Café Sperl facts for kids
Café Sperl is a very old and famous coffee house in Vienna, Austria. It's a special place where people have enjoyed coffee and talked for over 140 years! You can find it in the Mariahilf area of Vienna. This cafe is so important that it's even on Austria's list of historic places.
Contents
A Look Back: The History of Café Sperl
How Café Sperl Began
The cafe first opened in 1880. A man named Jacob Ronacher started it and called it Café Ronacher. It was built in a beautiful spot where two streets meet. The inside of the cafe was designed to look like the fancy coffee houses along Vienna's famous Ringstraße.
Inside the Cafe
Imagine walking into Café Sperl! You would see shiny wooden floors and special chairs made by a famous designer named Michael Thonet. The tables are made of cool, smooth marble. Bright crystal chandeliers hang from the ceiling. There were even tables for playing billiards! Two architects, Wilhelm Jelinek and Anton Groß, designed the whole place.
New Owners and a New Name
After only one year, Jacob Ronacher sold the cafe to the Sperl family. They changed the name to Café Sperl, which it still is today. In 1884, another person named Adolf Kratochwilla took over, but he kept the name Café Sperl.
Who Visited Café Sperl?
Before World War I, many interesting people came to Café Sperl. It was a popular spot for writers, artists, architects, and musicians. Even military officers from a nearby academy would visit. Important people like Franz Conrad von Hötzendorf, who would become a top army leader, and Archduke Joseph Ferdinand were often seen there.
Modern Times and Awards
In 1968, Manfred Staub bought the cafe. He updated it in 1983, making sure it kept its classic look. In recent years, Café Sperl has won some cool awards! It was named "Austrian Cafe of the Year" in 1998. In 2004, it won the "Golden Coffee Bean" award. Today, famous writers like Robert Menasse and Michael Köhlmeier still visit this historic cafe.
Café Sperl in Movies and TV
You might have seen Café Sperl without even knowing it! The cafe has been in several movies and TV shows.
- In 1995, it was featured in the movie Before Sunrise, starring Ethan Hawke and Julie Delpy.
- The cafe's inside also appeared in the 2011 movie A Dangerous Method, with Viggo Mortensen and Michael Fassbender.
- You can also spot the cafe, both inside and out, in the TV mini-series The Winds of War.
- It was even in a 2011 DVD of the Vienna Philharmonic playing music!
