Robert Frank

The Wurstelprater in Vienna is regarded as one of the world’s oldest amusement parks and celebrated its 250th anniversary in 2016. In his publication Endstation Sehnsucht. Der Wiener Prater, photographer Frank Robert shows the Prater’s numerous booths and rides as a social place where visitors set off on a journey into an artificial world. In this context, the Prater operates like a big stage: The sun, the play of light and shade, have the effect of spotlights which, as the photographer sees it, reveal new details on every visit. Even when the motif stays the same, something different about it emerges again and again. "The lots at the Prater are like organic cells, they constantly change and shift," says Robert. And so there are a number of discoveries to made in the 77 shots: a hodgepodge of exotic plastic animals, abandoned rides, and colorful monsters is explored by visitors in summer and winter alike, and shows the Prater as an amusement park that is not exactly defined by modern hi-tech. One of the main elements that have preserved its uniqueness is the fact that many attractions and booths are simply permitted to remain standing for longer here than elsewhere. But that is just one of many explanations for the special ambience at the Vienna Prater!