While the likes of Beethoven and Mozart were adopted sons of Vienna, Franz Schubert was the city’s true biological offspring. Born here. Died here. And – for most of his short life – lived and worked here.
Explore the major (and minor) Schubert landmarks in Vienna using the map, notes, photos, and links below:
Birth and childhood
(Schubert’s birthplace in Vienna)
Schubert’s birthplace (Nußdorfer Straße 54): this house in the Alsergrund district is where Schubert was born on Jan 31st, 1797 and where he spent the early part of his childhood. It’s now the Schubert Geburtshaus museum and contains, for example, a pair of his famous spectacles.
A short walk takes you to two nearby sites featuring commemorative plaques…
(The “Schubert church”)
Lichtentaler Pfarrkirche (Marktgasse 40): Schubert was baptised in this parish church, also known as the Schubertkirche.
Our bespectacled composer went on to sing in the choir, play the organ (which you can still see) and compose several works for the church. Schubert wrote, for example, his Mass No. 1 in F major in celebration of the church’s centenary and conducted the first performance there on September 25, 1814.
(The Säulengasse residence)
Säulengasse 3: Schubert lived over half his life in this residence, which was also the parish church’s schoolhouse. It was here that he composed his 2nd, 3rd, 4th and 5th symphonies. Remarkably, the only things tuned there now are cars – despite the historical look, there’s an auto repair shop inside.
Schubert’s death
(The house where Schubert died)
Kettenbrückengasse 6: Schubert died on November 19, 1828, in his brother Ferdinand’s apartment. Like his birthplace, the Schubert Sterbewohnung is also a small museum.
Schönbrunnerstraße 52: the funeral service took place a few streets away at the St. Josef zu Margareten church, where you’ll find both a commemorative plaque and another church organ that Schubert used to play. The plaque says (my translation):
Franz Schubert.
His body was blessed in this church on November 21st, 1828.
Wiener Schubertbund in the year 1928.
Währinger Schubertpark (Teschnergasse / Schulgasse): Schubert was then buried close to Beethoven in the Währinger Ortsfriedhof (now a public park popular with dog owners).
(Schubert’s grave in the main cemetery)
Zentralfriedhof (Simmeringer Hauptstraße 234): a few years after Schubert’s death, the grave moved to the main Zentralfriedhof cemetery to join other famous composers in what you might call a celebrity section: this is where you’ll find Schubert’s grave today.
The site of the original grave in the Schubertpark still features the headstone monument erected by friends and family using funds raised by concert performances.
Other notable addresses
Statues and memorials
(The Stadtpark statue)
The Stadtpark (Parkring): this central city park has a Schubert statue, erected in 1872.
I like Schubert’s look – poised to put another inspirational note down on paper. But it’s not as big or as golden as the nearby Strauss memorial, which is why you won’t usually have to wait to take a photo.
Bruno-Kreisky Park (where the Margaretengürtel meets the Schönbrunner Straße): this features a lime tree and memorial stone planted to mark the 100th anniversary of the composer’s death. What can I say about it? It’s a lime tree.
Schubertbrunnen (at the junction of Alserbachstraße and Liechtensteinstraße): the “Schubert fountain”, erected in 1928. It rained when I visited. Fountains don’t look good in the rain.
Schools
(The grammar school he attended)
Akademische Gymnasium and Konviktschule (Dr.-Ignaz-Seipel-Platz): this is the location of Schubert’s grammar school and also where he was a choir boy, taking lessons from none other than Antonio Salieri.
The beautiful old square also features the Jesuitenkirche (Jesuit church) and the Austrian Academy of Sciences. Walk the narrow lanes for a flavor of Vienna’s elegant past.
St. Anna school (Annagasse 3-3a) – here he did his teacher training. The same building is where Austria’s most-famous footballer – Matthias Sindelar – died in 1939, officially from accidental carbon monoxide poisoning but possibly in a suicide pact or at the hands of the Nazis.
Other homes, haunts & museums
(Schubert began his unfinished symphony in this house)
Schubert was not wealthy and spent a large amount of time living in the apartments of friends like Franz von Schober (for example at Tuchlauben 14 and 20). Other addresses are marked on the map, but among the more notable are:
- Spiegelgasse 9: von Schober’s home and creative birthplace of Schubert’s unfinished symphony
- Singerstraße 28: the restaurant at this address (“Zu den drei Hacken”) is the very same one Schubert used to eat, drink and (presumably) compose in
(Gasthof Zu den drei Hacken)
- The Haus der Musik: this museum has a room dedicated to Schubert on its composer floor. Among the goodies within: another pair of his spectacles and a copy of the school register from 1809 featuring Schubert’s name.
- Augarten Park (Obere Augartenstraße): Schubert performed “The Nightingale” in 1824 in the Augartensaal. There’s a plaque outside the building, which is now home to the Augarten Porcelain Museum
- Neue Burg (Burgring): the instrument collection housed in the Neue Burg wing of the Hofburg Palace has a square piano that Schubert used and a portrait by Josef Abel from the early 1800s that most likely portrays the composer as a young man.
(The Alserkirche church)
- The Alserkirche (Alser Straße 17): Schubert wrote music for this church, and his Mass No.6 premiered here. A plaque outside marks the connection. The location also hosted Beethoven’s funeral service.
Enjoy your trip around Schubert’s Vienna and remember:
Anyone who loves music can never be quite unhappy