In early modern European cities, European intellectual communities began to develop primarily in coffeehouses. Coffeehouses became important venues for social interaction, exchange of ideas, and discussions about politics, philosophy, and science. They served as informal institutions where intellectuals, writers, and thinkers could gather, debate, and share information, contributing significantly to the emergence of the Enlightenment and the rise of public discourse.
While government institutions, churches, and trading outposts also played roles in society, coffeehouses were particularly notable as centers for the dissemination of new ideas and the fostering of intellectual communities.