There is no question this is Mozart’s hometown. Everywhere you turn you see him. Salzburg and Vienna are the best places to truly immerse yourself in all things Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. Born here in 1756, he spent most of his first 25 years in Salzburg when he wasn’t traveling for performances.
Mozart Must GOs in Salzburg…
- Mozart’s Gebursthaus (Birthplace): Located on Getreidegasse, Salzburg’s busy main shopping street in the Altstadt (Old Town), this is a shrine to Mozart and the most popular sight in town. Composing most of his early works here (he composed 600 in his short 35 year life), the house is filled with memorabilia and exhibits. The house gives you a great feel of the Mozart family’s life as it is remodeled with period furnishings of the time. You’ll find music scores, most of the portraits painted of Mozart during his lifetime, his first violin, his clavichord (precursor to the piano) on which he played The Magic Flute, family letters and family portraits.
- Mozart’s Wohnhaus (Residence): Mozart and his family moved into this house, across the Salzach River from his birthplace, when he was 17. This, his second house, is a great museum for more depth into his life and music. The audioguide included with the tour (buy a combo ticket for this and the birthplace) is 90 minutes and worth the time.
- Mozart Music Live: When in Salzburg you must enjoy live Mozart music. Salzburg has over 2,000 classical performances each year and there are 3 key venues for Mozart. Schlosskonzerte (Concerts at the Mirabell Palace) are probably the best and take place almost nightly. We enjoyed a beautiful 3 piece (violine, violoncello, klavier) concert of Mozart, Beethoven and Dvorák. Concerts at the Fortress with small chamber groups take place in the ‘prince’s chamber’ most nights. Stiftskeller St. Peter serves a candlelit three-course dinner of recipes from the period with Mozart music performed by the Amadeus Consort Ensemble dressed in historic costumes (I peaked in as we had dinner there… not usually my thing but it looked very nice). Also visit Salzburg‘s website for a full list of performances during your visit or stop by the TI office off Mozartplatz once in town (with the town’s Mozart statue erected in 1842) for a schedule and tickets.
See my post on Salzburg for more on the beautiful city. Visit the gallery for more great photos of our Salzburg visit.
Coming tomorrow: The Sound of Music’s Salzburg![/fusion_builder_column][/fusion_builder_row][/fusion_builder_container]