History

1840

1 March 1840: Josef Georg Daum, proprietor of a café in the Kohlmarkt area, opens the amusement arcade Neue Elysium with a lavish gala in the spacious cellar of the St. Anna buildings in the Johannesgasse, eager for it to become a temple of attractions. The building is part of the substantial St. Anna monastery and has been home to the imperial boarding school since 1774. Daum had established the "old" Elysium in 1833 in Seitzerhof, but it was later demolished in 1838.

Daum spares no expense in furnishing the large, multi-level vaults of the Johannesgasse and creates a world of illusion and ocular attractions. Numerous exhibits, theatre productions, balls, and concerts are hosted at the Elysium, which even has its own horse-drawn railway to transport enthused audiences from one attraction to the other while it "tours" the various continents of the world. Just as on an amusement ride, the continents whiz past the spectators: "Asia" with its oriental prince’s tent and Turkish orchestra, "Europe" with both elegant (dancehall) and homely (alpine hut) exhibits, "Africa" with its Egyptian tent looking out onto the pyramids, a Harem guarded by a pasha and the "battle of the sons of the desert" and, finally, "America", complete with ancient forests and real apes and parrots. Panoramic tableaux, lighting effects, waterfalls, conjuring tricks and pantomimes all enrich the offerings of the amusement hall. In December 1840 Daum extends his voyage around the world to "Australia" with a display of its then largely unknown landscape full of strange creatures. The number of attractions grows by the year and with its carnival parades, performers, ballets, fortune tellers, dwarfs and giants, living pictures, and projected performances the Neue Elysium establishes itself in front of the Prater Park as the leading amusement centre of its time. Josef Daum dies of cholera in 1854, and although his son takes over the running of the business he is forced to close the Neue Elysium in 1864 due to poor takings.

Neue Elysium, about 1840