How Mozart was buried. General weakness of the body

The composer's widow taught her son music from Salieri, and his contemporaries lost his grave

For my short life Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart created masterpieces of symphonic, concert, chamber, opera and choral music and immortalized his name. WITH early childhood the personality of the little genius aroused the constant interest of the public, and even the death of a virtuoso musician at the age of 35 became the basis for artistic myths and cultural speculation.

Unnecessary genius

The four-year-old Amadeus struck first his parents, and a few years later his native Austria with a phenomenal musical memory, a desire to improvise on the harpsichord and a passion for writing.

Incredible fame at the time little Mozart received through touring. For more than ten years, Amadeus and his father traveled to noble houses and courts of royal dynasties in search of a rich patron. The often ill boy patiently endured all the hardships of travel, but as a result he got a number of chronic diseases, including articular rheumatism.

Mozart was incredibly popular during his lifetime and earned decent money, but he was buried in common grave along with six other dead. The money for the burial (at the current rate of about two thousand rubles) was allocated by the patron of musicians, Baron van Swieten, because on the day of the death of the favorite of the public, the Austrian miracle child and an outstanding representative of the musical Vienna classical school, there was not a ducat in the house.

Fact: One winter, a family friend found the dancing Mozarts in a cold house. It turned out that the firewood had run out, and the married couple, known for their frivolous attitude to life, warmed up in this way.

In those days, tombstones were placed not at the burial site, but near the walls of the cemetery. The widow was not present at the funeral and first came to the cemetery 17 years after her husband's death. Constanza Mozart believed that the church should erect a monument to her husband, and did not worry about it. 68 years after Mozart's death, the children of the composer's friends indicated the alleged burial place, where the famous xenotaph with an angel was installed. The actual burial place of the classic of world music is not exactly known.

Reference: It is believed that Mozart did not receive recognition during his lifetime and barely made ends meet. But in fact, he was very much in demand and he was paid a lot for writing. According to the memoirs of contemporaries, the musical virtuoso, together with his wife, led a wasteful lifestyle, adored balls, masquerades and instantly lowered decent fees.

Who is the requiem for?

The halo of mysticism around the death of the composer arose after the story of the mysterious customer of the funeral mass. Indeed, shortly before his death, a man in a black cloak came to Mozart and ordered a requiem - a funeral oratorio. Rumors circulated after the funeral that at the time of its writing, Mozart spoke of a bad feeling and that a funeral mass would be dedicated to his own death. In addition, Mozart had an obsession that they were trying to poison him.

However, in fact, Mozart received this order through an intermediary and undertook to work on condition of anonymity. The customer was a widower, Count Franz von Walsegg-Stuppach- a well-known lover of passing off other people's musical works as his own, buying out copyrights. He planned to dedicate mass to the memory of his wife.

The composer's widow was afraid that the customer would demand the return of the fee already spent by the Mozarts, so she asked her husband's assistant Süssmeier to finish the unfinished mass according to Wolfgang's latest instructions.

Revenge of Freemasons and Cuckold

Most scholars believe that Mozart died naturally, but there is whole line versions of the violent nature of death musical genius. Rumors of Mozart's poisoning appeared a few days after the funeral. The widow did not believe them and did not suspect anyone.

But some believed that Mozart was punished by the Freemasons for revealing the secrets of "freemasons" in the opera The Magic Flute, which premiered in September 1791. In addition, Mozart allegedly shared with one of his friends the intention to leave the brotherhood and open his own secret society for which he paid with his life. It is assumed that the poisoning of the composer was part of the sacrifice ceremony.

Composer biographer Georg Nisse, Mozart, who later married Constance, wrote that the musician had an acute rash fever, accompanied by terrible swelling of the limbs and vomiting. An autopsy was not performed, because the body quickly swelled up and exuded such a smell that, according to contemporaries, an hour after death, the townspeople, passing by the house, covered their noses with handkerchiefs.

Lawyer unexpectedly commits suicide the day after Mozart's death Franz Hofdemel, whose wife was the last student of the musician. According to one version, out of jealousy, the “lawyer” beat the composer with a stick and he died of a stroke. Hofdemel slashed his pregnant wife's face, neck and hands, and then slit his own throat. Magdalena was saved, and five months later she gave birth to a son, whose paternity was attributed to Mozart.

In addition, Mozart's assistant Süssmeier, who rented a room from him, also attempted suicide after the teacher's funeral by cutting his throat. Rumor immediately recorded the student as a lover to Constanta.

