The story of Naturarena Hohe Warte: Stadium of Superlatives

Home-ground of the “Wunderteam”

In the beginning of the 1930s, the Hohe Warte stadium again made history. On May 16^th, 1931, the Austrian national team led by captain Hugo Meisl beat Scotland 5 goals to nil in front of 40,000 fans. The “Wunderteam”, in which First Vienna players Blum, Gschweidl, Hofmann and Rainer played crucial roles, was born. In the following two years, the “Wunderteam” would play 16 games against some of Europe’s strongest opposition, winning 12 and only losing 2. On April 24^th, 1932, one of the best matches of that period, an 8:2 victory against the archenemies Hungary in front of 60,000 fans, heralded the end of the Hohe Warte’s supremacy. In 1931, the more centrally located and modern Praterstadion was inaugurated and proved to be too strong a competitor, with most international games taking place there. Thus, the latest international game to date at Hohe Warte, a 3:5 loss against Hungary, took place on April 5^th, 1936.

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