Thursday 13 January 2011

Cafes of Vienna: Cafe Frauenhuber - where Mozart used to Perform

Most of the well known traditional historical cafes inside Vienna's historical city centre (Innenstadtbezirk) are packed with tourists seven days a week. Although some of them are popular amongst foreign tourists because of hype, but some of them do have something special about them.
Cafe Frauenhuber, founded in 1824, is one of those famous old Viennese cafes that has something truly unique about it. First of all, the service is exceptional - this cafe has one of the most friendly waiters I have ever met in Austria.


Secondly, the cafe is located in a building with a truly special history: it is the place where Mozart and Beethoven used to give live public concert performance during their active years. Very few other cafes in the world could have claimed such honours. Mozart made his last visit to this building in March 1791, shortly before his death six months later.



The interior of Cafe Frauenhuber reminds me of some of the medieval seminar and lecture rooms at Oxford - with colourful stained glass windows, round arches, square ceilings with candle stands on the walls. The whole place has a very discreet, private feelings and makes a good venue for those looking for a congenial cafe to meet up with friends and colleagues for some serious discussions.  




In the photo below is the exceptionally professional and friendly head waiter at Cafe Frauenhuber. Unlike some of the younger waiters in Vienna, who are indifferent to both their job and the customers, one can feel instantly that this gentleman at Cafe Frauenhuber is truly passionate about this historical cafe and is very proud of its heritage and his job.


Cafe Frauenhuber
Himmelpfortgasse 6
1010 Wien

Copyrights@2011. All text and photos by YC Cheng. All Rights Reserved.

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