Vienna

The Culture of the Coffee Houses

Photographs from the book „Wiener Geschichten“ about the cultural history of Vienna and the long tradition of coffee houses, bars and Beisln.

In hardly any other city is the cultural history so closely intertwined with the gastronomic past and present as in Vienna. This exciting story is told by author Eva-Gesine Baur on the basis of Beisln, bars and coffee houses. The photographs show the charm of the various coffeehouses and taverns and many city views of Vienna.

It was a great pleasure for me to photograph this book. The biggest problem, however, was the immense consumption of coffee and the almost immeasurable selection of cakes, which overwhelmed me…

Café Sperl in Wien — Café Sperl
I visited Vienna for this book in all seasons and with each trip I liked Vienna better and better. I visited each coffee house an average of three times, whereby a full coffee house is impossible to photograph, an empty coffee house is only suitable for detail shots or pure interior views, and the middle is once again best.

Kapuziner

Mocha with a little milk

Einspänner

Mocha with whipped cream (served in a glass)

Großer Brauner

A cup of black coffee with cream

Kunsthistorisches Museum in Wien mit Schnee im WInter — Museum of Art History
Statue of Empress Maria Theresa. As a transition between the chapters on the coffee houses, the cultural history of Vienna is described. I have photographed views of Vienna that fit the chapters both thematically and in terms of location.

Verlängerter

a cup of light coffee with cream

Mazagran

Cold coffee enriched with rum and topped up with soda water

Melange

latte

Blutgasse in Wien — Blutgasse
Blood Alley not far from St. Stephen’s Cathedral. The book tells many details about the history, that the name of the alley had nothing to do with the murders of Knights Templar at the beginning of the 14th century.

Café Dommayer
In general, it was very important to me to show a good combination of overviews, loving details, portraits and the moods of the respective coffee house.

Fiakerkaffee

Mocha with double rum

kleiner Schwarzer

small cup of strong black coffee

Maria Theresia

small, stretched mocha with orange liqueur

Beamtenforelle

a knackwurst sausage

Eitrige

sausage with cheese

Burenhäutl

popular high-fat sausage

Marmeladinger

the North Germans

Lawutschibria

German filter coffee

Darmreißer

sour wine

The Book

The book was published in 2006 by Knesebeck Verlag in Munich. The texts and the idea originate from author Eva Gesine Baur. Unfortunately, the book is now only available second-hand – try to get hold of a used copy if you are interested in Viennese cultural history.