{"id":5870,"date":"2018-10-15T05:55:52","date_gmt":"2018-10-15T04:55:52","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/?p=5870"},"modified":"2025-11-19T17:19:42","modified_gmt":"2025-11-19T16:19:42","slug":"mozart-monument-burggarten","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/footsteps\/mozart-monument-burggarten\/","title":{"rendered":"Mozart monument (Burggarten)"},"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\/09\/mmburgsmall.jpg\" alt=\"Mozart Memorial in the Burggarten\" class=\"wp-image-5904\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/09\/mmburgsmall.jpg 150w, https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/09\/mmburgsmall-100x100.jpg 100w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 150px) 100vw, 150px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p>Plaques and a street name hardly suffice when it comes to remembering the greatest composer in history. Which is why Vienna has many monuments dedicated to Mozart. The biggest sits in the central Burggarten park.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Marble statue of Mozart<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Reliefs depict scenes from his works and childhood<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>First unveiled in 1896<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Great photo motif, particularly in the flower season<\/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_Mozart\" rel=\"sponsored\">concert experience<\/a>* for Vienna<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>See also:\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/footsteps\/mozart\/\">Mozart location guide<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/entertainment\/classical-concert\/\" data-type=\"post\" data-id=\"5359\">Classical concerts in Vienna<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">A restless genius<\/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\/03\/mozartmonument.jpg\" alt=\"The Mozart Monument\" class=\"wp-image-44023\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/mozartmonument.jpg 500w, https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/mozartmonument-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\">(The <a href=\"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/sights\/winter-palace\/neue-burg\/\" data-type=\"post\" data-id=\"1493\">Neue Burg palace wing<\/a> sits behind Mozart)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Karl K\u00f6nig (1841-1915) and Viktor Tilgner (1844-1896) were the people behind the monument&#8217;s design.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Sculptor Tilgner enjoyed the particular approval of the emperor of the time: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/culture\/franz-joseph\/\" data-type=\"post\" data-id=\"26307\">Franz Joseph<\/a>. This opened a fair few doors for him back in the day.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Almost inevitably, then, Tilgner&#8217;s busts and statues decorate such iconic buildings as the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/entertainment\/theaters\/burgtheater\/\">Burgtheater<\/a>, the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/sights\/museums\/khm\/overview\/\" data-type=\"post\" data-id=\"1446\">Kunsthistorisches<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/sights\/museums\/natural-history-museum\/\">Naturhistorisches<\/a> museums, and the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/sights\/museums\/hermesvilla\/\">Hermesvilla<\/a> (the summerhouse of the emperor&#8217;s wife, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/culture\/sisi\/\" data-type=\"post\" data-id=\"34621\">Empress Elisabeth<\/a>).<\/p>\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\/07\/mozartmonumentrelief.jpg\" alt=\"Relief of instruments on Mozart's monument\" class=\"wp-image-49150\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/mozartmonumentrelief.jpg 500w, https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/mozartmonumentrelief-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\">(Suitably musical reliefs and embellishments)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Architect K\u00f6nig is perhaps most famous for the <em>Haus der Industrie<\/em> building on Schwarzenbergplatz, officially opened in 1911 and still home to the Federation of Austrian Industries.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Sadly, Tilgner died just five days before the April 21st unveiling of the Mozart monument in 1896. Franz Joseph attended the ceremony and was apparently heard to say (my translation):<\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p>It is a source of considerable pain that such a wonderful artist should not be here to witness the completion of his main work.<\/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=\"375\" src=\"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/viktortilgner.jpg\" alt=\"1895 photo of Viktor Tilgner\" class=\"wp-image-87202\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/viktortilgner.jpg 500w, https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/viktortilgner-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\">(Sculptor Viktor Tilgner photographed by Josef L\u00f6wy in 1895; Wien Museum Inv.-Nr. 76277\/72; excerpt reproduced with permission under the terms of the CC0 licence)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>That unveiling took place in front of the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/sights\/museums\/albertina\/\">Albertina<\/a> palace, where the monument gave its name to the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/eatingdrinking\/cafespubsbars\/cafe-mozart\/\" data-type=\"post\" data-id=\"23684\">nearby caf\u00e9<\/a>. Unfortunately, the marble Mozart suffered bomb damage during the last days of WWII. Following repairs, the statue relocated to the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/sights\/winter-palace\/burggarten\/\" data-type=\"post\" data-id=\"2746\">Burggarten park<\/a> in 1953.