Vienna Chocolate Museum. Despite its top art museums, what Viennese treasure even more is - chocolate. Long before Sacher Torte and Mozart chocolates rose to fame the Habsburg Emperors championed the rise of the cocoa bean in Europe.
To explore Vienna's 'dark side' my children and I chose the Schokolade Museum Wien at Vienna's Prater amusement park. Here is our review of chocolate paradise.
The Chocolate Museum
Just between the Giant Ferris Wheel, Madame Tussaud's wax figures and a scary luna park swing we slipped into the chocolate museum. [NOTE: The museum has since changed address, see below.] Shamefully ignoring the receptionist our eyes caught Pepper, a cute white robot the size of my 10-year old. She got positively excited the moment we pressed one of her buttons. Before sharing some information about the Schokolade Museum Pepper was keen to know our particular chocolate tastes and performed a funny little dance. Museum director Bojan told me later that he planned for Pepper to guide visitors through the museum in the mid future.
Why a chocolate museum in Vienna? The history of chocolate in Austria, particularly in Vienna, represents a fascinating intersection of imperial grandeur, coffeehouse culture, and culinary innovation.
The Habsburg Empire's connections to Spain through royal marriages played a crucial role in introducing chocolate to Austrian society in the 17th and 18th centuries. The Habsburg court became a center for chocolate consumption, with dedicated imperial chocolate makers (Hofzuckerbäcker) who prepared elaborate chocolate beverages for the nobility.
Vienna's famous coffeehouse culture eventually incorporated chocolate into its offerings. These coffeehouses became important social institutions where chocolate drinks were served alongside coffee and pastries. Several historic Viennese cafes, such as Demel (founded in 1786) and Café Central, became renowned for their chocolate creations. Perhaps Austria's most famous contribution to chocolate history is the Sacher Torte, created in 1832 by Franz Sacher for Prince Metternich.
Chocolatl And The Blue Feather Crown
Vienna Chocolate Museum. To get the full picture of cocoa we first travelled back more than 1,000 years. Between a life-size Aztec throne, Mayan vessels, and an Aztec cocoa bean crusher (photo) we found out who discovered the cocoa bean, how people consumed it, and what the original name 'Chocolatl' meant. Cocoa beans were 'food of the Gods' and so precious you could pay with them in those days. The 'Game of Cocoa' story rolled out the alliances and conflicts during the fight for the Aztec throne.
When Spanish conquistador Hernán Cortés arrived in Mexico in 1519, he encountered chocolate being consumed by the Aztecs. In particular their emperor Moctezuma II reportedly drank large quantities of a bitter, spiced chocolate drink called xocolatl. While Cortés did help bring chocolate to Spanish attention, Spanish friars and conquistadors had already encountered cacao in their earlier contacts with Maya peoples.
The first documented shipment of cacao beans to Spain was in 1585, well after Cortés's death, though smaller amounts likely arrived earlier. Initially, chocolate remained a Spanish secret for nearly a century. The Spanish modified the bitter Aztec drink by adding sugar, vanilla, and other spices more appealing to European tastes.
Ha, it only occurred to me later that the 'Game of Cocoa' referred to 'Game of Thrones'! (my son, 10)
Actually, Moctezuma's original stunning blue feather crown was much closer than we thought. The Blue Feather Crown (Penacho de Moctezuma) is one of the most significant Pre-Columbian artifacts in existence. While it's commonly called "Moctezuma's Crown," there's ongoing scholarly debate about whether it actually belonged to Moctezuma II and whether it was even worn as a crown. Made primarily of the iridescent blue-green feathers of the Quetzal bird the crown features over tail feathers.
Since the 16th century the feather crown forms part of the Austrian national collection and is exhibited in the Weltmuseum (World Museum) in Vienna. The crown remains a subject of diplomatic negotiations between Mexico and Austria, with Mexico requesting its return as a significant piece of their cultural heritage. However, conservation experts argue that the piece is too fragile to transport safely.
The Habsburgs' Chocolate Championship
Vienna Chocolate Museum. If a Spanish-Habsburgian princess hadn't given a box of cocoa beans to her newly wedded husband we would all sip barley coffee and eat muesli bars - healthy but not the same. During Empress Maria Theresa's reign (1740-1780), chocolate was very popular at the Habsburg court in Vienna. The Austrian court had strong connections to the Spanish court through family ties. In fact, Spain was one of the main sources of chocolate in Europe at that time. During this era, drinking chocolate was a luxury beverage associated with nobility and wealth. The imperial court employed dedicated chocolate makers. One of the more famous was Franz Sacher, though he actually worked for Prince Metternich in a later period.
Maria Theresa's court contributed to establishing Vienna as one of Europe's chocolate capitals. The tradition of fine chocolate-making that developed during the Habsburg era continues to influence Austrian culinary culture today. At this time, by the way, consumers still only knew the liquid chocolate drink; how to make solid chocolate hadn't yet been discovered. Since the aristocracy promoted chocolate so heavily, Bojan had made a weighty decision: he moulded Queen Marie Antoinette and her husband Louis XVI - life size - in 350 kg of chocolate each. Miraculously, they had no bite marks.
