{"id":5270,"date":"2018-08-13T09:02:48","date_gmt":"2018-08-13T08:02:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/?p=5270"},"modified":"2026-03-03T12:34:21","modified_gmt":"2026-03-03T11:34:21","slug":"haydns-house-haydnhaus","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/footsteps\/haydns-house-haydnhaus\/","title":{"rendered":"Haydn House (Haydnhaus)"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"alignright\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"150\" height=\"150\" src=\"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/haydnthumb.jpg\" alt=\"Haydn plaque\" class=\"wp-image-5271\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/haydnthumb.jpg 150w, https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/haydnthumb-100x100.jpg 100w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 150px) 100vw, 150px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p>Haydn&#8217;s final residence offers another chance to get up close to the life and times of one of history&#8217;s greatest composers. The Haydnhaus includes such treats as original instruments owned by the master.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Closed temporarily from March 2nd, 2026<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>&#8230;I await news on a reopening date<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Haydn lived here for 12 years<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Exhibition covers the period &amp; his works <\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>One room dedicated to Brahms<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Book a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.tiqets.com\/en\/concerts-opera-vienna-tickets-l206741\/?partner=visitingvienna&amp;tq_campaign=LG_Haydn\" rel=\"sponsored\">concert experience<\/a>* for Vienna<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>See also:\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>One-time free entry <a href=\"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/sights\/vienna-pass-review\/\" data-type=\"post\" data-id=\"3960\">with a Vienna Pass<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/footsteps\/joseph-haydn\/\">Haydn location guide<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/famous-people\/\" data-type=\"page\" data-id=\"1666\">In the footsteps of musicians<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">House &amp; museum<\/h2>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"500\" height=\"375\" src=\"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/haydnhaus.jpg\" alt=\"Haydn's home\" class=\"wp-image-44900\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/haydnhaus.jpg 500w, https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/haydnhaus-300x225.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 500px) 100vw, 500px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center has-small-font-size\">(View of the house along the appropriately-named Haydngasse)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>So there he sat. Our Mr Haydn. Over 200 years ago. Tinkling away on his keyboard, testing some ideas, and then putting a few notes down on paper.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>And there you are. Looking at the exact same instrument. Standing in the exact same room where the mighty composer slept and composed. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In 1793, aged around 61, Haydn bought a house in Gumpendorf. This leafy and quiet village lay outside Vienna but now forms part of the city&#8217;s 6th district.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>It would be four years until Haydn moved in (among other things, he filled the intervening time with a long trip to London), but the house became his residence until his death there in 1809. Haydn&#8217;s occupancy coincided with perhaps his period of greatest celebrity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Fortunately for us, the building has survived intact. The <a href=\"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/sightseeing\/vienna-museums\/wien-museum\/\" data-type=\"page\" data-id=\"26812\">Wien Museum<\/a> has restored the house with delicate historical accuracy and turned it into a small, permanent Haydn exhibition.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Inside the Haydn House<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Rather incongruously, a virtual parrot greets you when you enter the courtyard through the big wooden doors.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Apparently, Haydn brought such a bird back with him from London. Beats a fridge magnet of the Houses of Parliament.<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"500\" height=\"332\" src=\"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/haydnhausgarden.jpg\" alt=\"Haydnhaus inner courtyard\" class=\"wp-image-55408\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/haydnhausgarden.jpg 500w, https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/haydnhausgarden-300x199.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 500px) 100vw, 500px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center has-small-font-size\">(The inside courtyard; press photo by Lisa Rastl and \u00a9 Wien Museum)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Beyond lies a peaceful garden, built in the style of the early 1800s, with a mix of fruit-bearing and ornamental plants.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In summer, you can sit in the shade of the giant chestnut tree and contemplate the opening bars to your next symphony. Or sit and wait for the local bars to open.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The house itself features few fittings and furnishings, since most of the originals were sold off after Haydn&#8217;s death. Instead, we have two exhibitions to explore.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The exhibition on the ground floor (where the servants worked), has small sections dedicated to:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>The Vienna and Gumpendorf of the time (early 1800s)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Haydn&#8217;s period of residency<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Haydn&#8217;s London trips<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Those selfsame servants<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>I&#8217;ll never tire of seeing pictures of rural idylls like late 18th-century Gumpendorf, and always smile at the contrast to the streets outside in modern Vienna.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div align=\"center\"><em>Ad:<\/em><br><\/div><div data-tiqets-widget=\"discovery\" data-cards-layout=\"horizontal\" data-content-type=\"product\" data-content-ids=\"1008299,1029872\" data-partner=\"visitingvienna\" data-tq-campaign=\"DA_Concerts1\"><\/div><script defer=\"\" src=\"https:\/\/widgets.tiqets.com\/loader.js\"><\/script>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:25px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>The exhibition is not huge but gives you enough flavour to understand the context of Haydn&#8217;s later life.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>You already begin to see he was no ordinary man. For example, he left his servants more in his will than he gave to all but one of his actual family members.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The exhibition upstairs then allows musical acolytes to feast on the genius of &#8220;Papa Haydn&#8221;.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>When you get to the top of the curving stone steps, start on your left. Hadyn slept in this small room and spent his mornings pottering about on a clavichord. Not just any instrument, but the very one standing innocuously next to you.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The rest of this area includes the reception room, salon and the room where the master displayed the many gifts he received throughout his career. The items are few, but, again, enough to give you a flavour of the man and his work.<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"500\" height=\"333\" src=\"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/haydnhausinside.jpg\" alt=\"View of the Haydn exhibition\" class=\"wp-image-55409\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/haydnhausinside.jpg 500w, https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/haydnhausinside-300x200.