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Vienna Will Wait for You

A virtual tour of the Mozarteum in Vienna, Austria

By Emily Palazzotto


Photo of the Outside of the Mozarteum

Photo from Michelin Travel Guide


As a result of the current coronavirus pandemic, traveling has been put on pause. While you may be unable to visit tourist attractions live in person, a plethora of different places from all over the world are offering virtual online tours that can be taken from anywhere! With the click of a few buttons, virtual tours have the ability to transport you from your living room couch where you sit in your pajamas, to breathtaking monuments all around the world. Today, you will take a trip to the birthplace of the brilliant composer Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart in Vienna, Austria.

 

Why the Mozarteum?


Portrait of Wolfgang Mozart

Photo from Wikipedia: painted by Johann Nepomuk della Croce


Vienna, Austria is one of the most visited cities in Europe. While there is so much to see all over the country, one of the most highly sought-after locations to visit is the birthplace of the brilliant and talented Wolfgang Mozart – also known as the “Mozarteum”. Having visited the Mozarteum myself in person, I can confidently say that the virtual tour is almost identical to the live, in-person experience.

 

His Music


Mozart’s brilliance for composing such moving pieces is undeniable. His talent has landed him the honor of being referred to as one of the greatest composers of all time – even hundreds of years later. The most noteworthy of Mozart’s skill set in my opinion, is that he was able to master the composition of musical in all forms.

Wolfgang Mozart is what many may refer to as a child prodigy. While most children were just beginning to walk, Mozart was already composing his first piece. To his fortune, Mozart’s father gave up his own career in music to help tutor Mozart to be the best at what he did - compose.

While Mozart is mostly remembered today for his ability to compose such moving and powerful pieces, he was also a skilled musician. He was trained on the violin and keyboard mostly.

To his advantage, Mozart’s father took him on tours all over the world to learn from different places, and to share his gift. Mozart spent about ten years of his life travelling the world. His pieces are a culmination of all of the places that he went as well as the things that he felt and learned while he was exploring. Mozart’s music has a great ability of portraying mood and drama, and being able to sway the mood of listeners.

Highly influenced by the Enlightenment period he was growing up in, his father, the church in Salzburg, and other musicians from his era, Mozart composed over six hundred pieces in his short thirty-five years of life. His legacy is one that still sticks with us today.

 

An interactive 360-degree view in the virtual tour of Mozart’s birthplace enables you to see the residential building where Mozart resided for a good portion of his thirty-five years of life. Throughout your tour, you will have the ability to explore three floors of the building and see certain mementos that were a big part in shaping the person that Mozart was.

Along the way, you will come across blue and red circles by a select few items in the museum. Hover your mouse over the blue button and it will give you a fact about whatever you may be viewing in English.

Icons to hover over for facts

Image from the Mozarteum Website


This virtual tour will walk you through so many different parts of Wolfgang Mozart’s life – not just the part of his life focused on composing. While yes, the majority of his life was focused on music, you will be able to see the different influences that shaped Mozart and his being.

You will be able to see the origins of where he came from, who he held relationships with and what those relationships meant to him, as well as gain insight into the roots of his passion.

For the best viewing experience, it is suggested that you begin your tour on the third floor and descend from there.

 

The third floor is where the Mozart family once resided. This floor is where Wolfgang Mozart was actually born. The other floors in the museum were renovated over time for the museum. Once you begin viewing the third floor, you will be walked through what was Mozart’s childhood. Housed here is his childhood violin and keyboard. You will also see family portraits, letters and documents that were important to the Mozart family. The most interesting thing to see on this floor in my opinion are the early editions of his music. Although these pieces are his older compositions, you can still see the prestige and genius in his work. Another large part of what you will see in the third floor are records of what his life looked like when he was living in Vienna with his family and wife.

As you move from the third floor to the second, you will switch gears from viewing things from Mozart’s early life, to viewing his deep interest for orchestra. On the second floor, you can find some of his old and some of his more modern set models, costumes from his operas, as well as small tidbits from his operas to be heard. The most intriguing piece you may stumble across on this floor is the original keyboard type instrument where Mozart composed many of his brilliant pieces, such as The Magic Flute.

Photo of Mozart's Clavichord (keyboard-like instrument)

Photo from Mozarteum Website


As you make your way to the first floor, you will see many original everyday items that the Mozart family utilized. This floor is dedicated to depicting more of what Mozart’s everyday life looked like. Here, you can even observe a room which is fully furnished with the original furniture pieces from the eighteenth century.


Photos from the Virtual Tour on the Mozarteum Website

 

Reflecting on the Virtual Tour

Even though a virtual tour may not be the ideal way to visit some of your dream locations located around the globe, it can be beneficial. The Mozarteum has so much to offer and there is so much to see. In this case, a virtual tour is beneficial because you can really spend your time looking around and soaking in all of the details, especially without having to wait for others to move along so you can get to the front to see everything as close as possible. Sometimes, during an in-person tour, guides will even rush you through the museum.

So, while you may be stuck in your home at the moment due to the current coronavirus pandemic, you can allow virtual tours such as the tour of the “Mozarteum” to bring your mind elsewhere. It may be a different way than you are typically used to exploring all that our world has to offer but taking these virtual tours will most definitely allow your mind to escape the four walls that are confining you. One day, hopefully soon, you can grab your passport, throw some clothes and your camera into a bag, and explore the Mozarteum in Vienna, live and in person for yourself, because as Billy Joel once said - “Vienna waits for you”.

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