Monuments to Great Composers in Vienna

Vienna has been home to an astounding number of history's greatest composers, many of whom continue to live on in the city by way of statues, monuments, and memorials. While we may celebrate some of these composers through live music at Salute to Vienna New Year's Concert, treading the same streets they once walked is a wildly different experience.

If you're planning a visit to Vienna, mark your map with the locations below and set out on a musician monument scavenger hunt. Score your stroll with a classical music playlist and practice what you'll say to each legendary composer as you make their marbled, stony, or bronzed acquaintance.

Johann Strauss Jr.

Location: Stadtpark

This golden tribute to the golden age of music’s Waltz King is the most photographed monument in Vienna.

At the statue's unveiling on June 21, 1921, the Vienna Philharmonic performed Strauss Jr.'s Blue Danube waltz.

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart

Location: Burrgarten

Originally located at Albrechtsplatz (now Albertinaplatz), the marble statue was damaged in a bombing in 1945 and moved to its current location in 1953.

Unveiled on April 21, 1896, the monument features scenes from Mozart's opera Don Giovanni, as well as an image of Mozart playing the piano at Age 6.

Franz Schubert

Location: Stadtpark

This statue was organized by the Viennese Male Voice Choir, who raised funds through concerts and donations.

Members of the Schubert family were in attendance of the statue's unveiling on May 15, 1872.

Franz Lehár

Location: Stadtpark

This stone monument, designed by Austrian sculptor Franz Anton Coufal, was unveiled in 1980.

Austria's then-president, Rudolf Kirchschläger, attended the unveiling.

Ludwig van Beethoven

Location: Beethovenplatz

This grand bronze homage was unveiled in 1880, 53 years after the composer's death.

Beethovenplatz lives up to its name, with a second, more abstract sculpture from 2017 also standing nearby.

Ludwig van Beethoven

Location: Heiligenstadt Park

Made of marble, this 1910 memorial features the composer holding a top hat and stick behind his back.

A smaller, plaster replica of this statue can be found in Vienna's Beethoven Museum.

Josef Haydn

Location: Mariahilfer Church

Greeting shoppers on this busy pedestrian street, this statue dates back to 1887.

Although officially named Mariahilfer Church, locals refer to it as "Haydn Church" thanks to the composer standing solidly in front of its doors.

Johannes Brahms

Location: Karlsplatz

Unveiled on what would have been the composer’s 75th birthday in 1908, this statue is located across the road from Vienna’s Musikverein.

Thousands of people visited the monument the day it was unveiled, many leaving flowers at Brahms' stone feet.

Frédéric Chopin

Location: Schweizergarten

Titled “La Note Bleue,” this 2010 monument to the Polish composer commemorates both his time in Vienna and his 200th birthday.

This piece was meant as a tribute from Poland to Vienna, and was created by Polish sculptor Krzysztof Bednarski.

Antonio Vivaldi

Location: Votivkirche

This marble monument from 2001 depicts three woman musicians playing violins and a double-bass, a nod to Vivaldi’s teachings at a Venetian orphanage for girls.

A relief of Vivaldi is present on a plinth that stands before the sculptures.

Anton Bruckner

Location: Stadtpark

This now-unassuming monument was originally quite ornate, featuring a woman reaching toward the composer at the base, amongst other details.

Following years of vandalism and damage, a new base was erected, muting some of the statue's original 1899 glory.

Richard Strauss

Location: Richard-Strauss-Hof

Officially titled "Die Lauschenden" (“The Listeners”), this Landstraße sculpture is a tribute to Richard Strauss’s music.

Made of iron and featuring a large harp behind a couple who are listening to Strauss's music, this memorial is located in front of the municipal housing building named Richard-Strauss-Hof.

Alban Berg

Location: Herbert-von-Karajan-Platz

In a prime spot next to the Vienna State Opera, this aluminum memorial unveiled in 2016 is also intended to honour Arnold Schoenberg, Anton Webern, and Gustav Mahler.

This monument's 12-step pedestal is a nod to the 12-tone technique Berg brought to his works.

Of course, if you can't make it to Vienna to bask in the likeness of your favourite composers, you can always take a seat at Salute to Vienna New Year's Concert and let the music of Johann Strauss Jr. and his contemporaries figuratively waltz you through Vienna's rich music history. A monument may be a tangible homage to a composer, but live music is to hear a composer speak.