Coffee houses and taverns were quick to move in to the Prater after it opened to the public. Circus folk, performers, and showpeople soon followed. Usually, they did not stay long in the Prater and often toured Europe with their acts and attractions. The position they held in society was an ambivalent one: while entertaining and diverting, bringing novelties to Vienna from around the world, they were also viewed with suspicion by the authorities and the Catholic Church. With the advent of the modern amusement park in the late 19th century, mechanical attractions took center stage, pushing out performers and circus acts.
The Nazi era left a deep mark on the Prater. Jewish proprietors were robbed of their assets, forced out, and murdered. Among those who profited from this were other Prater business owners. In the final weeks of World War II, a fire destroyed large parts of the Wurstelprater. Today, many of the attractions are owned by just a few families, often going back several generations. These are the “Prater dynasties” or, as they call themselves, the “Prater children.”