Cafe Hawelka
After managing and running the Kaffe Alt Wien located on Bäckerstraße, husband and wife tandem Leopold and Josefine Hawelka conceptualized and opened Café Hawelka in the Innere Stadt district of Vienna. The coffeehouse is strategically located at Dorotheergasse 6. Originally, the coffee house holds the name of Café Ludwig, which the couple then replaced with Café Hawelka in May 1939.
Unfortunately, the café had to discontinue operations after the outburst of the World War II. However, closure did not last long enough because during the Fall of 1945, Café Hawelka was then reopened to the public in the same building where it originally runs business.
The coffee shop started to attain its blooming point during the end of the occupation after 1955. Writers and critics began to flock in Café Hawelka; this place became their meeting place intermingling over a cup of coffee. Some of the prominent names in the writing profession that frequent the place include Heimito von Doderer, Albert Paris Gutersloh, Friedrich Torberg, Hans Weigel and Hilde Spiel. The business continued flourishing following the closure of Café Herrenhof in 1961. Clients of the former café then settled for Café Hawelka to meet and interact with fellow artists and writers including Friedrich Achleitner, Konrad Bayer, Rudolf Hausner, H.C. Artmann, Ernst Fuchs, Wolfgang Hutter, Gerhard Ruhm, Friedensreich Hundertwasser, Helmut Qualtinger, and Oskar Werner. Business increasingly progressed especially during the sixties and seventies. In fact, it was mentioned in the composition of Georg Danzer’s song in 1976 entitled Jo, schau. A line of the song goes like “was macht ein Nackerter im Hawelka”.
The Café Hawelka is still operating presently even after the death of Josefine on March 22, 2005. Specialty of the café is still offered based on the original and old recipe conceived by Josefine. While Josefine is not present anymore, you will see Leopold Hawelka sitting and greeting guests in the entrance area of the café.
