Could these walls whisper secrets of artists and writers? This is Zum alten Blumenstock. It’s a place where history and creativity intertwine. Once a renowned Bierwirtshaus, Zum alten Blumenstock was more than just a tavern. It was a hub for Vienna’s vibrant artistic community.
Zum alten Blumenstock stands at Ballgasse 3. It once housed a Tischgesellschaft. This was a social club for artists and writers. They called themselves the Ludlamshöhle. Prominent members included Castelli, Grillparzer, and Deinhardstein. The group later moved to the Grünen Baum. Later still, they gathered at Haidvogels Gasthaus.
In the early 1820s, Michael Wichtel and Franz Obermayer served their famous beers here. These beers were well-known throughout the city. Beethoven often met his Famulus Anton Schindler. They would gather in a secluded room. Schindler later became Beethoven’s biographer.
In the late 1840s, the Bierhaus moved across the street. It relocated to Ballgasse 6. There, it flourished under the name “Zum neuen Blumenstock.” This was also known as “Neues Blumenstöckl”. The building housing the “alte Blumenstöckl” has its own story. In 1702, it became the property of the Himmelpfortkloster. This happened through an exchange for a house in the Landstrasse suburb. At that time, it was also called Dreifaltigkeitshaus.
After the monastery’s dissolution, the building passed into private hands. In 1834, Michael Wichtel, who ran the Bierhaus, owned it. The Rauhensteingasse and Ballgasse connection got its name Blumenstockgasse. This was after the Himmelpfortkloster was torn down. The Gasthaus left its mark. It exists in memory even though it is physically gone.
Records show a house on this site as early as 1353. The Laurenzerinnenkloster sold it then. By 1367, it belonged to an eternal Mass foundation. It shared a wall with a house once owned by Ulrich dem Tacken. The sales document granted the new owner rights. They could build, separate, and alter the shared wall. This was allowed “ze pawen, ze trennen, ze mawern und ze zimmern unden und oben, hinden und vorn, swo oder wie in dez dürft geschieht, dem andern tail an schaden.”
Despite nearly three centuries of religious ownership, it was later known as “Auf der Tacken”. This name came from Ulrich dem Tacken. In the mid-16th century, Bishop Augustin Hirschvogel bequeathed it to his son Veit. The bishop failed to pay taxes on the house. In 1610, after a fire, the diocese sold it with royal consent. It briefly returned to the diocese before a final sale in 1615. By 1657, it was known as “Zur heiligen Dreifaltigkeit.”
In 1702, the Himmelpfortkloster acquired it. Following the monastery’s dissolution in 1783, it reverted to private ownership. At this time, it bore the name “Zum Blumenstock”. This name came from the Bierwirtshaus “Zum alten Blumenstöckl.” Its entrance was on Blumenstockgasse.
The house you see today dates back to 1832. In its courtyard is a sixty-meter-deep well. This well likely emerged after the great fire of 1525. A new fire ordinance mandated a well in every house’s courtyard. During the Nazi era, the Reich seized the house. The original owners regained it in 1948. In 1945, a bomb struck the building. It damaged the fourth floor facing Blumenstockgasse.
Today, Zum alten Blumenstock reminds us of Vienna’s rich cultural past. It also reminds us of the artists and writers who once gathered here. The building stands as a testament to their legacy. It is a place where creativity and camaraderie thrived.