Mysterious and dark, a cellar can be an alluring place. Even this cellar located under an early 19th century listed building in Vienna’s Berggasse has fallen into oblivion. It’s not documented or even recorded in any plans. What’s more, the “Krypt Bar” today is a place you stumble into by chance. So well hidden, it’s somewhere you really have to look for.

When carrying out static investigations, the architects working on renovations of the building above came across this hidden cellar by chance. Many assume that a jazz bar had been operating in this place in 1950s and 1960s.

The idea of breathing new life into this atmospherically dense, old vault with a bar attracted both the client and the architects. Plenty of effort went into creating the perfect bar experience. This included air out some of the cellar’s damp wall, creating a second escape staircase and installing technical equipment. A new ventilation system was also needed, so that no musty cellar smell lingered.

Despite its publicity, the bar owners stress the importance of discretion. The entrance is purposefully uninteresting: just a plain grey door and no signs. The bar itself lies twelve metres underground.