Mozart Wohnhaus (Mozart Residence)

Mozart Wohnhaus (Mozart Residence) Review

The Mozart family moved from its cramped quarters in Getreidegasse to this house on the Hannibal Platz, as it was then known, in 1773. Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart lived here until 1780, his sister Nannerl stayed here until she married in 1784, and their father Leopold lived here until his death in 1787. The house is accordingly referred to as the Mozart Residence, signifying that it was not only Wolfgang who lived here. During the first Allied bomb attack on Salzburg in October 1944, the house was partially destroyed, but was reconstructed in 1996. Mozart composed the "Salzburg Symphonies" here, as well as all five violin concertos, church music and some sonatas, and parts of his early operatic masterpieces, including Idomeneo. Besides an interesting collection of musical instruments (for example, his own pianoforte), among the exhibits on display are books from Leopold Mozart's library. Autographed manuscripts and letters can be viewed, by prior arrangement only, in the cellar vaults. One room offers a multimedia show and wall-size map with more personal details about Mozart, like his numerous travels across Europe. Another salon has been decorated in the domestic decor of Mozart's day.