VIENNA, AUSTRIA – The team of oikotimes.com is in Vienna and besides the Eurovision Song Contest 2015, our editor Vassilis Karelas prepared a series of videos to explore the city of Vienna, host city of the 60th Eurovision edition. In this video we explore Vienna’s Kohlmarkt.
KOLHMARKT
Fans of high-carat luxury will quickly find what they are looking for around Kohlmarkt. The area is home to traditional Viennese jewelers Wagner, Bucherer and Schullin, as well as resonant international luxury brands. Rare pieces can also be acquired at the Dorotheum auction house.
The most prestigious shopping zone in downtown Vienna – also called the “Golden U” – stretches from Hofburg Palace and Kohlmarkt via Graben to Kärntner Strasse. Formerly the location of numerous court-appointed jewelers, international luxury brands such as Cartier, Chopard, Tiffany and Wellendorff are the present-day answer to exclusive glittering dreams.
Right on the corner of Graben and Tuchlauben, Wagner runs Austria’s largest shop for high-end jewelry. In addition to the jewelry produced in-house, you will also find renowned international brands in the 700 m2 shop. The centerpiece is a special Rolex boutique.
As a Viennese tradition, Bucherer has stood for the highest quality for decades. At its Kärntner Strasse location, the jeweler offers the best in watch and jewelry brands – from Rolex to Patek Philippe to Gucci. Their in-house goldsmith studio specializes in the creation of wedding rings, necklaces and earrings, and also undertakes expert jewelry and watch repairs.
The marble and wooden entrance designed by star architect Hans Hollein at Schullin on Kohlmarkt is reflection of what lies inside – modern design coupled with perfect craftsmanship. The extravagant contours and colors of Schullin jewelry are captivatingly appealing. Delicate coral branches, for instance, are grouped together like chili peppers to create an eye-catching necklace.
As the first goldsmith in Austria, the jewelry workshop Skrein in the Vienna Spiegelgasse now produces all of its creations with fair trade gold. This means that it only uses recycled gold, ecological gold mined without chemicals, and gold from fair trade certified mines. The Juwelier Gadner jewelers on Stallburggasse also offers refined treasures that are far from being mass-produced goods.
The Dorotheum, the world’s most venerable auction house, celebrated its 300th anniversary in 2007. Rare items of jewelry, from art deco to the modern age, can either be acquired at auction or nerve-sparingly purchased direct at the Kärntner Strasse branch or eleven other outlets in Vienna.