
The Viennese coffee house (, ) is a typical institution of
Vienna
Vienna ( ; ; ) is the capital city, capital, List of largest cities in Austria, most populous city, and one of Federal states of Austria, nine federal states of Austria. It is Austria's primate city, with just over two million inhabitants. ...
that played an important part in shaping Viennese culture.
Since October 2011 the "Viennese Coffee House Culture" is listed as an "
Intangible Cultural Heritage
An intangible cultural heritage (ICH) is a practice, representation, expression, knowledge, or skill considered by UNESCO to be part of a place's cultural heritage. Buildings, historic places, monuments, and artifacts are cultural property. In ...
" in the Austrian inventory of the "National Agency for the Intangible Cultural Heritage", a part of
UNESCO
The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO ) is a List of specialized agencies of the United Nations, specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) with the aim of promoting world peace and International secur ...
. The Viennese coffee house is described in this inventory as a place, "where time and space are consumed, but only the coffee is found on the bill."
Viennese coffee house culture

The social practices, rituals, and elegance create the very specific atmosphere of the Viennese café.
Coffee houses entice with a wide variety of coffee drinks, international newspapers, and pastry creations. Typical for Viennese coffee houses are marble tabletops,
Thonet chairs, newspaper tables and interior design details in the style of
historicism
Historicism is an approach to explaining the existence of phenomena, especially social and cultural practices (including ideas and beliefs), by studying the process or history by which they came about. The term is widely used in philosophy, ant ...
.
The Austrian writer
Stefan Zweig
Stefan Zweig ( ; ; 28 November 1881 – 22 February 1942) was an Austrian writer. At the height of his literary career, in the 1920s and 1930s, he was one of the most widely translated and popular writers in the world.
Zweig was raised in V ...
described the Viennese coffee house as an institution of a special kind, "actually a sort of democratic club, open to everyone for the price of a cheap cup of coffee, where every guest can sit for hours with this little offering, to talk, write, play cards, receive post, and above all consume an unlimited number of newspapers and journals."
Zweig in fact attributed a good measure of Vienna's cosmopolitan air to the rich daily diet of current and international information offered in the coffee houses.
In many classic cafés (for example
Café Central and Café Prückel) piano music is played in the evening and social events like literary readings are held. In warmer months, customers can often sit outside in a
Schanigarten. Almost all coffee houses provide small food dishes like sausages as well as desserts, cakes and tarts, like
Apfelstrudel,
Millirahmstrudel,
Punschkrapfen and
Linzer torte.
Unlike some other café traditions around the world, it is completely normal for a customer to linger alone for hours and study the omnipresent newspaper. Along with coffee, the waiter will serve an obligatory glass of cold tap water and during a long stay will often bring additional water unrequested, with the idea to serve the guest with an exemplary sense of attention.
In the late 19th and early 20th century, leading writers of the time became attached to the atmosphere of Viennese cafés and were frequently seen to meet, exchange and to even write there. Literature composed in cafés is commonly referred to as coffee house literature, the writers thereof as coffee house poets. The famous journal ''
Die Fackel'' ("The Torch") by
Karl Kraus is said to have been written in cafés to a large extent. Other coffee house poets include
Arthur Schnitzler
Arthur Schnitzler (15 May 1862 – 21 October 1931) was an Austrian author and dramatist. He is considered one of the most significant representatives of Viennese Modernism. Schnitzler’s works, which include psychological dramas and narratives ...
,
Alfred Polgar,
Friedrich Torberg, and
Egon Erwin Kisch. Famous writer and poet
Peter Altenberg
Peter Altenberg (9 March 1859 – 8 January 1919) was a writer and poet from Vienna, Austria. He played a key role in the genesis of early modernism in the city.
Biography
He was born Richard Engländer on 9 March 1859 in Vienna into a Jews, J ...
even had his mail delivered to his favorite café, the
Café Central.

In
Prague
Prague ( ; ) is the capital and List of cities and towns in the Czech Republic, largest city of the Czech Republic and the historical capital of Bohemia. Prague, located on the Vltava River, has a population of about 1.4 million, while its P ...
,
Budapest
Budapest is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns of Hungary, most populous city of Hungary. It is the List of cities in the European Union by population within city limits, tenth-largest city in the European Union by popul ...
,
Sarajevo
Sarajevo ( ), ; ''see Names of European cities in different languages (Q–T)#S, names in other languages'' is the Capital city, capital and List of cities in Bosnia and Herzegovina, largest city of Bosnia and Herzegovina, with a population of 2 ...
