Episode21: Thonet’s No.14

The legend says that the first coffee house in Vienna opened in 1683 after the Second Siege Vienna by the Ottoman army, for they left several sacks of coffee beans in their base when they withdrew.

In 2011, the Viennese Coffee House was listed as UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage. What characterises the Viennes-style is an international newspaper, Thonet’s chairs and a glass of water with every cup of coffee.  The cheap prices and a nice place to spend a couple of hours means coffee houses are opened to everyone. So, above all, many famous writers, such as Arthur Schnitzler and Hugo Von Hofmannsthal, frequently went there.

The cozy common place is made not only from the fragrant coffee aroma, but also well-designed chairs. Thonet’s no.14 is the most popular model which earned a gold medal at the 1867 World Exposition in Paris. The best-selling chair with its cool use of bentwood, is still fascinating us and complements coffee houses elegantly. Josef Hoffman and Otto Wagner also designed chairs for Thonet company. To spend long time at coffee houses, we need comfortable chairs. And they might help to give wonderful inspirations to writers.

※毎月1日、15日に掲載予定です。
※この記事は、The Traveler’s Time vol.2に収録。

第21話　トーネットNo.14

ウィーンで最初のカフェが登場したのは、オスマン帝国による第二次ウィーン包囲後の1683年だと言われている。トルコ軍が、撤退の際にコーヒー豆が入った袋を陣地に残していったためである。