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28-504: The café was opened in 1876, and in the late 19th century it became a key meeting place of the Viennese intellectual scene. Key regulars included: Peter Altenberg , Theodor Herzl , Alfred Adler , Egon Friedell , Hugo von Hofmannsthal , Anton Kuh , Adolf Loos , Leo Perutz , Robert Musil , Stefan Zweig , Alfred Polgar , Adolf Hitler and Leon Trotsky . In January 1913 alone, Josip Broz Tito , Sigmund Freud , and Stalin were patrons of

56-513: 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

84-599: A permanent lifestyle choice. He cultivated a feminine appearance and feminine handwriting, wore a cape, sandals and a broad-brimmed hat, and despised 'macho' masculinity. Discovered by Arthur Schnitzler in 1894 and appreciated by Hugo von Hofmannsthal and Karl Kraus , Altenberg was one of the main proponents of Viennese Impressionism. He was a master of short, aphoristic stories based on close observation of everyday life events. After reading Altenberg's first published collection Wie ich es sehe (1896) Hofmannsthal wrote: "Even though entirely unconcerned with things important,

112-487: Is certainly known to have had a large collection of photographs and drawings of young girls, and those who knew him well (such as the daughter of his publisher) wrote of his adoration of young girls. Altenberg was never a commercially successful writer, but he did enjoy most if not all of the benefits of fame in his lifetime. Altenberg was at one point nominated for the Nobel Prize. Some of the aphoristic poetry he wrote on

140-470: 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 , Alfred Polgar , Friedrich Torberg , and Egon Erwin Kisch . Famous writer and poet Peter Altenberg even had his mail delivered to his favorite café,

168-408: 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

196-499: Is sometimes referred to as a cabaret or coffee house poet. His favorite coffeehouse was the Café Central , to which he even had his mail delivered. Altenberg's detractors said he was a drug addict and a womanizer . Altenberg was also rumored to have problems with alcoholism and mental illness . Yet his admirers considered him to be a highly creative individual with a great love for the aesthetic , for nature, and for young girls. He

224-611: Is that when Victor Adler objected to Count Berchtold , foreign minister of Austria-Hungary, that war would provoke revolution in Russia, even if not in the Habsburg monarchy , he replied: "And who will lead this revolution? Perhaps Mr. Bronstein (Leon Trotsky) sitting over there at the Cafe Central?" The café closed at the end of World War II . In 1975, the Palais Ferstel was renovated and

252-560: The Café Central . In Prague , Budapest , Sarajevo , Krakow , Trieste and Lviv and other cities of the Austro-Hungarian empire there were also many coffee houses according to the Viennese model. The Viennese coffee house culture then spread throughout Central Europe and created a special multicultural climate. Because here writers, artists, musicians, intellectuals, bon vivants and their financiers met. The Habsburg coffeehouses were then largely deprived of their cultural base by

280-546: The "Viennese Coffee House Culture" is listed as " Intangible Cultural Heritage " in the Austrian inventory of the "National Agency for the Intangible Cultural Heritage", a part of UNESCO . 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." The social practices, rituals, and elegance create the very specific atmosphere of

308-451: The Central was newly opened, although in a different part of the building. In 1986, it was fully renovated once again. Today it is both a tourist spot and a popular café marked by its place in literary history. 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

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336-604: 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 , 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

364-548: The Soul: Selected Prose of Peter Altenberg (2005). Altenberg, who never married, died on 8 January 1919, aged 59. He is buried at Central Cemetery in Vienna, Austria. The Altenberg Trio is named after Peter Altenberg. Viennese coffee house The Viennese coffee house ( German : das Wiener Kaffeehaus , Bavarian : as Weana Kafeehaus ) is a typical institution of Vienna that played an important part in shaping Viennese culture. Since October 2011

392-445: 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 . The Austrian writer Stefan Zweig described the Viennese coffee house as an institution of a special kind, "actually a sort of democratic club, open to everyone for

420-535: The backs of postcards and scraps of paper were set to music by composer Alban Berg . In 1913, Berg's Five songs on picture postcard texts by Peter Altenberg were premiered in Vienna. The piece caused an uproar, and the performance had to be halted: a complete performance of the work was not given until 1952. Altenberg, like many writers and artists, was constantly short of money, but he was adept at making friends, cultivating patrons, and convincing others to pay for his meals, his champagne, even his rent, with which he

448-406: The book has such a good conscience that one can immediately see that it cannot possibly be a German book. It is truly Viennese. It flaunts it – its origin – as it flaunts its attitude." At the fin de siècle , when Vienna was a major crucible and center for modern arts and culture, Altenberg was a very influential part of a literary and artistic movement known as Jung-Wien ( Young Vienna ). Altenberg

476-542: The city. He was born Richard Engländer on 9 March 1859 in Vienna into a Jewish family. The nom de plume, "Altenberg", came from a small town on the Danube river. Allegedly, he chose the "Peter" to honor a young girl whom he remembered as an unrequited love (it had been her nickname). Although he grew up in a middle class Jewish family, Altenberg eventually separated himself from his family of origin by dropping out of both law and medical school, and embracing Bohemianism as

504-554: The establishment. Tarot games of the Tarock family were played regularly here and Tapp Tarock was especially popular between the wars. The café was often referred to as the "Chess school" ( Die Schachhochschule ) because of the presence of many chess players who used the first floor for their matches. Members of the Vienna Circle of logical positivists held many meetings at the café before and after World War I . A well known story

532-535: The former lifestyle has been preserved by the locals. 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

560-405: The period such as Arthur Schnitzler , Stefan Zweig , Egon Schiele , Gustav Klimt , Adolf Loos , Theodor Herzl , and Alfred Adler . Joseph Stalin , Adolf Hitler , Leon Trotsky and Josip Broz Tito 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

588-457: 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

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616-583: 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

644-406: The spatial limitations of the 'Correspondenzkarte,' the postcard, first launched and disseminated in his native Austria in 1869. He became well known throughout Vienna after the publication of a book of his fragmentary observations of women and children in everyday street activities. Because most of his literary work was written while he frequented various Viennese bars and coffeehouses , Altenberg

672-433: Was a contemporary of Karl Kraus , Gustav Mahler , Arthur Schnitzler , Gustav Klimt , and Adolf Loos , with whom he had a very close relationship. He was somewhat older, in his early 30s, than the others. His oeuvre consists of short, poetic prose pieces that do not easily fit into usual formal categories. The inspiration for his trademark short prose he drew from the concise aesthetic of Charles Baudelaire's prose poems and

700-425: 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 businessman named Johannes Theodat  [ de ] (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

728-554: 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

756-466: Was frequently late. He repaid his debts with his talent, his wit, and his charm. Many academics consider him to have been a "bohemian's bohemian." Most of Altenberg's work is published in the German language and, outside of anthology pieces, is difficult to find. Much of it remains in university libraries or private collections. Two selections have been translated, Evocations of Love (1960) and Telegrams of

784-486: 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 , 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

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