Long wait comes to an end

Winter-proof new home for Vienna’s skaters

Plenty of space for grinds, flips and more skateboard tricks(Bild: Stadt Wien/Markus Wache)

The long-promised hall for young acrobats on skateboards, BMX bikes and scooters has opened its doors in Strebersdorf. It took the city some time, but it has now realized what it has in the skater scene, because it is not just about tricks, but also about values.

For Vienna's skaters, BMX and scooter acrobats, the wait is over: at Strebersdorfer Vohburggasse 2, they finally have the 1500 square meter winter-proof home they have been promised for years. The city listened to the skaters all the more when planning the new skate hall: courses and infrastructure were developed together with them, right down to the living tree in the middle of the obstacle landscape.

Skating is more than "just" tricks on wheels
It took the city a long time to warm to the skater culture. In the meantime, it knows what it has in it: At the opening ceremony, Deputy Mayor for Youth Christoph Wiederkehr emphasized that skating also teaches "social skills such as respect, teamwork and perseverance". Sports councillor Peter Hacker also emphasized the quality of sport as a "point of contact with cohesion and team spirit". District head Georg Papai emphasized the "social added value of the hall".

Hacker, Wiederkehr and Papai at the opening of the new hall(Bild: Stadt Wien/Markus Wache)

Anyone who wants to get to know the sport can hire equipment.(Bild: Stadt Wien/Markus Wache)

The obstacles were developed together with Viennese skaters.(Bild: Stadt Wien/Markus Wache)

The well-known environmental physician Hans-Peter Hutter has already tested the new hall as an enthusiastic skater.(Bild: Stadt Wien/Markus Wache)

In addition to obstacles and courses, the hall also offers plenty of space for breaks.(Bild: Stadt Wien/Markus Wache)

Beginners as well as advanced skaters will find the right challenges for them.(Bild: Stadt Wien/Markus Wache)

City stays in the background with youth work
In fact, the city rarely gets as much youth work for free as in the skater scene. Mutual respect, encouragement and a sense of responsibility are part of the code of honor. Anyone who makes derogatory remarks about age, ability or even gender is excluding themselves. The city has been attached to the scene for some time with its youth work structures and remains in the background, as it does in the new hall.

In the hall - accessible to the public via the S-Bahn and the 34A - you can roll off from the age of six, and from the age of 10 without an accompanying person. Equipment and helmets are available for hire, and help, tips and courses are also available. Day tickets are available from 2.50 euros, tickets for the whole season from 69 euros. So that skaters, BMX artists and scooters don't get in each other's way, there are different times for the different disciplines and groups. Admission is free on the opening weekend.