Julius Meinl house

The Julius Meinl house (Meinlhaus) in the inner city at Fleischmarkt 7 was built in 1899 as a trading house for Julius Meinl based on a design by Max Kropf. The building, with its plaster façade and neoclassical décor by Wilhelm Hejda, features stucco reliefs with the coats of arms of the cities of Hamburg, Trieste and London as well as an ornate grille with the inscription “Julius Meinl Kaffee Import” in reference to the coffee trade.

The career of Julius Meinl II (1869-1944) and his rise to become the largest food retailer in the monarchy also began here in his father’s store.

The memorial plaque for Billy Wilder at the entrance is also worth noting. The famous screenwriter, director and 6-time Oscar winner lived there during his school days (at the private Juranek grammar school in the 8th district). At times he was in the same class as the later film director Fred Zinnemann (5 Oscars), whom he met again in Hollywood and remained friends with for the rest of his life.