The Coffee Houses & Palaces of Vienna

Have you heard of the great Sacher Torte controversy? For the uninitiated the Sacher Torte is a Viennese chocolate pastry containing a layer of fruit conserve. The Hotel Sacher claimed the original recipe wherein the fruit conserve was layered in the center of the pastry. Not far away the Demel Pastry Shop also claimed sole proprietorship of the original recipe, indicating the fruit conserve should be layered directly at the top. Since the genuine original recipe was locked away in a vault after having been initially commissioned exclusively for royalty, a seven year court battle ensued at which time it was adjudicated that both establishments could indeed claim proprietorship of the original recipe. Any city that will tolerate a seven year legal action over a recipe for pastry must be considered civilized. It is a tribute to the dual heritage of Vienna that the majestic influences of the Hapsburg Empire, as evidenced by the great palaces around the city, are balanced by the charming, informal coffee houses that are so important to the people who make up modern day Vienna. Grandeur and simplicity are accommodated in this sparkling, romantic mid-European capital city.