Café Concerto in Vienna: Call of donations before impending closure!

Café Concerto in Vienna: Call of donations before impending closure!

Lerchenfelder Gürtel 53, 1070 Wien, Österreich - The popular Café Concerto Am Lerchenfelder Gürtel 53 in Vienna faces a serious challenge. Operator Heinz Seidl admits that the traditional restaurant has been suffering from massive impairments for over 19 months. More than twelve damage events - from water pipe broken to the risk of collapse - have not only hit the building fabric, but also the business.

"I can no longer bear the costs alone," says Seidl, who asks for donations to secure the existence of the café. It is important to collect 7,000 euros by the end of August, and a little more than 2,000 euros are currently reached. If the Situation continues, the Café Concerto threatens what would mean not only a loss at a starting point for the Viennese continuation scene, but also in culture.

The damage and its consequences

In the past two years, Seidl has already invested around 150,000 euros in repairs. However, according to him, the damage is the responsibility of the homeowners who have so far remained idle. This not only led to a decline in the number of visitors, but also to loss of sales and image, since events cannot be carried out in full. For example, the event location Keller was closed for over half a year, which the live music program disabled.

The condition of the restaurant is urgent: In mid -June 2024, two channels occurred, one of them in the direction of the basement. When removing this damage, it turned out that the basement was partially washed out, which meant acute risk of collapse. "The complete remedy of the damage is a long time coming," continues Seidl, whose office has only been used to a limited extent since the opening in October 2023.

a load on the shoulders of the operator

The situation is also complicated by Seidl's health problems. Communication problems and continuous uncertainties in planning tighten his situation. In addition, due to technical requirements for the ventilation system, the operator had to reduce the number of seats by about 20 percent, which further tightens the financial situation.

"We have worked on this idea for a long time and it would be tragic to give them up now," explains Seidl. The live music program only started in October 2023, after over two and a half years closed. During this time, the Café Concerto, like many other Viennese cafés, suffered from the load of the Covid Lockdowns and the subsequent repair delays. Meanwhile, similar difficulties can also be heard in other traditions such as the Bellaria Café, which despite good number of visitors in a position similar to Concerto.

To support the Café Concerto, interested people can donate via the website www.gofundme.at . Seidl hopes to collect a further 10,000 euros, especially by returning the students in November. Time is forced: If the donation goals are not reached, the beloved café could soon be a sad story.