Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
CostandHours:
€3,€8.50combo-ticketwithSalzburgMuseum,opendaily9:00-17:00,
Residenzplatz 9, tel. 0662/620-808-730,
www.salzburgmuseum.at
.
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Mozart's Birthplace (Geburtshaus)
The Mozart family lived here for 26 years. Of the seven Mozart children born here, two sur-
vived. Wolfgang was born here in 1756. It was in this building that he composed most of his
boy-genius works. Today it's the most popular Mozart sight in town—for fans, it's almost a
pilgrimage. Shuffling through with all the crowds, you'll peruse three floors of rooms with
exhibits displaying paintings, letters, personal items, and lots of facsimiles, all attempting to
bring life to the Mozart story. There's no audioguide, but everything's described in English.
Cost and Hours:
€10, €17 combo-ticket includes Mozart's Residence in the new
Visiting Mozart's Birthplace:
Start by walking to the top floor, where you enter the
Mozart family apartment—furnished only with the violin given to him at age six. This sec-
tion introduces Mozart's family, shows you the room where he was born, tells of his wife's
and children's fates after his death, and tries to explain his enduring fame. Next is an ex-
hibition on his life in Vienna, and a room of computer terminals with a wonderful program
allowing you to see his handwritten scores and hear them performed at the same time (Moz-
art's Residence, across town, has the same terminals). The middle floor includes a room of
dioramas showing stage sets for Mozart's operas and an old clavichord he supposedly com-
posedon.(Apredecessorofthemorecomplicatedpiano,theclavichord'skeyshitthestrings
with a simple teeter-totter motion that allows you to play very softly—ideal for composers
living in tight apartment quarters.) The lower-floor exhibit takes you on the road with the
child prodigy, and gives a slice-of-life portrait of Salzburg during Mozart's time, including a
bourgeois living room furnished much as the Mozart family's would have been.
If I had to choose between Mozart's birthplace
(Geburtshaus)
and his residence
(Wohnhaus),
I'dgowiththebirthplace,sinceitsexhibitsaremoreextensiveandeducational.
Ifyou'retrulyinterested inMozartandhistimes,takeadvantageofthecombi-ticket andsee
both.IfMozartisn'timportanttoyou,skipbothmuseumsandconcentrateonthecity'sother
sights and glorious natural surroundings.
Atop the Mönchsberg—the mini-mountain that rises behind the old town—is a tangle of
paved walking paths with great views, a hostel with a pleasant café/restaurant, a modern
art museum, a neighborhood of very fancy homes, and one major sight (the Hohensalzburg
Fortress, perched on the Festungsberg, the Mönchsberg's southern arm). You can walk up
