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Beethoven 2020 in Vienna

Vienna and Ludwig van Beethoven. Musical city meets musical genius. The revolutionary composer spent 35 of his 57 years here and left behind many traces: a large Beethoven Museum, preserved apartments and places of his triumphs and despair, memorials and Klimt's Beethoven Frieze – through to the Beethoven heuriger.

Beethoven would have celebrated his 250th birthday in 2020. He was born in 1770 in Bonn, where he started his career as a talented pianist. At the age of 22, he came to Vienna for the second time as a pupil of Joseph Haydn, this time to stay until his death in 1827. He created sounds that still inspire the world of music today.

A series of concerts, opera performances and exhibitions: in Beethoven Year 2020, music lovers can get very close to the composer in Vienna.

Stars of the music world, who are Viennese by choice like Beethoven was, have their say at music2020.vienna.info. International stars such as Billy Joel, Hans Zimmer, Yuja Wang and Joshua Bell and Julian Rachlin all rave about Vienna and talk about their very personal relationship with Beethoven in a series of interviews.

All Ears on: Alexa & Google Home; Skill "Beethoven's Vienna" EN

Meet Beethoven with Alexa and Google Home

Follow in the footsteps of one of the greatest musical geniuses of all time. Learn more about Beethoven’s personal story and his …

Billy Joel, portrait photo

All Ears on: Billy Joel

Vienna and music – they belong together. The focus in 2020 is on artists like Beethoven that make Vienna the world capital of music.

Beethoven's apartment in Heiligenstadt

Beethoven Museum

Nowadays, Vienna's biggest Beethoven Museum presents the composer in a modern exhibition sequence through 14 rooms. Beethoven lived in this building when …

Beethoven bronze bust in the Beethoven Museum, to the chapter "bequeathing"

Beethoven's Comeback

It's starting up again: a diverse series of exhibitions in Beethoven year 2020 presents the various facets of the brilliant composer's life and work – …

Beethoven's Trumpet (with Ear) Opus # 132 by John Baldessari

Beethoven moves

On the occasion of Beethoven's 250th birthday, the Kunsthistorisches Museum Vienna serves up a very special exhibition. Because the great maestro moves us – …

Hans Schliessmann: Beethoven (at the piano), 1903

All Beethoven events in 2020

Vienna celebrates the 250th birthday of the brilliant musician with a wealth of events. Join in the party – with all the Beethoven events shown …

Photomontage of the Beethoven music room of the Villa Scheid, 1898/99

Beethoven – the total work of art

It was mainly the artists of the Vienna Secession who were addicted to the musical genius. To mark Beethoven's 250th birthday, the Leopold …

Front view of Heurigen Restaurant Mayer am Pfarrplatz

Beethoven walk to download

You can download a very detailed Beethoven walk for specialists here.

Beethoven monument

Ludwig van Beethoven walk

Learn about Beethoven's homes and memorials, the places of his triumphs and despair, Klimt's famous Beethoven Frieze, monuments and a cozy wine …

Secession, Beethoven Frieze, audio experience 2020 for the Beethoven Year: Enjoying art with muisc by headphones

Klimt's Beethoven Frieze

In 1902, Klimt created one of his most famous works, the Beethoven Frieze, for an exhibition of the Secession movement.

Musicians’ graves at the Central Cemetery

Even more Beethoven

A stay of three and a half decades and almost 40 residences – Beethoven's works in Vienna left behind a wealth of traces: monuments, his burial place, …