Viennese Gray

This is a very old German rabbit breed selected from common rabbits found on the country's farms. It was first exhibited at Chemnitz under the name "German rabbit". All colours were permitted in the early breed standards. It weighed 2 to 2.5 kg at the time, but was quickly improved by crossing with giant breeds. It was then renamed "New German rabbit", but this did not prevent it from falling into oblivion. In the 1930s, Gustave Korn of Eislingen presented grey rabbits at the exhibition of the Swabian Vienna rabbit breeders' club. They were well received and after a few years were recognized by German standards under the name "Vienna Grey". The breed was subsequently renamed "German rabbit" in 1943. After World War II and various crosses with Vienna and chinchilla rabbits, the name "Vienna Grey" returned to German standards and gradually gained some success in that country.

The Vienna Grey is a medium-sized rabbit weighing between 3 and 5 kg. It has a cylindrical body, very muscular, broad and compact, with a strong neck and a regular dorsal line. The neck is fairly short and carries a strong and broad head. The ears are upright, well-opened, and measure between 11 and 13.5 cm. A slight dewlap is tolerated in females. The fur is fairly long, very dense, supple and airy. It is grey-brown speckled with black, with shades ranging from hare grey to quite dark grey. A blue undercolour and a reddish in-between colour are observed. The edge of the ears is marked with a black line. A pale ring surrounds the eyes and the underside of the paws, chin, belly and tail are white. The eyes are brown.