Hungry after visiting parts of the Hofburg palace museums, I perused g-maps for nearby cafes for a…read morebreak and a snack. The Dorotheum Cafe popped up close by so in that direction I headed. Unbeknownst to me, this was actually inside the Dorotheum auction house and we spent a good several minutes walking around outside then inside trying to figure out where it was (head to the second floor when you go inside).
Having entered with no prior knowledge that this was an auction house, let alone one of the world's oldest* and the largest auction house in continental Europe, this was an exciting discovery since there was so much to see. The ground floor upon entry is filled with enclosed glass display cases like those you'd find in luxury jewelry retailers and for good reason--the pieces were hefty in prices, the creme de la creme of gems and precious metals. And when you see signs pointing to famous artists like Picasso, Monet, Warhol, Klimt and Schiele (just to name a few) up for auction you know you're in the big leagues for art collectors.
The three floors inside are filled to the brim with cabinets of items and walls of artwork. It was refreshing to see that not everything is an ultra luxury item--they had housewares, furniture, antiques, jewelry and art within a reasonable range for the average customer looking for something unique and nice. It's free to peruse and really felt like walking around in a museum with price tags. Sales people were available to open cases for you to look at items if interested.
For more info:
https://www.dorotheum.com/en/
*Established by Emperor Joseph I in 1707, headquartered at this exact location in Vienna, they also have branches in other European countries.