,
Krakow,
Trieste
Trieste ( , ; ) is a city and seaport in northeastern Italy. It is the capital and largest city of the Regions of Italy#Autonomous regions with special statute, autonomous region of Friuli-Venezia Giulia, as well as of the Province of Trieste, ...
and
Lviv
Lviv ( or ; ; ; see #Names and symbols, below for other names) is the largest city in western Ukraine, as well as the List of cities in Ukraine, fifth-largest city in Ukraine, with a population of It serves as the administrative centre of ...
and other cities of the
Austro-Hungarian empire
Austria-Hungary, also referred to as the Austro-Hungarian Empire, the Dual Monarchy or the Habsburg Monarchy, was a multi-national constitutional monarchy in Central Europe between 1867 and 1918. A military and diplomatic alliance, it consist ...
there were also many coffee houses according to the Viennese model. The Viennese coffee house culture then spread throughout
Central Europe
Central Europe is a geographical region of Europe between Eastern Europe, Eastern, Southern Europe, Southern, Western Europe, Western and Northern Europe, Northern Europe. Central Europe is known for its cultural diversity; however, countries in ...
and created a special multicultural climate. Because here writers, artists, musicians, intellectuals, bon vivants and their financiers met. The
Habsburg
The House of Habsburg (; ), also known as the House of Austria, was one of the most powerful dynasties in the history of Europe and Western civilization. They were best known for their inbreeding and for ruling vast realms throughout Europe d ...
coffeehouses were then largely deprived of their cultural base by the Holocaust and the expulsions of National Socialism and the economic prerequisites by communism.
This special atmosphere was only able to persist in Vienna and in a few other places. In particular in
Trieste
Trieste ( , ; ) is a city and seaport in northeastern Italy. It is the capital and largest city of the Regions of Italy#Autonomous regions with special statute, autonomous region of Friuli-Venezia Giulia, as well as of the Province of Trieste, ...
, which has been "forgotten" for a long time since 1918 and the many upheavals, there are still many of the former Viennese coffee houses (Caffè Tommaseo, Caffè San Marco, Caffè degli Specchi, Caffè Tergesteo, Caffè Stella Polare) in which the former lifestyle has been preserved by the locals.
History

Legend has it that soldiers of the Polish-Habsburg army, while liberating Vienna from the
second Turkish siege in 1683, found a number of sacks with strange beans that they initially thought were camel feed and wanted to burn. The Polish king
Jan III Sobieski granted the sacks to one of his officers named
Jerzy Franciszek Kulczycki, who, according to Catholic priest Gottfried Uhlich in 1783 in his ''History of the second Turkish Siege'', was assumed to have started the first coffee house, the ''
Hof zur Blauen Flasche''.
According to the legend, after some experimentation, Kulczycki added some sugar and milk, and the Viennese coffee tradition was born. This achievement has been recognized in many modern Viennese coffeehouses by hanging a picture of Kulczycki in the window.
Another account is that Kulczycki, having spent two years in Ottoman captivity, knew perfectly well what coffee really was and tricked his superiors into granting him the beans that were considered worthless.
However, according to recent research, Vienna's first coffee house was actually opened by an
Armenian
Armenian may refer to:
* Something of, from, or related to Armenia, a country in the South Caucasus region of Eurasia
* Armenians, the national people of Armenia, or people of Armenian descent
** Armenian diaspora, Armenian communities around the ...
businessman named (aka Johannes Diodato or Deodat and Owanes Astouatzatur) in 1685.
15 years later, four Greek-owned coffeehouses had the privilege to serve coffee.
The new drink was well received, and coffee houses began to pop up rapidly. In the early period, the various drinks had no names, and customers would select the mixtures from a colour-shaded chart.
The heyday of the coffee house was the turn of the nineteenth century when writers like
Peter Altenberg
Peter Altenberg (9 March 1859 – 8 January 1919) was a writer and poet from Vienna, Austria. He played a key role in the genesis of early modernism in the city.
Biography
He was born Richard Engländer on 9 March 1859 in Vienna into a Jews, J ...
,
Alfred Polgar,
Egon Friedell,
Karl Kraus,
Hermann Broch and
Friedrich Torberg made them their preferred place of work and pleasure. Many famous artists, scientists, and politicians of the period such as
Arthur Schnitzler
Arthur Schnitzler (15 May 1862 – 21 October 1931) was an Austrian author and dramatist. He is considered one of the most significant representatives of Viennese Modernism. Schnitzler’s works, which include psychological dramas and narratives ...
,
Stefan Zweig
Stefan Zweig ( ; ; 28 November 1881 – 22 February 1942) was an Austrian writer. At the height of his literary career, in the 1920s and 1930s, he was one of the most widely translated and popular writers in the world.
Zweig was raised in V ...
,
Egon Schiele
Egon Leo Adolf Ludwig Schiele (; 12 June 1890 – 31 October 1918) was an Austrian Expressionist painters, painter. His work is noted for its intensity and its raw sexuality, and for the many self-portraits the artist produced, including nude sel ...
,
Gustav Klimt
Gustav Klimt (14 July 1862 – 6 February 1918) was an Austrian symbolist painter and a founding member of the Vienna Secession movement. His work helped define the Art Nouveau style in Europe. Klimt is known for his paintings, murals, sket ...
,
Adolf Loos,
Theodor Herzl
Theodor Herzl (2 May 1860 – 3 July 1904) was an Austria-Hungary, Austro-Hungarian Jewish journalist and lawyer who was the father of Types of Zionism, modern political Zionism. Herzl formed the World Zionist Organization, Zionist Organizat ...
