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Authentic Set for the Hollywood Movies - Café Sperl

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Café Sperl is a traditional Viennese Coffee House located in Vienna’s 6th district. The Café interior kept its authenticity, although renovated thoroughly in 1984. Therefore it is listed is on the Austrian Register of Historic Places. It still keeps the charm of the café opened in 1880 with parquet floor, typical Viennese Coffee House furniture such as chairs by Thonet, marble tables and crystal chandeliers. The name Sperl comes from the family name of the second owner, who was the owner for only 3 years back in 1884. In Café Sperl you can enjoy coffee of different varieties, traditional Viennese pastries and cuisine. Everything is delicious, but tasting “Sperltorte” made with the secret recipe since 1880s is a must.

©commons.wikimedia/WOKRIE
©commons.wikimedia/WOKRIE

Before the collapse of Austro-Hungarian Monarchy Café Sperl was favourite among writers, artists, architects, composers, painters, architects and military personnel. Many artist carrier of the Vienna Secession were as well regular guests. The end of 19th century was the golden age of Viennese operetta composers like Lewinsky, Girardi, Eysler, Zeller, Heuberger, Millöcker, Lehar and Kalman and all of them were regulars in Sperl.

Lately Sperl became famous as the set of two famous movies “A Dangerous Method” and “Before Sunrise”. “Before Sunrise” 1995 is a featured romantic drama starring Ethan Hawke and Julie Delpy. Café Sperl is the stage of the fake phone conversations with two main actors, playing each other's friends they pretend to call. You can see the scene at the trailer from 00:24

A Dangerous Method” 2011 historical movie set on the of the World War I starring Keira Knightley, Viggo Mortensen, Michael Fassbender and Vincent Cassel describes the turbulent relationships between Carl Jung, founder of analytical psychology; Sigmund Freud, founder of the discipline of psychoanalysis; and Sabina Spielrein, initially a patient of Jung and later a physician and one of the first female psychoanalysts. The famous scene from the movie where Jung and Freud discuss politics through the status of psychoanalysis in Vienna. Director of the film David Cronenberg stated about Café Sperl:”I was very excited when we discovered Café Sperl on our location recce because we were looking for a place for Jung and Freud to go and have a Viennese coffee and Sachertorte, and this is one of the most original Viennese cafes left in the city. It's incredible. We almost had to change nothing to make it feel like 1907.”

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The author

Ogi Savic

Ogi Savic

I am Ogi. A journalist and economist, I live in Vienna and I am passionate about skiing, traveling, good food and drinks. I write about all these aspects (and more) of beautiful Austria.

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