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>That park itself owes its existence to the deprivations of an earlier war, having been built as part of the clear up following the withdrawal of Napoleon&#8217;s troops in 1809 (silver linings, etc.)<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"400\" height=\"432\" src=\"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/mozartmonument1896.jpg\" alt=\"Photo of the Mozart monument in 1896\" class=\"wp-image-63935\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/mozartmonument1896.jpg 400w, https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/mozartmonument1896-278x300.jpg 278w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 400px) 100vw, 400px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center has-small-font-size\">(The monument in the year of its unveiling at its original location on Albertinaplatz square, photographed by Friedrich Strau\u00df; Wien Museum Inv.-Nr. 94600\/6\/2; excerpt reproduced with permission under the terms of the CC0 licence)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Mozart&#8217;s statue looks out from the top of the monument, one hand turning over the sheet music on the stand next to him.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The composer seems to serve as a regular perch for pigeons, perhaps allowing them to exact revenge for having a bird catcher as the star character in <em>The Magic Flute<\/em>.<\/p>\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\/05\/mozartfamily-1.jpg\" alt=\"The Mozart Family\" class=\"wp-image-46869\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/mozartfamily-1.jpg 500w, https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/mozartfamily-1-300x225.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\">(Leopold Mozart and his children Maria Anna and Wolfgang giving a concert in Paris, which is the scene depicted on one of the monument&#8217;s reliefs; photo courtesy of the Metropolitan Museum of Art)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The front relief on the installation depicts two scenes from the opera, <em>Don Giovanni<\/em>. The rear shows Mozart as a young child performing with his father and sister, based on a watercolour by Louis de Carmontelle. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>You can see the key part of the original de Carmontelle painting above, taken from a 1764 copy by Jean-Baptiste Joseph Delafosse.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>At the right time of year, a perfect bed of flowers spells out a treble clef on the ground in front of the statue. So let us offer a nod of appreciation to the gardeners of the federal Bundesg\u00e4rten, who manage the park.<\/p>\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\/07\/mozartmonumentflowers.jpg\" alt=\"Flower display in front of the Mozart monument\" class=\"wp-image-49149\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/mozartmonumentflowers.jpg 500w, https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/mozartmonumentflowers-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\">(One of your &#8220;must-take&#8221; photos of any Vienna trip)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>If you can&#8217;t make it in person, you might also spot the statue on TV: it appeared, for example, in an episode of the popular period detective series, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/songsfilms\/vienna-blood-locations\/\" data-type=\"post\" data-id=\"22811\">Vienna Blood<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">How to get to the Mozart monument<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>The monument is just inside the southwestern Burggarten entrance that leads off the great <a href=\"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/ring\/\" data-type=\"page\" data-id=\"1546\">Ring boulevard<\/a>, so you can see it as you drive (or ride) past.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Subway: not far from the Karlsplatz (U1, U2, U4), Museumsquartier (U2), and Volkstheater (U2, U3) stations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Tram: the Burgring stop is just outside the park entrance and reachable on tram lines 1, 2, 71 and D.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Bus: the 57A bus also stops at Burgring.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Address: Burggarten, 1010 Vienna<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div align=\"center\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/www.google.com\/maps\/d\/u\/0\/embed?mid=1u09oD8jdof-NPPOr-4e7ZWFBf-tLXzpW\" width=\"400\" height=\"300\"><\/iframe><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Plaques and a street name hardly suffice when it comes to remembering the greatest composer in history. Which is why Vienna has many monuments dedicated to Mozart. The biggest sits in the central Burggarten park. A restless genius (The Neue Burg palace wing sits behind Mozart) Karl K\u00f6nig (1841-1915) and Viktor Tilgner (1844-1896) were the [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":5904,"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-5870","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\/5870","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=5870"}],"version-history":[{"count":16,"href":"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5870\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":87204,"href":"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5870\/revisions\/87204"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/5904"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=5870"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=5870"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=5870"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}