Mozart House (Vienna)

Mozart House (Vienna)

 

 

Official site

 

Description of Mozart House

Mozart House (or Haus in German) of Vienna is a former residence and now a museum of famous Austrian musician, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. The Mozart Hose is located in the Camesinahaus in Domgasse 5 in the 1st district of Vienna Innere Stadt, not far from St. Stephen's Cathedral. On the first floor is the only surviving Viennese apartment of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, who lived here from the end of September 1784 to the end of April 1787. It is believed that Mozart was most happiest while living here. It was one of the most productive periods in his life.

 

Originally built in the 17th century, the house was originally two-storeyed and had the entrance on Schulerstraße 8 (then: Große Schulerstraße, city no. 845). When Mozart rented his place here in 1784, the house had been structurally altered since 1716 by the then owner Andrea Simone Carove. Mozart rented the apartment from the family Camesina, who owned the house since 1720, which is why it was also known under the name "Camesinahaus".

Mozart's rooms were opened in 1941 on the occasion of the 150th anniversary of the death of Mozart by the National Socialists as part of the "Mozart Week of the German Reich", an event intended to capture Mozart as a typical German composer, in contrast to his polyglot life. Since 1945, the operation of the showrooms was the responsibility of the Historical Museum of the City of Vienna. Since the privately owned building appeared to be less attractive from the outside, the number of visitors in the so-called "Figarohaus" with about 80,000 people per year remained modest, although the location seemed attractive because of its short distance to St. Stephen's Cathedral.

 

History
The house, which was built in the 17th century, was originally two-story and had the entrance at Schulerstrasse 8 (at that time: Große Schulerstrasse, city no. 845). When Mozart rented here in 1784, the house had been changed since 1716 by the then owner Andrea Simone Carove. Mozart rented the apartment from the Camesina family, who had owned the house since 1720, which is why it was also known as the "Camesinahaus".

Mozart's rooms were opened in 1941 on the 150th anniversary of Mozart's death by the National Socialists as part of the "Mozart Week of the German Reich", an event with which Mozart - in contrast to his polyglot life - was to be taken as a typical German composer. Since 1945, the showrooms have been in operation at the Historical Museum of the City of Vienna. Since the privately owned building appeared to be less attractive from the outside, the number of visitors to the so-called "Figaro House" remained modest with around 80,000 people per year, although the location seemed attractive due to its short distance to St. Stephen's Cathedral.

Adaptation as Vienna's "Mozart Center"
In view of the Mozart year 2006, Wien Holding, owned by the City of Vienna, undertook to fundamentally renew the premises via the Mozarthaus Vienna Errichtungs- und Betriebs-GmbH, which it had founded. After complete renovation, information areas on the life and work of the composer with a focus on his time in Vienna were created in parts of the building and in the basement. the historic Mozart apartment, which Mozart and his family lived in from the end of September 1784 to the end of April 1787, remains under the care of the Vienna Museum and has been incorporated into the overall concept.

These rooms, which are located on the first floor, are the only Mozart apartments in Vienna that have been preserved. It consists of four rooms, two cabinets and a kitchen. In the two and a half years that Mozart spent here, central works such as "Le Nozze di Figaro" were created. Due to the very poor facts - so there are no original furnishings - it is more up to the visitor himself to imagine Mozart's life and work in these rooms.

In addition to the living rooms, information about Mozart is presented in the form of audiovisual installations on a further two floors, the exhibits themselves are not originals, but rather a collection of replicas that have little to do with Mozart himself, but are assigned to his time. There is a museum shop and a coffee machine on the ground floor. The frequency was around 203,000 visitors in 2006 and around 160,000 in 2015. The new Bösendorfer Hall has also been located here since October 2010.