It sometimes seems as if all of Salzburg is a shrine to its most famous son, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, but the key attraction for classical music lovers is the modest house-museum called Mozarts Geburtshaus (Mozart’s Birthplace), where he lived until age 17. It displays with almost religious reverence the tiny violin he played as a toddler, a lock of his hair, and several of his jacket buttons.

It was in this humble abode that Mozart’s father, Leopold, first identified his son’s genius. By the age of two, little Wolfgang had not only learned to play many instruments, he had identified a pig’s squeal as the note G! He gave his first formal recital—and composed his first symphony—at the age of five, and for years the proud Leopold toured his child prodigy around the courts of Europe, giving blindfold harpsichord concerts and other “trick” performances.

Such an unconventional upbringing left Mozart with an eccentric personality. He would disappear for all-night drinking bouts, playing billiards and frequenting brothels; in his spare time, he taught his pet starling to sing operettas. He was delicate, short, and vain about his clothes and hair; those who met him observed that only his “intense eyes” gave clues of his divine spark.

Living in Vienna in his early twenties, Mozart fell in love with the famous soprano Aloysia Weber. When rebuffed, he married her sister, Constanze. Despite interludes of great success, he managed his money badly, squandering fortunes on clothes and luxuries. His family shuffled between ever-smaller apartments in Vienna, Paris, Prague, and Salzburg. (He returned to Salzburg for four years in the now Mozart Wohnhaus (Mozart Residence), another fine museum with original manuscripts and multimedia exhibits).

The circumstances of Mozart’s death were famously mysterious. At the age of 35, while writing his Requiem and at the height of his powers, he contracted a fever and claimed to his wife that he was being poisoned. He died a few weeks later and was buried in an unmarked Vienna grave in 1791. The film Amadeus revives 18th-century rumors that point the finger at Antonio Salieri, an Italian composer who was tormented by his own mediocrity. Experts have found no evidence to support the accusation, and believe that Mozart actually died of rheumatic fever and the typical incompetence of 18th-century medicine.

On a vacation to Europe, Austria is a must-see destination. Vienna, one of the most beautiful cities in the world, is often called the cultural capital of Europe. Enjoy the breathtaking views of Vienna–royal palaces and gardens, romantic alleys and architecture with medieval flair.

The inner city of Vienna is overflowing with superbly decorated historical architecture, but for decades its most famous address was actually an unassuming apartment building in a middle-class suburb—Berggasse 19. From 1891 to 1938, this was the home of Sigmund Freud, the brilliant thinker who invented psychoanalysis and discovered the power of dreams and the subconscious, changing the way we think about the human mind forever.

Today, the apartment, situated on a street sloping down to the Danube Canal, is the Sigmund Freud Museum, and it continues to lure streams of admirers from around the world, just as it did in the great man’s own lifetime. Each of the dozen rooms is filled with memorabilia: Freud’s birth certificate (born to a Jewish family, he changed his first name from Sigismund), his walking cane, battered travel bag with the initials S.F., his hat and sports cap hanging on hooks by the door—all give the impression that the pioneer shrink might be about to stroll back from a nearby coffee house for a session of “talk therapy” (as psychoanalysis was first called) with a patient.

Also on display are rare original books, including a first edition of “The Interpretation of Dreams,” published in Vienna in 1900, which was ignored for years but eventually became an international bestseller. On the walls are classic photographs of the bearded, avuncular Freud holding his ubiquitous cigar. When friends joked that, according to Freud’s own theories of sexuality, the cigar should be interpreted as a phallic symbol, he famously remarked, “Sometimes a cigar is just a cigar.”

By 1938, at the age of 82, Freud was one of Austria‘s most famous and respected figures when Nazi Germany annexed the country and Gestapo officers began harassing Jewish residents. Soldiers visited Berggasse 19 and searched the offices, confiscating about $1,500 in cash. Freud at first refused to admit the danger, but he was finally convinced to emigrate, with an exit visa arranged by U.S. President Roosevelt himself and facilitated by a sympathetic German officer. He moved to England, where he died of cancer the following year, which is why Freud’s famous couch resides today in a small London museum rather than its long-time home in Vienna.

Old City Walk, Imperial Walking Route

Ask your Local Host about a walking route to discover the fascinating older parts of Vienna´s historic city center with its legends and paths or the Imperial Route, to see classic architecture, elegant boulevards, the Hofburg Palace and other memorable sites.

Belvedere

Walk up to the Belvedere for splendid views over Vienna and/or visit its museum and see the beautiful painting “the Kiss” by Gustav Klimt. A must if you are here in Vienna!!!

The Sigmund Freud Museum

Make your own analysis of the famed psychological pioneer in the building where he lived and worked for nearly 50 years. See Freud’s personal possessions as well as the largest psycho-analysis library in Europe.

Fine Arts Museum and Museum Quarter

Visit the impressive Fine Arts Museum collection in a beautiful setting. The city has a wealth of museums.

Imperial Crypts

Visit the Imperial Crypts for a fascinating glimpse into the past.

Fiaker

Enjoy a carriage ride from St. Stephens Cathedral or at other starting points in the city center.

Spanish Riding School

Equestrian buffs will find this Viennese institution irresistible. Founded in 1572, it’s the oldest and last riding school in the world where classic dressage is still practiced in its purest form. See world-famous Lipizzaner stallions go through their steps.

Prater

Families may like to spend time at Vienna’s famous fun fair. Take a ride on the famous Giant Ferris Wheel or be a passenger of “Vienna Airlines” and take a spectacular virtual flight above the roofs of Vienna.

House of Music

What better place than Vienna to walk the halls of music and peek into its future. Listen to what an unborn child hears in the womb, paint a picture with a palette of tones, or steer a note through a musical landscape.

The Vienna Naschmarkt

A Viennese institution in the city center, this colorful market dates back to the 16th century. There are small restaurants and cafés nearby for lunch as well as the “Secession”, the Art Nouveau building famous for the Beethoven Frieze by Gustav Klimt.

Wienerschnitzel, Apfelstrudel

Sample the classic Wiener Schnitzel or Tafelspitz, and try apricot Schnaps. Treat yourself to Apfelstrudel, coffee and chocolate cake, or other sweet delicacies in the grand and traditional Viennese coffee houses.

Shopping

Walk along the Kärntnerstrasse and/or Mariahilferstrasse … shop for concert music DVDs, crystal glass, enamel jewelry or ornaments, wool lodenware, Viennese wafer biscuits, and Mozart chocolate.

Spanish Riding School

Equestrian buffs will find this Viennese institution irresistible. Founded in 1572, it’s the oldest and last riding school in the world where classic dressage is still practiced in its purest form. Come see world-famous Lipizzaner stallions go through their steps.

Archduke Rudolph’s Lodge at Mayerling

If the scandalous side of history interests you, visit the hunting lodge of Archduke Rudolph in Mayerling. It was there in 1889 that Rudolph, the heir to the throne, was found dead with his teenage mistress. Both, apparently, the victims of a suicide pact. Read the rest of this entry »