Innere Stadt — Unmasking Mozart's Final Conspiracy

Minoritenkirche welcomes you within its Gothic walls built between 1319 and 1330 by Franciscans under Emperor Frederick III. Mozart regularly attended services here, and his son Karl Thomas was baptized here in 1784. Its 97-meter tower, completed in 1411, already dominated Vienna when young Wolfgang arrived from Salzburg. The Virgin Mary stained glass window from 1430, with its 35 m², testifies to the Gothic splendor Mozart contemplated during his prayers. In this church still echoes his Ave Verum Corpus and solemn masses.

The Schweizerhof at Hofburg immerses you in the oldest part of the imperial palace, built around 1270 under Rudolf I of Habsburg. This medieval fortification, transformed into a residence in the 15th century, houses the 200 meters of galleries where Mozart performed before Emperor Joseph II. The 4-meter thick enclosure walls resonated with his piano concertos, notably the famous Concerto No. 23 in A major played in 1786. Today the presidential seat, this place preserves the memory of imperial musical evenings that brought glory to the composer.

The Mariensäule at Am Hof raises its 18.5 baroque meters since 1668, sculpted by Ferdinand Casinger to commemorate the end of Swedish occupation. This column with four angels symbolizing victory over plague, war, famine and heresy already stood on the former medieval hay market when Mozart frequented Viennese salons. Am Hof square, a market since the 13th century, vibrated with conversations about his latest works, notably The Magic Flute created months before his death in December 1791.

The Austriabrunnen at Freyung displays its baroque magnificence since 1846, work of Josef Kundmann financed by public donations under Ferdinand I. This 10-meter fountain with 12 provincial statues stands on Freyung square, site of medieval fairs since 1188. Mozart knew well this lively square where musical contracts were negotiated and court rumors circulated. It was in this district that he met his patrons and commissioners, notably the one who mysteriously requested his last Requiem in D minor.

Your investigation ends in the muffled atmosphere of the last Mozartian places, from the baroque Peterskirche built between 1702 and 1733 by Johann Lukas von Hildebrandt to the Ferstel Palace by Heinrich von Ferstel (1847-1850). These 12,000 m² housed the Vienna Stock Exchange and Café Central, later frequented by Freud. You take away the secrets of a musical Vienna where every cobblestone still resonates with the steps of the Salzburg genius, where every facade hides a court intrigue, where the history of classical music is written between imperial commissions and Masonic mysteries.