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A moment to geek out

Internet rabbit hole: a post here on RS in the food forum about chocolate in London had me looking for Zotter Chocolate in Austria, then a search for chocolatiers who sell it in Vienna, then a thread about Viennese chocolatiers in some other chocolate web forum, THEN to a map search of a particular Viennese bakery that was suggested, THEN a listing for Cafe Dommayer. (Dommayer is my family name, before it was Americanized) which led me to an entire Wikipedia article about Cafe Dommayer, entirely in German.

Using Google Translate, I learned there has been some sort of Dommayer establishment there since the early 1800s, including a casino and music hall where Strauss played. And then a song was written, a Wienerlied (a song genre which has its roots in Vienna, the capital of Austria. Traditional Viennese songs, known as Wienerlieder are centred on the theme of life in Vienna and are almost exclusively sung in Viennese (thank you wikipedia) which includes lyrics about Dommayer z'Haus and I found a link to the song on YouTube. We have a song to go with our cafe!

I'm sorry, this was just so fun to discover! Cafe Dommayer is right near Schönbrunn Palace, so I know where I'll be getting my afternoon coffee and pastry!

/end geek out

Posted by
6489 posts

Thanks for sharing your internet adventure! This is why I try not to get too comfortable in front of the computer. ;)

I don't know any songs in Viennese, though. Could it have been German?

Posted by
129 posts

Well yes, German. Viennese is the dialect. :)

Posted by
2779 posts

Here are the lyrics:

Im Ohr noch die rauschenden Walzer,
die Walzer von Lanner und Strauß,
im Herzerl ein bisserl Verliebtheit,
so kommt sie vom Dommayer z'Haus.
Die Guckerln, so blau wia die Veigerln,
die glänzen voll Lust und voll Freud'.
Sechts Leut'ln, so war's anno Dreißig in Wien
in der goldigen, g'mütlichen Zeit!

It's a post-WW2 song remembering the "good old times" of the late 1920 and early 1930s in Vienna.

Posted by
129 posts

YES!!! Thank you! That's so cool.

I called my Grandpa and told him I found this cafe and the song. He wants me to take pictures while I'm there. I know some people have much more common names and can probably find them sprinkled throughout the world, but this is a first for me! (Other than my Grandpa's own business.)

Posted by
14503 posts

Hi,

If it's traditonal and popular songs about Vienna in German you want, look up Greta Keller.