, and
Alfred Adler
Alfred Adler ( ; ; 7 February 1870 – 28 May 1937) was an Austrian medical doctor, psychotherapist, and founder of the school of individual psychology. His emphasis on the importance of feelings of belonging, relationships within the family, a ...
.
Joseph Stalin
Joseph Vissarionovich Stalin (born Dzhugashvili; 5 March 1953) was a Soviet politician and revolutionary who led the Soviet Union from 1924 until Death and state funeral of Joseph Stalin, his death in 1953. He held power as General Secret ...
,
Adolf Hitler
Adolf Hitler (20 April 1889 – 30 April 1945) was an Austrian-born German politician who was the dictator of Nazi Germany from 1933 until Death of Adolf Hitler, his suicide in 1945. Adolf Hitler's rise to power, He rose to power as the lea ...
,
Leon Trotsky
Lev Davidovich Bronstein ( – 21 August 1940), better known as Leon Trotsky,; ; also transliterated ''Lyev'', ''Trotski'', ''Trockij'' and ''Trotzky'' was a Russian revolutionary, Soviet politician, and political theorist. He was a key figure ...
and
Josip Broz Tito
Josip Broz ( sh-Cyrl, Јосип Броз, ; 7 May 1892 – 4 May 1980), commonly known as Tito ( ; , ), was a Yugoslavia, Yugoslav communist revolutionary and politician who served in various positions of national leadership from 1943 unti ...
were all living in Vienna in 1913, and they were constant coffee house patrons.
In the 1950s, the period of "coffee house death" began, as many famous Viennese coffee houses had to close. This was due to the popularity of television and the appearance of modern espresso bars.
Nevertheless, many of these classic Viennese coffee houses still exist. A renewed interest in their tradition and tourism have prompted a comeback. Some relatively modern Viennese coffee houses have emerged in North America, such as Julius Meinl Chicago and Kaffeehaus de Châtillon in the greater Seattle area and Cafe Sabarsky in Manhattan. In Jerusalem there is a Viennese coffee house in the
Austrian Hospice.
Notable coffee houses
*
Aida, a chain of traditional Viennese coffee and pastry shops with locations all over the city; one popular location is right beside Stephansplatz.
*
Café Bräunerhof, Stallburggasse 2
*
Café Central, in Vienna, in the Palais Ferstel, Herrengasse 14 (corner of Strauchgasse) –
Peter Altenberg
Peter Altenberg (9 March 1859 – 8 January 1919) was a writer and poet from Vienna, Austria. He played a key role in the genesis of early modernism in the city.
Biography
He was born Richard Engländer on 9 March 1859 in Vienna into a Jews, J ...
's favorite café and at times his primary address
*
Café Demel, Kohlmarkt 14 – the most famous sweet bakery, less of a typical café
*
Café Griensteidl, Michaelerplatz 2 – the favourite café of
Leon Trotsky
Lev Davidovich Bronstein ( – 21 August 1940), better known as Leon Trotsky,; ; also transliterated ''Lyev'', ''Trotski'', ''Trockij'' and ''Trotzky'' was a Russian revolutionary, Soviet politician, and political theorist. He was a key figure ...
and many writers of that era, closed June 2017
*
Café Hawelka, Dorotheergasse 6
*
Café Landtmann, Universitätsring 4 –
Sigmund Freud
Sigmund Freud ( ; ; born Sigismund Schlomo Freud; 6 May 1856 – 23 September 1939) was an Austrian neurologist and the founder of psychoanalysis, a clinical method for evaluating and treating psychopathology, pathologies seen as originating fro ...
's preferred café
*
Café Museum, Operngasse 7
*
Café Sacher, Philharmonikerstraße 4 (a café part of the Hotel Sacher)
*
Café Savoy, Linke Wienzeile 36
*
Café Schwarzenberg, Kärntner Ring 17 (at Schwarzenbergplatz)
*
Café Sperl, Gumpendorferstraße 11
*
Kaffee Alt Wien, Bäckerstraße 9
*
Vollpension
Vollpension () is a Viennese coffee house culture, coffee house in Vienna, Austria. It is best known for employing the elderly as bakers and servers, thus supplementing the low income of retirees and providing opportunities for socialization. It i ...
, generational-bridging cafés in the 1st and 4th district that offer seniors a way out of financial and contact poverty
See also
*
Karlsbad coffee
*
Young Vienna
Young Vienna (''Jung-Wien''), also referred to as Young Austria, was a society of ''fin de siècle'' writers who met in Vienna's Café Griensteidl and other nearby coffeehouses in the late nineteenth century.
The group turned away from the preva ...
, literary movement that arose around Viennese coffee houses
*
Parisian café
*
*
*
References
Further reading
*
*
* (328 pages)
* (4+xii+205 pages)
External links
{{Types of coffeehouses
*
Cafe
A coffeehouse, coffee shop, or café (), is an establishment that serves various types of coffee, espresso, latte, americano and cappuccino, among other hot beverages. Many coffeehouses in West Asia offer ''shisha'' (actually called ''nargil ...
Types of coffeehouses and cafés
Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity