Hetztheater

It was a circular structure based on the amphitheaters of ancient Rome used for gladiatorial combat and animal baiting.

Similar structures existed in the Baroque period in Berlin (the Hetzgarten), Nuremberg (Fechthaus) and in Königsberg.

The Frenchman Carl Defraine built a large wooden amphitheater with three tiers in 1755, which could hold about 3,000 people and which flourished for several decades despite high admission prices.

The Viennese dialect expression "Hetz" in the meaning of "fun" originates from the events at the structure.

As a result, Emperor Franz II no longer issued a permit to hold animal baiting.