Photos and the City

Tag: Vienna

Altmann & Kühne

If you´re looking for the perfect viennese souvenir, a little present or just a special treat for yourself, have a look at Altmann & Kühne, a confiserie and chocolaterie established in 1928. They offer the most perfect tiny chocolate pralines and have the prettiest packaging, designed by “Wiener Werkstätten”. An aunt used to gift me a little bonbonnière each christmas, it was always a very special gift and I still have a lot of the different boxes, the chocolate is long gone….

The store on Graben feature a novel modernist facade designed by Josef Hofmann and is a listed building. Entering it´s like stepping back in time.

Business florished in the 1930is but in 1938 the two founders Emile Altmann and Ernst Kühne had to flee from Austria and moved to New York, where they opened a new shop on Fifth Avenue. Thanks to one of their employees the viennese business survived during World War II.

Little box of treasures!

And it´s true, these pralines not only put a smile on every face, they are almost too beautiful to be eaten!

02/09/2014
Rainy afternoon

It´s raining, it´s raining, but I don´t mind the rain, I just spend my afternoon at a cosy Kaffeehaus. “Kaffee Alt Wien” in Bäckerstraße has always been one of my most favorite traditional viennese cafés. As soon as you step in it´s like traveling back in time or finding oneself in a movie.

Cosy red velvet couches, shiny black wooden tables, the walls covered with vintage (and some new) posters, a little bit smoky and gloomy. The perfect place to spend hours and hours there!If you´re lucky to get a free table…

“Kaffee Alt Wien” was established in 1936 by Leopold and Josefine Hawelka on the day after their wedding. They ran the café until 1939 at which time they moved to Dorotheergasse, where they opened a new café: the famous Café Hawelka.

31/08/2014
A Walk in the Park

In Vienna you find a broad variety of public parks and each one of them has something special to offer. Volksgarten next to Heldenplatz is know for its beautiful rose gardens and the little tempel in the center of the park. As the university is quite nearby I often used to spend my free time between lectures at Volksgarten, taking a stroll, sitting between the roses or having a coffee at the pavilion. You wouldn´d know you´re in the middle of the city, it´s so calm and quite there (even now with all the tourists visiting Vienna).

Hofburg seen from Volksgarten

About two years ago Theseus Tempel was reopend after many years of restoration. It was build by Pietro di Nobile, completed in 1821 and originally designed to house Antonio Canova’s Theseus sculpture which was moved to the Museum of Fine Arts in 1890. The tempel is a very special place, perfect for just sitting there and enjoying the view. And it´s the most perfect location for taking pictures! You´ll find the most beautiful soft light there.

(more…)

28/08/2014