Music Museums in Germany

Musiksalon mit originalem Bechstein-Flügel

Die Südostfassade des Liszt-Hauses mit Eingangsbereich, März 2011 © Claus Bach

Liszt-Haus Weimar

Marienstraße 17
99423 Weimar

Tel. +49.3643.545400

Web: www.klassik-stiftung.de/liszt-haus/

Email: info@klassik-stiftung.de

Opening hours

Summer

Wednesday – Monday 10 a.m – 6 p.m.

The museum is closed in winter.

This classical-period building was originally built to house the court gardener at the end of the 18th century and was renovated by the master-builder Clemens Wenzeslaus Coudray in 1819. Before Franz Liszt took up residence here in 1869, the building was used in the 1850s as a studio by Friedrich Preller Sr. and Hermann Wislicenius

Liszt had frequently stayed in Weimar between 1848 and 1861. At the invitation of the Grand Duke Carl Alexander, he returned to Weimar and moved into the court gardener’s house which the Grand Duchess Sophie had luxuriously furnished for him. This is where he lived until his death in 1886. Liszt spent most of his time in Weimar instructing young, talented pianists from Germany and abroad. Shortly following his death, Carl Alexander decided to open several rooms to the public as a memorial site. The living room and work room as the central salon were preserved in their original condition, while the bedroom and dining room were reconstructed at a later time.

Today, visitors of Liszt’s last flat in Weimar can experience the authentic interior design of the early industrial age. A media exhibition, installed on the ground floor in 2006, presents Franz Liszt’s life, work and musical legacy.

Germany possesses musical traditions and legacies of extraordinary value: Handel, Schuetz and Bach, Beethoven, Mendelssohn, Schumann, Brahms, and Wagner - to mention only a few names - are composers who are known and treasured throughout the world. Their work has played a significant role in shaping a unique musical landscape.

Numerous orchestras, choruses, ensembles, renowned music festivals and series, music houses with museums, public archives and libraries, but also private collections preserve their musical heritage.

It is necessary to revitalize this inestimable fund again and again and to develop it for the present. At the same time, an important role befits the houses combined in the consortium of music museums of Germany. In them we encounter the work of the musicians and composers who have extraordinarily enriched the cultural nation of Germany. However, beyond the individual portrait, beyond the procurement of individual oeuvres, the music museums also contribute overall to the maintenance of musical tradition. The present brochure underscores this aspect of the synoptic presentation and invites the reader on a journey into the musical history of Germany. I hope this tour guide will be actively used and receive a large response.

Bernd Neumann, Member of the Lower House of the German Parliament
Minister of State with the Federal Chancellor
Commissioner of the Federal Government for Culture and Media

Quoted from: Foreword to the brochure "Music Museums in Germany", 2007.