Special treasures

200 years ago, on 7 May 1824, Beethoven's Ninth Symphony was premiered in Vienna in an "academy", as concerts were called at the time. The Beethoven-Haus is celebrating the anniversary of this world-famous composition with numerous events, and visitors to the museum can also look forward to a special offer:

Because from 27 March, very special "treasures" from the Beethoven-Haus collection will be on display in the museum's treasure chamber. "We are showing original manuscripts and important documents relating to the Ninth Symphony and other works that were on the programme at the premiere concert 200 years ago, namely the Missa solemnis op. 123 and the overture to the festival play Die Weihe des Hauses op. 124," says Julia Ronge, curator of the Beethoven-Haus collection.

The exhibits include the Wittgenstein sketchbook with Beethoven's sketches for the final fugue of the Credo and a leaf from a pocket sketchbook with further sketches for the Missa solemnis, as well as the engraver's model for the overture to the festival play "Die Weihe des Hauses", the original manuscript of the trombone parts for the 2nd and 4th movements and the score of the coda to the 2nd movement of the Ninth Symphony in D minor, op. 125. 

When the remodelling of the museum in Beethoven's birthplace was planned for Beethoven's 250th birthday, the "treasure chamber" was also one of the new features. Since 2020, original manuscripts by Beethoven have been regularly displayed there on a rotating basis - a real highlight for visitors. "The light exposure in the permanent exhibition is far too high to present autographs there - the paper suffers from being permanently exposed to daylight. However, as we want to give our visitors from all over the world the opportunity to see some of Beethoven's manuscripts in the original, we have decided to show documents and manuscripts from the rich collections of the Beethoven-Haus on a specific theme in the historic vaulted cellar of the neighbouring building under controlled climatic conditions," explains Julia Ronge. The aim is always to take a look inside Beethoven's "Componir Cabinet", his workshop. The manuscripts on display therefore each cover the stages of Beethoven's creative work, from the sketch to the finished print of a work, flanked by accompanying documents such as letters, correction lists and contracts. A video presentation also explains Beethoven's creative process.

Opening hours of the museum:
Wednesday to Monday - 10 am - 6 pm
The Treasury is open Wednesday to Monday 11:30-15:30. Outside these times, the Treasury can be visited as part of a guided tour.