Mozarthaus Vienna

Despite its apparently attractive location near St. Stephen's Cathedral, visitor numbers at the so-called "Figaro House" were relatively modest, at around 80,000 per year.

[citation needed] In 2004, the City of Vienna's Wien Holding company undertook the total renovation of the Mozarthaus and redesigned it for visitors.

[1][2] Following a complete refurbishment, the entire building (including the expanded basement) became a centre dedicated to the composer's life and work, incorporating the rooms occupied by Mozart himself.

[citation needed] Today the Mozarthaus presents information about the composer in combination with historical exhibits and audio-visual installations, while the basement contains an events hall co-financed by the European Union.

The rooms are furnished with furniture from the interior design company Roche Bobois and a modern portrait of Mozart by the Austrian artist Oskar Stocker.

His fondness for social life: balls, gambling, fashion, literature and science, as well as his connection to the thought world of the Freemasons, are closely examined.

The exhibition also covers Mozart's collaboration with the librettist Lorenzo da Ponte in the operas The Marriage of Figaro and Don Giovanni.

The historical stucco ceilings and wall paintings in these rooms give an impression of the original decoration of the entire house.

[7] On the first floor is the apartment where Mozart lived with his family from 1784 to 1787 and composed works such as his opera The Marriage of Figaro and three of the six Haydn Quartets.