A Glimpse Into Austria's Cultural Heritage: The Coffee House

There is nothing more quintessentially British than the cultural significance of the pub. A hub of conversation and cameraderie, aided and encouraged through the social lubricant of alcohol. Particularly in times gone by, the pub was an underpinning aspect of the local community, fantastic for escaping the hardships of the day and indulging in some hard earned leisure. Pubs are everywhere, populating our streets for decades upon decades. For example, in the small town of Manningtree, Essex, there are 5 pubs for a population of 900. That's a staggering 5 pubs per 180 people!

Much like our cultural obsession with the pub, Austria has a cultural obsession with the coffee house that forms a way of life. Sampling coffee in Austria feels unique, you can literally smell the authenticity that surrounds you, it almost feels tangible. An Austrian coffee house serves multiple functions aside from the customary drinking of coffee. It is a place for relaxation where people seek divine inspiration to write a book, or read a book. They are places for reflection, dreaming, thinking, and aimless lingering. The simple ordering of one coffee, entitles you to stay in the same seat the whole day without any bother, a refreshing phenomenon considering the profitable driven world we live in.

Waiters are suavely dressed in jackets and bow ties, catering to your every need.

Coffee has performed a vital role in Austrian social life for over 400 years. Back in 1683, when the Turks tried to invade and capture Vienna, the Austrian's successfully chased them off, but the invaders left a great volume of coffee beans behind. This was Austria's first introduction to the beverage, quickly becoming a big hit.

With influential Austrian's such as Sigmund Freud and Gustav Klimt publicly applauding coffee houses, Viennese coffee culture grew exponentially, becoming a cornerstone of social life. Famous writers wrote novels in them, while famous composers even performed in them, think of all that history! Many of today's Austrian coffee houses are over 300 years old, and mostly unspoiled.

For anyone planning a trip to Vienna anytime soon, sampling one of Vienna's famous coffee houses is a necessity! For some help deciding where to go, check out the Culture Trips '10 best cafes and coffee houses in Vienna'

Old Viennese coffee houses are part of the fabric of the city. Tour guide Margarite Stickler shows us around her favourites in this video