Inside one of Vienna's oldest coffeehouses, Cafe Landtmann

DW (English)

Austria's capital is world-famous for its coffeehouses. In 2011, they were declared as part of Austria's national inventory of intangible cultural heritage by UNESCO. What makes them so special?

Transcript

00:00Patrons of authentic Viennese coffee houses

00:05are not only served a cup of coffee and a piece of cake,

00:09but also a taste of real Viennese gastronomic culture.

00:15Grüß Gott and welcome to Café Landmann.

00:18My name is Bernd Querfeld, I'm the cafetiere here.

00:21I've been working here for over 30 years

00:23and my family's been running this beautiful coffee house for nearly 50 years.

00:30This café is an institution.

00:33Here, public figures meet private citizens and tourists.

00:37Some only come here for a coffee, others for lunch or dinner.

00:41And what part do the around 1,000 coffee houses play in Viennese culture?

00:47Every city has a type of establishment that's not just for serving food and drink,

00:51but is a place for people to get together.

00:54The pubs in England, or the wonderful bars in Paris,

00:57and the coffee house stands for Vienna.

01:00The essence of a Viennese coffee house is of course the coffee, but watch out!

01:05Here the espresso, for instance, is called mocha.

01:08The Viennese specialties have unique names as well.

01:11The Einspänner is a double espresso with whipped cream.

01:14A Viennese melange is half a cup of coffee with half a cup of steamed cream topped with milk froth.

01:20A Turkish coffee is especially strong, and brewed and served in a Turkish chesve with Turkish honey.

01:30In the late 17th century, the Ottoman Turks besieged Vienna for the last time.

01:35They are thought to have introduced coffee to Austria's capital.

01:39Over the centuries since, a distinctive coffee house culture has evolved here.

01:44In 2011, UNESCO added it to their list of the world's intangible cultural heritage.

01:50Good dining, atmosphere, a good coffee – all of that has a long tradition in Vienna.

01:55It's quite Viennese. I'd say it's a kind of substitute living room.

02:00The service still has something of the imperial feel to it and a bit of that Blythe spirit.

02:06This old tradition has something of the old Vienna.

02:11You can sit comfortably and you don't have to leave in ten minutes.

02:14You can sit there for two hours.

02:17In addition to the coffee, sweets and pastries are every bit as important.

02:22Among the classics are the famous apple strudel,

02:25Sachertorte cake and fine egg pancakes.

02:32These are baked in a pan as thinly as possible and filled with apricot jam, for example.

02:40Then they're rolled up and dusted with powdered sugar.

02:50The waiters, called Herr or Frau Ober,

02:53play a key role in any Viennese coffeehouse.

02:56They are elegantly dressed, all in black and white.

03:02And what are the tasks they have to master for their job?

03:09Serving coffee is simple, but it must be aesthetic.

03:12A coffeehouse waiter has to have the room under control.

03:16And a good one has to make the patrons feel like they're the most important person.

03:20The Privy Counselor, the Secretary General, the Baroness, whoever.

03:25They treat you like you're somebody special.

03:27And if you've been coming for some time, you're dressed by name.

03:31It's just different.

03:32What no Viennese coffeehouse can do without is the newspapers, on newspaper sticks.

03:44Reading the newspapers and a selection of international editions is just part of a Viennese coffeehouse.

03:49Now, of course, we're competing with the online media.

03:55But if you don't have to buy or subscribe to an international newspaper,

04:00and you can just read it and put it back for the other patrons,

04:04that's what really makes a Viennese coffeehouse.

04:08An especially precious commodity in a Viennese coffeehouse is time.

04:11An unwritten rule for the Viennese coffeehouse, and a very important aspect,

04:18is that there's really no pressure to keep ordering.

04:21So, after arriving and having a coffee, you can stay as long as you like.

04:28Stylish hospitality and historical ambience.

04:33The true soul of Vienna is found in its coffeehouses.

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