For many residents and visitors, the Würstelstand, or sausage stand, is as essential a part of life in Vienna as, for example, Wiener schnitzel. Guests of the famous Ball at the Opera meet at the stands, Viennese passing from one meeting to another, tourists from all over the world, but also locals just for a chat. The operators have now come together in a joint initiative to get the sausage stands on UNESCO’s Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity list; and the idea was now directly supported by the social democratic mayor of Vienna, Michael Ludwig.
“Vienna’s sausage stands are inextricably linked to the heart of our city and are more than just places to sell tasty snacks.” stated the mayor at one of the most famous stands next to the Vienna State Opera. According to Ludwig, the stalls are part of the city’s identity and history. At the same time, they strengthen the local sense of belonging, when visitors to the opera in tailcoats and gowns can meet artisans in overalls at one stand.
The initiative is also supported by the city’s Chamber of Commerce. “Although the range of refreshments has expanded significantly in recent years, sausage stands have a strong place among Viennese and our guests,” said chamber president Walter Ruck.
According to the town hall, the tradition of sausage stands dates back to the era of mobile cooking stands from the time of the monarchy. They were supposed to serve to provide a living for war invalids, the town hall said, similar to tobacco stands (hence the meaning of the word tobacconist transferred to politics as a shop for merit). In contrast, the current form of non-mobile stands is a relative novelty, as the first fixed stand was only permitted by the city in 1969. The oldest still operating stand has been in operation since 1928.
The Viennese stallholders in cooperation with the city will now try to do what the Viennese café culture, wine bars (Heuriger) and the waltz have already succeeded. Vienna wants to submit an official request to register sausage stands on the UNESCO list in the near future.
The Czech Republic does not have a comparable gastronomic phenomenon on UNESCO’s list of intangible cultural heritage – however, the Slovak Verbuňk, falconry, the carnival, the ride of the kings (Slovácko and Haná), puppetry, blue printing, blown Christmas decorations, rowing and, most recently, hand-crafted glass are globally recognized in this way. The list includes 730 intangible cultural phenomena from 145 countries, according to the UNESCO website. Many belong to several countries, for example puppetry, blue printing and falconry we share with Slovakia, among others. As far as gastronomy is concerned, the French, for example, have artisanal baguettes, but also the phenomenon of dining and banquets at a level (but not wine…). The Belgians, on the other hand, are recognized by the organization as having a specific beer culture.