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 500px) 100vw, 500px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center has-small-font-size\">(Exhibition view; press photo by Lisa Rastl and \u00a9 Wien Museum)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Highlights for me:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Little tidbits on the work that went into <em>The Creation<\/em> and <em>The Seasons<\/em>, both composed in this house (including a first edition score of the latter, for example).<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>Incidentally, I once read a letter sent to the <em>Allgemeine Musikalische Zeitung<\/em> paper describing the reader&#8217;s reaction to the premiere of <em>The Seasons<\/em> (my translation):<\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p>The audience switched between silent reverence, wonder, and pure enthusiasm.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<p>Apparently, every word of the poem behind the libretto was&#8230;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p>&#8230;filled with life and emotion in the hands of this musical Prometheus.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>A pianoforte Haydn also used (eek!)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>A list of visitors to this home, including the likes of Beethoven.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Insight into Haydn&#8217;s slow decline with age; how the spirit was still willing and creative but the body and memory weak. Most poignantly, perhaps, his visiting card simply states (alongside some bars of music):<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p>All my strength has gone, old and weak am I<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"500\" height=\"393\" src=\"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/haydnhaus1900.jpg\" alt=\"Photo of the Haydnhaus from 1900\" class=\"wp-image-61478\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/haydnhaus1900.jpg 500w, https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/haydnhaus1900-300x236.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 500px) 100vw, 500px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center has-small-font-size\">(Photograph of the Haydnhaus from 1900 by August Stauda; Wien Museum Inv.-Nr. 24480; excerpt reproduced with permission under the terms of the CC0 licence)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The displays also provide a little more detail on Haydn&#8217;s death during Napoleon&#8217;s second invasion of Vienna. If you thought celebrity worship was a modern invention, the information here will put you right. The parrot, for example, sold for a fortune.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Despite the relatively spartan displays, you get an excellent feel for Haydn&#8217;s character, his work processes, and the context in which he lived. Strange to say, I came away thinking I&#8217;d probably quite like him, not least because of his considerable charity work.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>All-in-all, it makes for a thoroughly enjoyable time spent learning about one of the world&#8217;s most important composers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Incidentally, the museum dedicates the last room upstairs to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/footsteps\/brahms-in-vienna\/\" data-type=\"post\" data-id=\"31950\">Brahms<\/a> (whose main Viennese apartment is &#8211; alas &#8211; no more). You&#8217;ll find furniture, a biographical timeline, portraits, etc.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>I found the paintings of Brahms&#8217; piano room and desk curiously fascinating, showing a big bust of Beethoven above his piano and what looks like the model of a lobster on his desk. Each to his own, I suppose.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Tickets &amp; visitor tips<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Adult entrance tickets cost \u20ac5 at the time of writing. Check the website (see below) for opening days and times, and note that the location has closed temporarily for an unknown period from March 2nd, 2026.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>The Vienna Pass sightseeing pass (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/sights\/vienna-pass-review\/\" data-type=\"post\" data-id=\"3960\">my review<\/a>) also cover the Haydnhaus (and dozens of other attractions)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>We took things slowly and finished in under an hour, so it doesn&#8217;t require a big time commitment<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>An audioguide supports a more detailed visit. We didn&#8217;t use it and still got plenty out of the trip<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>The house is close to Mariahilfer Stra\u00dfe, which is Vienna&#8217;s <a href=\"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/shopping\/best-places-to-shop\/\">main shopping street<\/a> and just a couple of streets down from a traditional coffee house with a local feel: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/eatingdrinking\/cafespubsbars\/cafe-jelinek\/\" data-type=\"post\" data-id=\"12518\">Caf\u00e9 Jelinek<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>The ticket office has a very small shop, mainly selling a few Haydn books and CDs<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Find other places relevant to Haydn&#8217;s life and music using <a href=\"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/footsteps\/joseph-haydn\/\" data-type=\"post\" data-id=\"6566\">this location guide<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">How to get to the Haydn House<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Although relatively central, the house sits in a little hole as far as public transport is concerned. So you&#8217;ll need to walk for a few minutes to get there.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The 57A bus runs along Gumpendorfer Stra\u00dfe below Haydngasse (get out at Br\u00fcckengasse or Hirschengasse). But your best bet is probably to take the U3 subway to Zieglergasse and walk down (see the map below).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Incidentally, the neighbouring stop (Neubaugasse) on the U3 to Zieglergasse drops you at the 1887 <a href=\"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/footsteps\/haydn-monument\/\" data-type=\"post\" data-id=\"6472\">Haydn monument<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The Haydn House is not too far from Westbahnhof, either, one of Vienna&#8217;s major rail stations and reached by the U3 and U6 subways, as well as trams 5, 9, 18, 49, 52 and 60. If you come out of the Westbahnhof subway station, look for the &#8220;Innere Mariahilfer Stra\u00dfe&#8221; exit.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Address: Haydngasse 19, 1060 Vienna | <a href=\"https:\/\/www.wienmuseum.at\/haydnhaus\">Website<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<div align=\"center\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/www.google.com\/maps\/d\/u\/0\/embed?mid=1-Mx0GGh_eaBN7CtWtZ9_VJZRRGDzy14i\" width=\"400\" height=\"300\"><\/iframe><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Haydn&#8217;s final residence offers another chance to get up close to the life and times of one of history&#8217;s greatest composers. The Haydnhaus includes such treats as original instruments owned by the master. House &amp; museum (View of the house along the appropriately-named Haydngasse) So there he sat. Our Mr Haydn. Over 200 years ago. [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":5271,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_hide_footer_widgets":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[8],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-5270","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-footsteps","8":"entry"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5270","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=5270"}],"version-history":[{"count":15,"href":"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5270\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":89040,"href":"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5270\/revisions\/89040"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/5271"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=5270"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=5270"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=5270"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}