The Stuwerviertel Near Messe Wien
The Messe Wien Exhibition & Congress Center, or Messe Wien for short, is one of the most important venues in Meeting Destination Vienna. Best for business and state-of-the-art: with its 73,000 square meters of exhibition space, it is the most spacious and flexible venue in Austria, hosting everything from corporate events to conventions, galas and trade fairs with up to 160,000 visitors.
Immerse yourself in the Stuwerviertel
The Stuwerviertel, which is located right next to Messe Wien, is easy to explore on foot. It's diverse, relaxed and just a little bohemian here. The area's disreputable reputation, from when it was home to the red light scene, is a thing of the past. The neighborhood is maturing: culinary hotspots such as the Vorgartenmarkt are lighting up the area. Laid-back hotels and unusual museums appeal to those who prefer to escape the mainstream. You might be interested to know that the neighborhood takes its name from Johann Georg Stuwer, who organized popular fireworks displays in this area from 1774 onwards.
Apartment houses and religious buildings
An idyllic park called Venediger Au borders the Praterstern, which is a major transport hub with excellent connections to local public transport. Having crossed it, an unexpected architectural jewel awaits: a self-contained ensemble of late historicist-secessionist apartment buildings, most of which have front gardens (Venediger Au nos. 2-7, at the beginning of Stuwerstraße and at Ausstellungsstraße nos. 3-7). One of the architectural highlights of the Stuwerviertel is the Mexican Church, which is actually the parish church of St. Francis of Assisi, built in 1910. Its red tiled roofs shimmer in the sunlight and the architecture is playful. Traffic-calmed streets, often lined with mature trees, create a verdant atmosphere.
Gastro hotspot: Vorgartenmarkt
The Vorgartenmarkt should be a permanent fixture on any tour of the Stuwer Grätzel - it is the neighborhood's culinary gem. Its stalls offer fruit, vegetables and specialty foods (extended until 1 pm on Fridays and Saturdays with the farmer's market) and alternate with hot food stalls: Ella's Twins serves the most beautiful coffee and cakes, Fisch am Markt offers up fresh catches and Pizzeria Il Mercato adds an Italian touch.
Restaurants & taverns
A short distance from the Vorgartenmarkt, the restaurant Zum Mährischen Spatzen offers burgers, schnitzel and roast pork in a rustic ambience complete with dark wood paneling. Proceeding along Stuwerstraße, the Reinthaler is known for rustic, mostly baked home cooking (the highlight is the several varieties of schnitzel), the Gasthaus Möslinger is more elegant (with a focus on Waldviertel cuisine such as sweet poppy seed noodles and carp), while the Stuwer calls itself - and indeed is - a new kind of Viennese bistro that offers handmade and homemade Austrian cuisine with an international perspective yet still attaching importance to regionality.
At brösl, on the other hand, diners will be served up exciting interpretations of contemporary dishes that will vary depending on which high-quality ingredients are delivered that day. Farm-to-table is the motto. The historic character of the previous guesthouse has been preserved and fused with industrial chic (be sure to check out the dramatic ceiling painting!).
Here's another culinary tip for the gourmets: Zazatam at the boutique hotel Zola (also recommended for overnight stays!) treats diners to international fine-dining cuisine. The romantic guest garden feels like it was made for perfect summer evenings, and unusual cocktails are the perfect accompaniment. This beautiful villa with its surrounding idyllic garden was once home to an officers' mess.
Museums of a different kind
In the mood for a spot of culture? The funky Circus and Clown Museum at Ilgplatz revisits the history of magic in all its forms and has a substantial collection of props, costumes, scenery and stories. It offers in-depth glimpses into the history of the circus and its clowns. Unfortunately, it is only open on Sundays (10 am - 1 pm), but sometimes there are also guided tours or events such as clown shows.
Continuing the stroll through the Stuwerviertel towards the Prater reveals the Prater Museum, which opened in 2024. Among the exhibits on display will be the traces of the predecessor of today’s Wurstelprater, which was destroyed during the Second World War.
Other neighbors around Messe Wien
The Stuwerviertel borders directly onto the world-famous Prater amusement park. A ride on the Giant Ferris Wheel offers the most beautiful bird's eye view of the neighborhood. There's plenty of fun to be had on the numerous rides, or why not go for a relaxing stroll in the adjacent Green Prater, a huge recreational area with woods, meadows and water features.
Located in the Prater itself one can find MIRAGE, a new event venue suitable for a wide variety of event formats. It can accommodate up to 250 people with gala seating.
There are several modern hotels located between the Prater and Messe Wien that also have meeting rooms: the Zoku Vienna, the Superbude Wien Prater, the Courtyard by Marriott Wien Prater/Messe and the Hampton by Hilton Vienna Messe.
From Messe Wien, the tour continues to the campus of the Vienna University of Economics and Business - an educational hotspot and architectural landmark - and to Viertel Zwei, one of Vienna's most impressive urban development projects.
Ivie-Walk Stuwerviertel & Prater
If you would like to explore the Stuwerviertel on foot with your smartphone, you can find a walk in our city guide app, ivie.
