I got an opportunity to travel to Salzburg and to visit the house of the great composer Mozart or Mozart Museum as it is often called. It is an almost sacred experience to walk through the house.
The Mozart family lived in this house from 1747 to 1773. Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart was born here in 1756. They did not own the house. In fact the house was owned by a good family friend of the Mozarts`s,Johann Lorenz Hagenauer. The Mozart family lived on the 3rd floor. The square in front of the house is named after Johann Lorenz Hagenauer. I loved the square which was so peaceful and quiet. Another friend of the family (Babette von Moll) lived in the back part of the house.
Today the house is a famous museum. It was opened in 1880 by the International Mozart Foundation. This foundation acquired musical instruments as they were sold, first by his widow (Constanze Nissen (1762-1842) and his sons Carl Thomas (1784-1858) and Franz Xaver Wolfgang (1791-1844).
I loved the old kitchen. It is very basic but has such a warm atmosphere. I would love to cook there.
In 1985 a private loan enabled the rear part of the house to be bought and this was carefully restored into a replica of a typical middle-class home in the Salzburg of Mozart’s time. It shows furniture and objects of the time. There are several themes that are covered in greater detail. The second floor of the house covers Mozart and the theatre. There are dioramas showing how the Mozart operas have been interpreted throughout the years. On the first floor there is a changing exhibition of the composer. In the museum you can see the composers childhood violin, his clavichord, a pianoforte and also Mozart family letters.
Mozart House is also a venue for plays and operas for the last 80 years. It is big enough to accommodate 1500 people.The museum is closed for visitors during Mozart week when the concerts take place.
If you are going to Salzburg, pay this unique museum a visit. You will not be disappointed.
Entrance fee:
Adults: €7
Children: €2.50
Free with the Salzburg Card.
Where: Salzburg,Austria
When: December 2006
Hi SJ, the house is very impressive! I would love to attend a concert there some day!
It's hard to believe how old that house is and how big too..
Such a tiny kitchen for such a huge (and beautiful) house!
Great Blog – I love it !!Salzburg is about 1 hour from my hometown …I hope you had a good time Greatings Sandra
Hi Rachel, I am not sure if it was standard for kitchens to be small back in those days. The house is impressive with beautiful wooden floors and high ceilings. I would not mind to live in a house like that 🙂
Hi Rachel, I am not sure if it was standard for kitchens to be small back in those days. The house is impressive with beautiful wooden floors and high ceilings. I would not mind to live in a house like that 🙂
Hi Sandra, thank you for the compliment and for visiting my blog! I had a great time in Salzburg and would love to return one day and spend more time there. I would also like to see Vienna. I spent a week in St.Johann. You live in a beautiful country!
Hi SJ, the house is very impressive! I would love to attend a concert there some day!
Pretty impressive! It could accomodate to a thousand, wow! And it’s very simple and austere. Thanks for letting us take a peek into the house esp. the kitchen 😉