Café Museum. The Centenary History of Interior

Austria, Vienna. Today we’ll continue the trip along Wien River to Schönbrunn Palace. Last time we stopped off at building Secession and today, before to pass through Nashmarkt, will step aside from our route and take a rest in Café Museum.
The Café Museum was opened by Ferdinand Rainer in 1899. He chose an ideal place close to Secession, Academy of Art, Opera, the Wien Musikferein and Wien River and Café immediately become one of the most popular places among artists and musicians. 

To create inner design, the famous architect Adolf Loos was invited.  Inner décor has been made in minimalist style and had a pure and unornamented design. The Café was furnished with marble tables, well-known nowadays bentwood chairs by Michael Thonet, and has been lighted up by simple lamps.

In 1906 new owners invited a young architect Zotti to design a café garden, and later, in 1930, he reversed design which has existed till 2003. You see in photo details of interior of those years.  

In 2003 the initial design created by Adolf Loose was returned but, unfortunately, the economic crisis of last years concerned the Viennese cafes as well, and in 2009 Café Museum practically lost the visitors and was under the threat of closing. The new owners became the famous family Querfeld and they have taken changes again to Zotti’s design with some modern changes. I don’t know if will be Café Museum differs from others belonged to Querfeld family (well-known Cafés Landtman, Moart, Hoffburg and others), but today, coming to this historical café I remember the persons who came here for more than centenary history of Café Museum. The famous artists, who liked to come here to discuss new ideas, to argue about and certainly to drink coffe. The café witnessed two wars, but continued to receive visitors. And today we enter in Café Museum.

It was a really hot day, I settled on a cozy red sofa. I’ve seen a fruit cocktail in menu but it served together with ice cream. I didn’t want an ice-cream so the dish was changed according to my taste, only fruit.  Also I’ve ordered a topfen (cheese) cake with raspberry and a soda water with lemon. It was quite dietary lunch.

I spent almost an hour and half here and even had a time to read a little. In the beginning I’ve not intended to advise visiting of this café but while I was writing this note and have chosen the photos, I decided to invite you to visit Café Museum in spite of the fact that you won’t find any new cakes or salads different from other cafes. Simply drop in Café Museum to take breath and have a rest from Viennese impressions in old walls which liked to visit Gustav Klimpt, Egon Schiele, Oskar Kokoschka, Otto Wagner, and, certainly, Adolf Loos.