Over the course of this month I have experienced another important part of Vienna’s history: Coffee. One theory of coffee’s introduction to Vienna goes back to the 1683 Turkish invasion and siege of Vienna. Allegedly, when the Turkish army was driven out of Austria, they left behind giant sacks of coffee beans, which the Polish spy named Kulczycki (or Kolschitzky) brought into the city and discovered how to brew coffee. Near the end of the siege, Kulczycki had disguised himself as a Turk and left the city, making his way through the Turkish encampments to meet with Duke Charles of Lorraine, who informed him help was imminent. Because of his actions, Vienna did not surrender to the Turks. He supposedly founded the first Viennese coffee house, called “Hof zur blauen Flasche.” At his café he always dressed in Turkish attire, which added to his popularity. He also pioneered the addition of milk with coffee to make mélange, something the Turks had not thought of.
Through Vienna’s history, coffee houses have played an important role. The house creates an alternative space other than a home, a church, or a tavern for public discourse. Not affiliated with either the church or the government, they do not fall under state or church control. Here, people spoke their minds and exchanged ideas. Coffee houses would also have subscriptions to papers, which they provide for the citizens to read. With such prolific information, they became known as “penny universities.” The coffee house crowds distanced themselves from the other public space where people could speak freely: the tavern. Frequenting a coffee house rather than a tavern or bar became a method of class distinction. Many intellectuals like Sigmund Freud and Karl Marx became regular sights at Viennese coffee houses. Another feature of coffee houses is the selection of cakes. One in particular, Sachertorte, is synonymous with Vienna. Sachertorte is a chocolate cake with a layer of apricot jam and aa laer of chocolate icing, Two places believe that they own the rights to the “original Sacher torte: the confectionary Demel and the Hotel Sacher. I have had Sachertorte at both of these places, at the Kunsthistorisches Museum, and at the Rathaus café, and I think the cake from Hotel Sacher is the best.
But enough about cake. Today I went to the old collection of musical instruments in the Hofburg to see another part of Vienna’s cultural history: music. This museum contained a large collection of Bosendorfer pianos, which is a Viennese company. This company was granted the title of imperial piano maker. There are many amazing pianos here, including one made for the World Fair in Paris. One was even designed by Joseph Hoffmann, the co-founder of the Vienna Workshop. Another part of the exhibit deals with the 12-tone music system, pioneered by Arnold Schoenberg. This system of music is designed to musically represent all notes equally, and make sure that all other notes are used before one can be used twice. I listened to several samples of this music here, and I must say I would not listen to it regularly. The theory behind it is interesting and might be something worth studying, but it is not something I would listen to all the time. During the Nazi period, Schoenberg’s music was labeled as degenerative art and Schoenberg himself immigrated to the United States to avoid persecution.
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