Kohlmarkt, High-end shopping street in Inner City, Austria

Kohlmarkt is a shopping street in Vienna's Inner City running from Michaelerplatz to Graben. It houses a mix of international luxury brands and traditional Viennese jewelry shops beneath historic facades.

The street's history reaches back to the Roman legionary camp Vindobona, whose southwestern gate, later the Peilertor, was reached via the Kohlmarkt. It was recorded as Witmarkt in 1255 and 1304, and as Kohlenmarkt in 1314 and 1352, named for charcoal sellers. After the Hofburg was built, its proximity to the imperial residence drew makers of high-quality luxury goods.

The name comes from the charcoal sellers (Kohlenmarkt) recorded in 1314, not from cabbage. Since the Hofburg rose nearby, the street drew makers of luxury goods; today jewellers and international fashion houses occupy the historic buildings, and Demel at No. 14 still trades as a former court confectioner.

The street runs from Michaelerplatz to Graben and is a pedestrian zone, so it is walked end to end on foot. The Looshaus at number 18 stands at the Michaelerplatz corner, where the view opens toward the Michaelertrakt of the Hofburg. Expect heavy foot traffic at all hours, as the photograph shows.

At Kohlmarkt 11, the Grosses Michaelerhaus, Joseph Haydn lived in 1750 and wrote his first compositions there; the librettist Pietro Metastasio also resided in the building. The house stands near the Michaelerplatz end of the street.