The best Konditorei in town
Sitting in the shadow of Mönchsberg, on the corner of Herbert van Karajan Platz in Salzburg is Niemetz, the most delightful and delicious of the Konditoreien in town. I was only in Salzburg for a fleeting one and half days, as part of my ICOM Costume Committee project, but I still managed to find time to visit Niemetz twice. Just around the corner is the baroque fancy of the Pferdeschwemme (horse bath) with its rearing horse sculpture and pastel murals on the pedimented wall behind. Its 18th century theatricality is echoed in the décor of Niemetz, which has an elegant pistachio green and rose pink frontage. Inside the paintwork is picked out in a profusion of gold, befitting of a Mozart opera or Marie Antoinette boudoir (it conjures up the same delicate feel as the Sofia Coppola film). At the front of the café a Madonna figure dressed in a pink and ivory brocade offers a sartorial reminder of the importance of the Catholic church to the town, both historically and today (church bells still peal regularly through the day in Salzburg).
Niemetz’s appropriately dressed Madonna
the pink 1920seque packaging
As someone who can overly excited by the mere sight of a great piece of vintage packaging I was particularly charmed by the Niemetz boxes and wrappings, all in the house pink, decorated with an eighteenth century design à la the 1920s (think of the wonderful George Barbier fashion illustrations).
The famous Schwedenbomben
But of course it was the cakes which we had really come for and what a selection. Strawberry tartlets nestled next to chocolate pyramids and delicately feathered cake slices. Our first visit to Niemetz was in celebration of our friend Dorothea’s birthday where we joined her colleagues in wishing her many happy returns and in sampling Niemetz’s signature product – Schwedenbomben, edible missiles of light and fluffy marshmallow coated in chocolate. For our second visit we treated ourselves to a well earned break in our project by studying the diverse cake selection more closely. It didn’t take me long to make up my mind and plump for the Mozarttorte, which echoed in cake form the ubiquitous Salzburg Mozartkugel, with layers of chocolate encasing a centre of liquor drenched pistachio marzipan. What better way to start an afternoon of hard, serious thinking than with such a slice of chocolate perfection, accompanied by a strong black coffee?
Mozarttorte and a cup of coffee – perfect!
The Niemetz konditorei started back in the 1890s, in Linz, and the famous Scwhedenbomben were first created in the 1920s. There are now three Niemetz locations; as well as the Salzburg café there is the original Linz shop as well as one in Linz Station. Alas, it appears that not everyone is as appreciative of Niemetz’s charms as my ICOM group and in recent years the company has struggled to remain financially afloat. Nevertheless a Facebook page set up to encourage people to support Niemetz has had a certain amount of success; earlier this year The Austrian Times reported that the company was having difficulty supplying the demand for Schwedenbomben, such was the interest generated by the Facebook page.
For me, however, what appealed about Niemetz was its old world charm. From its location on a Salzburg corner it provides a pink and pistachio oasis of friendly service, mouth watering delicacies and the opportunity to forget the care and stress of reality for a few gold tinted moments. What I hope for Niemetz is that enough people discover its charm to ensure it a long future in Salzburg but never so many that it loses aurora of a konditorei fit for a princess. If you’re ever in Salzburg be sure to pay Niemetz a visit!
goodies in Niemetz
maplesyrupandcastersugar 
fantastic! thank you!