Austria’s capital is world-famous for its coffeehouses. In 2011, UNESCO declared them part of the intangible world heritage. What defines them?
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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.