Walking through the streets of Vilnius, we are delighted by the abundance of cafés, some new and modern, others already from days gone by. The first public café was established in Constantinople in 1554, and from the middle of the 17th century, café culture spread rapidly across Europe. During the Enlightenment, cafés became particularly popular, coffee became a symbol of modernity, and cafés were the place to go to discuss the news, read the newspapers, have a chat, and meet people.
When and how did coffee come to Vilnius? Legend has it that coffee was brought to the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth by Jan Sobieski’s army after the defeat of the Turks in Vienna. It is known that the drink was very popular at the latter’s court.
Knowing that the first coffee shop in Warsaw was opened in 1724, we can assume that coffee shops were established in Vilnius at a similar time. So let’s take a walk around the city and recall some historic cafés, their clientele, and the tradition of coffee drinking in general – where it all began. We will see that cafés are not only about coffee but also about love, friendship, and conversation.
