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Lighting up Vienna’s Coffee Houses
Along the grand boulevard of Vienna’s Ringstrasse, numerous coffeehouses were established around 1900, and their interiors and aesthetics continue to influence design to this day.
Founded in 1903, Café Prückel carries the unmistakable signature of Oswald Haerdtl. The post-war architect masterfully blended comfort and elegance. In 1955, he designed the iconic “Prückel” cartwheel chandelier for LOBMEYR, which still elegantly adorns the main room of this beloved coffeehouse. His design embodies the principles of Viennese Modernism, where clean lines and symmetry come together to create a warm, inviting atmosphere.
Oswald Haerdtl’s design for Café Prückel is the most notable and striking example of the so-called cartwheel chandeliers.
With their versatile design, these chandeliers have become a popular lighting choice for coffeehouses, restaurants, and public spaces, including the Federal Chancellery, since the 1950s.
The light bulbs are suspended from a wagon wheel-shaped ring, which is adorned with intricately and meticulously cut crystal pieces, creating a stunning brilliance. This simple yet elegant concept lends itself to a variety of dazzling interpretations.
The cartwheel chandeliers consist of a brass frame, magnificently adorned with many hand-cut crystal glass pieces. The selection of crystals makes the difference between the different models. From plain and simple to exquisitely cut crystals for a spectacular piece as at the Prückel itself.
As a protected cultural heritage, the legendary Viennese coffeehouse culture is a cornerstone of Vienna’s architectural and cultural history, as well as of the Viennese soul. The traditional old Viennese coffeehouses, with their unique charm and distinctive interiors, serve as cozy salons for citizens, artists, musicians, and politicians.
They are an institution, an oasis in daily life, a place of refuge, enjoyment, and relaxation, and have been part of UNESCO’s Intangible Cultural Heritage since 2011.
“The coffeehouses are places where time and space are consumed, but only the coffee appears on the bill,” is how the UNESCO committee describes their distinctive charm.
