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ZUM SCHWARZEN KAMEEL
Art Nouveau Vienna Deli and the Beethoven Corner
In
the year 1618 Johan Baptist Cameel acquired a building on Bognerstrasse
in old
Vienna, around the
corner from St Stephens Cathedral to open his market
shop to purvey the aromatic spices and exotic foods which were beginning
to arrive from the “Orient” with Vienna as one of the key
centers of trade routes to the Ottoman Empire. With a play on his own
name, he called it “Zum Schwarzen Kameel” (The Black Camel).
The shop existed for 200 years until being acquired by Joseph Stiebitz
whose family and descendents have
operated
the Vienna institution for four centuries. In 1825, the Schwarze Kameel
was
appointed Wine Purveyor to the Imperial Court and a wine tavern opened
connected to the original
shop and delicatessen. The tavern restaurant became a hangout for the
upper class nobility and the rising middle class of the 19th Century
and a favorite haunt of composer Ludwig Von Beethoven in his later years
in Vienna. In 1901, the building was reconstructed and the interior of
the Black Camel was redesigned in the beautiful Art Nouveau style it
is today, of parquet wooden wainscot black countertops and turine chandeliers
on beaded chains.
The
Zum Schwarzen Kameel is one of Vienna’s most popular café restaurants
with the older more traditional set and almost always crowded, now consisting
of the delicatessen, selling wine, liquor and specialty meats, a buffet
with counter seating and the inner classic restaurant café.. The
restaurant dining room is rather small and intimate with only 11 tables
and booths, served by waiters in tuxedos, among them the acknowledged
“best
waiter in Vienna”. The distinctive colorful legendary symbol of
the single hump camel of the Viennese institution was created when Georg
Ferdinand Waldmüller took pen and
brush to his sketchbook while seated at a table, sipping on a glass of
wine, and Beethoven’s
favorite spot was changed with the turn-of-the-century renovation, but
one can imagine the maestro seated in his corner booth, after one of
his afternoon promenades, concerto musical notes swirling in his head,
the sounds of china and silver shielded by his deafness.
The
dining menu in the restaurant café is rather upscale pricey
to suit the atmosphere and tradition. Try the Beinschinken, Saltimboca,
or grab one of the
tray sandwiches served from the deli counter. The Klassiker Black Bread
Sandwich (Schwarzbrotsandwiches) is only €1 and the Diplomats
Sandwich (Diplomatensandwiches) with Salmon, Shrimp and Kaviar is under
$3 - though
perhaps more a snack than a meal. The Zum Schwarzen Kameel is open
from 8 in the morning to midnight. © Bargain
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Schwarzen Kameel
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SEE ALSO:
VIENNA'S BUTTERFLY HOUSE & CAFE
AUSTRIA BOUTIQUE DESIGN HOTELS
SACHER TORTE AND THE CAFÉ LIFE
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