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When in Vienna, Do the Dorotheum
| Article
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18558 |
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Section : |
LIFE
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| Issue
Date : |
4 / 1991 |
2,799 Words |
| Author
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Nino Lo Bello
Nino Lo Bello is an American writer based in Vienna. |
At the height of her career, Swedish soprano Birgit Nilsson had her own favorite form of relaxation in Vienna--she enjoyed nothing better than to hie off to the world's biggest pawnshop. Between energy-draining performances of heavy operatic roles, Nilsson was pulled if by a magnet to watch the intriguing goings-on at the giant auctioneering establishment situated in the shadow of the Vienna State Opera.
And so are thousands upon thousands of other people today, which is why the Dorotheum is one of the city's best shopping attractions and also one of its most tantalizing tourist lures.
In the atmosphere of a theater matinee, catering to thin wallets as well as ample pockets, "Aunt Dorothy"--the Viennese nickname for the Dorotheum--draws through her portals Austrians burgeoning with the same enthusiasm they generate when attacking chocolate cake slathered with creamy Schlagobers. Not to forget the streams of foreign visitors from all parts of the globe, with Italians, Germans, and Japanese topping the list and Americans close behind.
Indeed a European fun spot with a vast melange of items up for auction, Auntie "D" is located in the heart of town on a street called Dorotheergasse (at numbers 11, 17, and 20). Admission to the huge pawn and loan house is free, which in its own way is a clue that one is about to enter a shopper's heaven. Here you meet the elite and the man in the street--people in elegant dress or in workman's garb--as well as young couples with kids and old timers with dogs.
The first question that comes to mind almost instantly is-so what's on auction at Vienna's conspicuous consumer showcase? Or better yet--what isn't?
What comes under Aunt Dorothy's hammer could include a Cellini saltcellar, luxurious Persian rugs, a jar of strange looking keys, or cakes of soap. Soap? Well, as the man said, Aunt Dorothy sells everything from Augarten porcelain to zithers that still zith. There are two to three auctions each day, six days a week, most starting at 2 P.M. Of 800 to 1,000 articles on the block at one time, some 200 are sold at each auction within the space of two hours. (In addition, special auctions take place once or twice a week, usually beginning at 5 P.M.)
Certain items are for immediate sale on the second floor, under the heading of Freier Verkauf (no auction involved), and you pay the price on the tag, which includes all taxes.
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