9 Viennese Places Where Beethoven Would Take You
1. Stephansplatz
We’re starting our walk at the famous Stephansplatz, which we can easily get to on the U1 and U3 subway lines.
As we’re looking around, we can see the Stadtkonvikt building, a boarding school where Franz Schubert began his musical studies as a choir singer at 11 years old. The place is also hosting the Academy of Sciences (Österreichische Akademie der Wissenschaften – ÖAW), a prominent research institution in Austria, where more than 1,100 employees work on diverse research areas. The members of this academy are researchers from Austria and abroad that make up a community of high professional competence. The special festive hall can be visited daily from 8 AM to 5 PM – be sure not to miss it.
A lot of exceptional musical events occurred here – one of them is the very last performance given by Josef Haydn. This was the place where the composer was also celebrated on his 76th anniversary with a special performance of his delightful creations.
“But where’s Beethoven in this entire story?,” you may ask. Well, did you know that he was Haydn’s student? Indeed – at Haydn’s anniversary, Beethoven (who was 38 years old at that time) attended, showing respect and consideration to his former teacher. Five years later, Beethoven returned here, but this time to celebrate the triumphant success of his Symphony No. 7.
Too bad he was already deaf by that time and unable to hear the enthusiastic applause.
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