Browse Exhibits (1 total)

The two critera of a coffeehouse: 

1.) The coffee-house or a cafe is a public, mainly catering establishment, which bears this description or a combinaiton thereof.

2.) Coffee is among the drinks served in such an establishment.

[taken from Ulla Heise, Coffee and Coffee Houses, (West Chester: Schiffer Publishing, 1987), 92.]

What do you think of when you hear "coffeehouse?" The most obvious answer of course is...coffee! This exhibit will attempt to investigate the history and socio-cultural impact that coffeehouses have had and still have in Vienna. Whilst it is true that coffeehouse patrons historically could indulge and enjoy a nice cup of "kaffe," these institutions also provided a venue for intellectual discussion, news collections through newspapers, and on a fundamental level, social interaction. This exhibit hopes to illustrate that coffee is not the only item served and provided in the coffeehouse.