Literature café (Saint Petersburg)

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Literary café
Road sign

The Literaturcafé ( Russian Кафе "Литературное" ) is a traditional restaurant in Saint Petersburg , Russia .

location

It is located at 18 Nevsky Prospect at the confluence of the road that flanked the Moika on its western bank with Nevsky Prospect . Immediately to the east of the café, the Green Bridge spans the Moika.

history

The building in which the literary café is located was built between 1812 and 1815 by the architect Vasily Petrovich Stasov using older buildings. Originally the house of Admiral Cornelius Cruys (1657–1727), which already housed a tavern and a wine cellar, stood here. In 1739 it came into the possession of the tailor Johann Neumann . The first wax museum in Saint Petersburg was located in the building. In 1743 the German merchant Johann Albrecht ran his business in the building. The Dutch dealer Le Roa ran a shop called Rotterdam , selling seltzer water , chocolate, vanilla and ink . Later the house went to the dealer Kotomin . He had the current building built. Stassow gave the house a magnificent portico . Loggias made up of four columns were originally built at the corners of the building.

The history of the literary café itself dates back to 1816. The French baker Valot and the Swiss pastry chef Tobias Branger from Davos, who called himself Beranger, opened a pastry shop in the house this year . It was the first shop in Saint Petersburg where you could drink hot chocolate. In addition, there were various other specialties, such as chocolate eggs with depictions from the Russo-Turkish War . After Valot's death, Salomon Wolf, who, like Branger, comes from Davos in Switzerland, took his place. The pastry shop became known under the name Salomon Wolf and Tobias Beranger . There were sweets as knight figures, fairytale castles and portraits and busts of well-known people. In addition, sweets in the form of letters were sold. The café has expanded over time. There were now hearty dishes from European and Russian cuisine.

The café also had the largest selection of foreign newspapers and magazines in the café in the 1820s. Russian writers and journalists met in the café. They read the uncensored foreign press and discussed. The café thus became an important meeting place for Russian intellectuals, especially journalists, literary scholars, writers and publishers. Alexander Pushkin , who lives nearby, was one of the regulars . He came to the café on January 27, 1837 at 4:00 p.m. and waited here for his second to accompany him to a duel. While waiting, he drank tea or lemonade and looked at Nevsky Prospect. He then embarked on a duel, in which he was seriously injured less than an hour after visiting the cafe. He succumbed to his injuries two days later.

Fyodor Dostoyevsky was a guest at the café in the 1840s. In 1846 the sidewalks in front of the house were widened and both the portico and the loggias were removed. In 1893 Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky is said to have consumed Tchaikovsky in the Café Gift, where he then died. Other well-known guests were Michail Jurjewitsch Lermontow , Iwan Sergejewitsch Turgenew and Nikolai Alexejewitsch Nekrasow .

The current café was reopened in 1985.

Equipment and gastronomic concept

The literature café is located on the ground floor and on the first floor of the house. In the entrance area of ​​the café there is a figure representing Alexander Pushkin. The walls are decorated with portraits of Russian writers. The clothes of the receptionist and porter are based on 19th century fashion. Traditional Russian dishes and European cuisine are offered, based on recipes from the 19th century. Pushkin's favorite dishes are also on the menu.

The café is divided into two areas. The Grand Café Literaturnoje is on the ground floor and the Literaturcafé restaurant on the first floor . Here the nostalgic furnishings are dominated by heavy curtains and green lampshades. There are historical cityscapes of Saint Petersburg on the walls. In addition, there is a tapestry on which the bookshelves are depicted as they stood in Pushkin's house. On the window sills there are dolls made by Russian artists who represent characters from Pushkin's fairy tales. Noteworthy are the plaques on the walls, on which well-known guests of the café are named. Including Margaret Thatcher and Mikhail Gorbachev .

literature

  • TJ Lobanowa, Saint Petersburg , Jarky Gorod Publishing House, Saint Petersburg 2015, ISBN 5-9663-0029-1 , page 101.

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Edda Neumann-Adrian, Michael Neumann-Adrian, ADAC Travel Guide Plus St. Petersburg , ADAC-Verlag 2007, ISBN 9783899055542 , page 46

Coordinates: 59 ° 56 '11.1 "  N , 30 ° 19' 8.9"  E