The Cocoa Jungle
Vienna Chocolate Museum. At the heart of the Chocolate Museum the Cocoa Jungle unfolded the life and fate of the cocoa bean: Growing and selling cocoa nowadays is not only a complex business but a hot fair trade topic. The world of chocolate production and trade is a complex global network that spans continents and connects millions of people. At its heart lies West Africa, where the bulk of cocoa cultivation takes place. Côte d'Ivoire and Ghana dominate the industry, together producing approximately 60% of the world's cocoa beans. Other significant contributors to global cocoa production include Indonesia, Ecuador, Nigeria and Cameroon.
While cocoa grows primarily in tropical regions, the transformation of these precious beans into chocolate predominantly occurs thousands of miles away. European and North American factories house the majority of processing facilities. The sheer scale of the chocolate industry is remarkable, with the global market valued at over $100 billion annually. The industry processes between 4-5 million metric tons of cocoa each year, providing livelihoods for 40-50 million people worldwide.
Even though we didn't encounter a single chocolate crumb in the Cocoa Jungle, world maps, colourful flow charts, cocoa pods, and roasted cocoa beans were intriguing enough to capture our interest. Do cocoa pods grow on branches or trunks? What actually happens with the pods when the beans are collected? And why is growing cocoa still a small family business?
When I thought of a chocolate bar I never imagined a jungle behind it, and certainly not cocoa bean farmers. Now I think of much more when biting into a Lindor ball! (my daughter, 12)
Atlas, Darth Vader, Sacher Torte And Games
Vienna Chocolate Museum. After a rather civilised theoretical start the Golden Room with its 2.5 meter full-chocolate sculptures challenged our good manners: Was I the only one to wanted to bite Atlas or the Greek Thinker into their dark brown calves? Strolling past an enormous Egyptian sphinx, David of Florence, the White Shark, and two giant bunnies I caught myself mentally chopping them up into neat pocket-sized chocolate bars.
Throughout that gigantic chocolate parade my son managed to remain calm. Eventually, he dashed towards a gallery of chocolate paintings featuring Darth Vader, Wolverine and Deadpool - the official 'Dark Side of Chocolate'. Learning about chocolate making and visualising its many tempting shapes were two different things.
I can't imagine how Bojan painted Darth Vader just using chocolate. I felt like licking it. (my son)
We made it past a series of Mozart chocolates, learning how to spot originals and 'fakes'.
Eventually, my next mental trigger arrived in the shape of a two-meter-wide shiny Sacher Torte hugging the wall. What a reminder of those two Viennese patissiers battling for decades over the positioning of a layer of apricot jam in a chocolate cake!
Meanwhile, my children engaged in the Chocolate Museum's many interactive games: virtually chasing butterflies and clearing a path through a green cocoa jungle; playing the 'magic cocoa pod' and discovering which chocolate types they were.
The 'chocolate type game' was a lot of fun and I was really surprised by the results! (my daughter, 12)
Creating Our Own Chocolate Bars
Vienna Chocolate Museum. To crown their experience my kids were ready to roll up their sleeves and make chocolate bars. Before visiting the museum we had booked a one-hour-workshop programme which took place in a spacious show kitchen. A gigantic marble work top displayed pralines, chocolate eggs and nibs, but most prominently a dozen glass jars filled with almond flakes, sugar sprinkles, peanuts, pine kernels, chili flakes, cocoa powder, dried banana slices, cookies and chocolate balls. Right by our side a friendly workshop instructor and Bojan shared their expertise of melting and crafting chocolate.
Before hands reached into the jars we learned how cocoa beans actually turned into a chocolate bar. Any chocolatier needs to know not only about different types of chocolate but about melting, cooling and reheating each of them, and what properties to expect from each. What is a conche and why was it better for us to pour our chocolate from that machine rather than spreading it all across the marble surface?
Bojan was really helpful. He was always around and explained how the machine worked, and shared a lot of information about how to not only decorate, but make chocolate. (my son)
Once they had filled their chocolate moulds my daughter and son sifted each glass jar for the perfect decorative mix: peanuts, chili, banana and sprinkles competed with mini cookies, smarties and chocolate balls.
While we were waiting for the decorated bars to cool, Bojan encouraged the kids to try the same type of chocolate and describe its flavours to each other. It was a bit like wine tasting. Eventually we realised why he did it: the results were the perfect chocolate tasting lesson, and chocolate tasting is proven to be tougher than wine tasting.
Tasting chocolate is really easy and fun but putting into words what you taste is so hard! (my daughter)
Practical Information
Note that the Chocolate Museum changed location from its former home at the Viennese Prater to the 5th district of Margareten.
Address: Schönbrunnerstraße 99, 1050 VIenna
Opening times: Tuesday to Sunday 10.00 am to 6.00 pm
Book tickets: Buy tickets for the museum and secure space at the chocolate workshop; During the workshop you will craft three personalized chocolate bars and add your own decorative touch. On top you will also get to use a professional chocolate tempering machine.
How to get there: take metro U4 to Pilgramgasse, then it's a 5 min walk from there
NOTE: My kids and I were kindly invited by the Chocolate Museum Vienna. All opinions about the museum and personal weaknesses for chocolate are explicitly our own.
CONFESSION: You know what I did after writing this post? I baked a large tray of creamy soft dark chocolate brownies...
