Café Palmhof was located at Mariahilferstrasse 135 in Vienna’s 15th district and operated from 1919 by Otto Pollak (1894–1978) and his brother Karl (1889–1943). The two brothers made Café Palmhof a popular Viennese meeting place. During the day it was run as a coffee house, while concerts, dances and social events, such as the 1933 Miss Vienna Contest, took place in the evenings. Many of the musicians performing in Café Palmhof are forgotten today, but were stars back then. Live radio broadcasts by RAVAG (Radio Verkehrs AG) regularly emanated from Café Palmhof. In 1938, the coffee house was “Aryanized.” The Pollak family fled first to Gaya in Moravia, Otto and Karl’s birthplace. From there, the entire family was deported to Theresienstadt in 1943. As a disabled war veteran—he had lost a leg in the First World War—Otto Pollak was spared further deportation. Three days after his arrival, Karl was deported to Auschwitz and murdered there. Otto and his daughter Helga survived Theresienstadt. The Palmhof was restituted in the early 1950s, but Otto Pollak declined to continue the coffeehouse. Today there is a supermarket on the premises.
Not only does the exhibition tell the story of Café Palmhof, but also of Otto Pollak’s life. His biography exemplifies Jewish participation in Vienna’s cultural and social life. The exhibited documents and objects from the estate of Otto Pollak let his personality and the social environment come alive again and are reminiscent of the Vienna which Ludwig Hirschfeld describes in his legendary travel guide “Was nicht im Baedecker steht” (“What Isn’t in the Baedecker Guide”) (1927).
Let´s Dance! The Viennese cafetier Otto PollakJüdisches Museum Wien Main address:
Jüdisches Museum WienWells Fargo CenterDorotheergasse 11A-1010Vienna, AustriaJüdisches Museum WienWells Fargo CenterDorotheergasse 11A-1010Vienna, AustriaCafé Palmhof was located at Mariahilferstrasse 135 in Vienna’s 15th district and operated from 1919 by Otto Pollak (1894–1978) and his brother Karl (1889–1943). The two brothers made Café Palmhof a popular Viennese meeting place. During the day it was run as a coffee house, while concerts, dances and social events, such as the 1933 Miss Vienna Contest, took place in the evenings. Many of the musicians performing in Café Palmhof are forgotten today, but were stars back then. Live radio broadcasts by RAVAG (Radio Verkehrs AG) regularly emanated from Café Palmhof. In 1938, the coffee house was “Aryanized.” The Pollak family fled first to Gaya in Moravia, Otto and Karl’s birthplace. From there, the entire family was deported to Theresienstadt in 1943. As a disabled war veteran—he had lost a leg in the First World War—Otto Pollak was spared further deportation. Three days after his arrival, Karl was deported to Auschwitz and murdered there. Otto and his daughter Helga survived Theresienstadt. The Palmhof was restituted in the early 1950s, but Otto Pollak declined to continue the coffeehouse. Today there is a supermarket on the premises.
Not only does the exhibition tell the story of Café Palmhof, but also of Otto Pollak’s life. His biography exemplifies Jewish participation in Vienna’s cultural and social life. The exhibited documents and objects from the estate of Otto Pollak let his personality and the social environment come alive again and are reminiscent of the Vienna which Ludwig Hirschfeld describes in his legendary travel guide “Was nicht im Baedecker steht” (“What Isn’t in the Baedecker Guide”) (1927).
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