Museum of Silver and Porcelain in Hofburg

The museum features English, Sèvres and Chinese sets, silver chandeliers and trays with intricate contraptions for sauces and spices and other luxurious dining items. Among the porcelain plates you will not find a single repetitive pattern.

Such a seemingly simple thing as dining utensils (however, elegant exhibits presented in the museum, it is difficult to call this trivial word) was of great importance to the Habsburg monarchs. This becomes clear if you know about their attitude to the dining procedure: the XVIII century practiced ceremonial dinners for the audience, the table was laid along one side, and allowed to talk only with a neighbor. Under Franz Joseph, soldiers were added to this: dinners of 13 changes at his request lasted no more than 45 minutes, and he got up from the table in the 42nd minute, after which no one was allowed to eat.