Rapidly
Words: Guirec Munier
Images: Guirec Munier
On this summer Sunday in the Hütteldorf district of western Vienna, the Weststadion stands on the ruins of the Hanappi-Stadion, the former stadium of Austria's most popular and successful club, Rapid Wien.
While Viennese fans and those of FC Blau-Weiß Linz share the same Biergarten without any animosity, Rapid Wien ultras gather in front of the entrances to Block West two hours before the Bundesliga season kickoff.
As with virtually every home game, Block West is sold out. 8,000 people, mostly ultras, coexist and coordinate despite belonging to different groups. Due to their seniority, it’s the two Ultras Rapid capos who set the tone.
The first ultra group in the German-speaking world, the Ultras Rapid are notably accompanied by Rapid Wien's two other main ultras groups: the Tornados and the Lords. The first group starts the chants, followed by the other two groups having a perch in the stand.
But you don't need to go into the stand to see that the ultras are proud of their belonging to the Block West. In the passageways, murals created in honor of the ultras groups cover the concrete, and stickers adorn every door.
©Guirec Munier/ Terrace Edition. Rapid Wien pre-match.
As the minutes tick by, Block West shouts again and again for its team, setting off numerous flares, and unfurling a sea of flags. Then, at the start of the last fifteen minutes, led by Block West, the entire Weststadion stands and passionately claps its hands for one minute.
It's the Rapid-Viertelstunde.
In the 75th minute of each game, the fans honour this century-old tradition. A tribute to the fighting spirit of Rapid Wien, which turned many matches around in the final fifteen minutes in the 1920s.
A rare occurrence in a stadium in 2025, no one immortalizes the atmosphere on their smartphone. Here, they don't take photos, they sing. Block West deliberately cultivates a touch of darkness.
At the final whistle, after a match dominated by Rapid Wien, the 8,000 supporters who had merged into one a few seconds earlier gradually disperse onto Gerhard-Hanappi-Platz.
©Guirec Munier/ Terrace Edition. Rapid Wien.
©Guirec Munier/ Terrace Edition. Rapid Wien.
©Guirec Munier/ Terrace Edition. Rapid Wien.
©Guirec Munier/ Terrace Edition. Rapid Wien.
©Guirec Munier/ Terrace Edition. Rapid Wien.
©Guirec Munier/ Terrace Edition. Rapid Wien.
©Guirec Munier/ Terrace Edition. Rapid Wien.
©Guirec Munier/ Terrace Edition. Rapid Wien.
©Guirec Munier/ Terrace Edition. Rapid Wien.
©Guirec Munier/ Terrace Edition. Rapid Wien.
©Guirec Munier/ Terrace Edition. Rapid Wien.
©Guirec Munier/ Terrace Edition. Rapid Wien.
©Guirec Munier/ Terrace Edition. Rapid Wien.
©Guirec Munier/ Terrace Edition. Rapid Wien.
©Guirec Munier/ Terrace Edition. Rapid Wien.
©Guirec Munier/ Terrace Edition. Rapid Wien.
Guirec is on Instagram: @jeanprouffisonfire
