point for migrants. The high number of Jewish residents led to the nickname “Mazzesinsel”. This translates to “Island of Matzo”. It refers to the unleavened bread eaten during Passover.
Leopoldstadt housed several important synagogues. These included the Schiff Shul and the Leopoldstädter Tempel. Also important were the Türkischer Tempel, the Polnische Schul, and the Pazmanitentempel. Yeshivas were located here, too.
During Kristallnacht in November 1938, all synagogues were destroyed. This happened after Nazi Germany annexed Austria. Heschel Messias saved a Torah scroll fragment from a burning synagogue. The Jewish population was isolated and terrorized. They were deported to concentration camps like Auschwitz. The once thriving communal life was destroyed. Only a few survivors hid until the war’s end. Thousands had lived here before.
After the Iron Curtain fell in 1989, Leopoldstadt’s Jewish population grew again. Immigrants came from Eastern Europe and the former Soviet Union. Today, many members of Vienna’s Jewish community live in Leopoldstadt. There are kosher shops and restaurants. Gentrification has shifted Leopoldstadt from working-class roots. It is now home to a wealthier population.
Leopoldstadt offers much to see. The Wiener Prater is a former imperial hunting ground. It opened to the public in 1766. The Volksprater amusement park is near the city center. The Wiener Riesenrad Ferris wheel opened in 1897. It featured in the movie “The Third Man”. The Schweizerhaus boasts a huge beer garden. It sells original Czech Budweiser draught beer. They claim potato crisps were invented there in the 1920s. The Republic of Kugelmugel is a micronation proclaimed in 1984. A miniature steam railway passes Vienna’s Ernst-Happel-Stadion.
Another park is the topiary-type Augarten. It is home to the Vienna Boys’ Choir. The Augarten-Porzellan porcelain manufactory is here. Two disused Flak towers built during World War II stand here.
The Leopoldstadt Museum focuses on the arts. It covers the Theater in Leopoldstadt and the Jewish Ghetto. The Museum für Unterhaltungskunst covers clowns and circuses. The Wiener Kriminalmuseum explores the history of the judiciary and police.
Today, Leopoldstadt stands as a testament to Vienna’s layered history. It shows resilience and cultural diversity. Leopoldstadt is more than just a district. It is a living narrative.