"Ah yes Pushkin, ah yes son of a bitch!"

Years later, the biggest spread of the poisoning legend was due to one of the "Little Tragedies" A. S. Pushkin, in which Salieri, out of envy of Mozart's talent, poisoned him. The indisputable authority of the great poet defeated all available evidence, and fiction - the truth.

Actually italian Antonio Salieri at the age of 24 he became the emperor's court composer Joseph II and served for several decades at court. He was the leading musician of the Austrian capital and a talented teacher, who taught Beethoven, Schubert, Sheet and even, after the death of his father, the youngest son of Mozart. The imperial favorite worked with talented children from poor families for free, and famous students even dedicated their works to the teacher.

Once, during a lesson, Salieri expressed his condolences to Mozart Jr. on the death of his father and added that now other composers would be able to earn a living: after all, Wolfgang Amadeus's talent interrupted others to sell their music.

In 1824, all of Vienna celebrated the 50th anniversary of Salieri's appointment as court composer, but the elderly hero of the day had already been in a mental hospital for a year. Every time he swore honor to his former students, who rarely visited the mentor, that he was not to blame for the death of Mozart, and asked "to pass this on to the world." The unfortunate man suffered from hallucinations caused by accusations of the death of the great Austrian, and even tried to commit suicide by cutting his throat.

In the 19th century, the Italians explained these accusations by the usual national idea, in which Austria contrasted the Italian and Viennese music schools.

Nevertheless, Pushkin's artistic version became the basis for many others. literary works. When in the 90s of the last century on tour one English theater performance based on the play P. Schaeffer"Amadeus", the Italians were furious. In 1997, in the Palace of Justice of Milan, as a result of an open litigation Italian judges acquitted fellow countryman - the founder of the Vienna Conservatory.

Reference: In 1966, a Swiss doctor Carl Baer established that the musician had articular rheumatism. In 1984 Dr. Peter Davis based on all available memories and evidence, he concluded that Mozart was killed by a streptococcal infection in combination with kidney failure and bronchopneumonia. In 1991 Dr. James from the Royal Hospital in London suggested that the treatment of malarial fever and melancholy with antimony and mercury was fatal for a genius.

St. Mark's Cemetery - Sankt Marxer Friedhof. One of oldest cemeteries Vienna, but since 1874 no new burials have been carried out there. It is known because it is there actually buried Mozart. Also, the composer and conductor were originally buried there. Joseph Strauss. Very comfortable, quiet, secluded. Almost deserted. But a couple of fans Mozart always hanging around...

In 1784, by decree of Joseph II, it was forbidden to bury the poor within the city walls. A cemetery was opened for the poor townspeople, where it was supposed to arrange mass graves and bury the dead five people at a time without coffins. The cemetery of St. Mark was originally such a burial place for poor citizens and received its name from a nearby almshouse. The cemetery was out of town. But in the 19th century, Vienna grew and the cemetery became part of the city. Not only the poor, but even the nobles were already buried here. There are many Russian graves here. The most famous burial belongs to Alexander Ypsilanti (1792-1828) - Greek, lieutenant general Russian army, the organizer of the anti-Ottoman uprising in Moldova, the hero of Pushkin's poem.

The cemetery has a symbolic grave of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (cenotaph). No one knows exactly where his ashes lie. But it is known that Mozart, who died in 1791, was buried in a common grave, along with the poor, in this very cemetery. The composer's widow - Constance - did not know the exact place of his rest. Not surprisingly, she did not even attend the memorial service or the funeral. In general, by that time she had already had a lover for a long time - Süssmeier, one of her husband's students and Salieri's friend. There is a version that this company poisoned Mozart with mercury - however, the symptoms of the disease that took him to the grave bear little resemblance to this kind of poisoning ...

They say that once a masked man came to Mozart (it seems like it was Anton Lightgeb, the manager of Count Walsegg Stuppach, a terrible music lover) and ordered him "Requiem". During the writing of the Requiem, Mozart's health deteriorated, and on December 5, 1791, at about one in the morning, he died. Burial was scheduled for the next day, as the body was in poor condition. There was no money for the funeral, so a certain Baron van Swieten, the patron of musicians, took over the expenses. The body of the deceased was placed in a cheap coffin, knocked together from unpainted pine boards. Only a few people walked behind the coffin before St. Stephen's Cathedral, in which Mozart was buried, and then quietly taken to the cemetery of St. Mark. The coffin was left overnight in the chapel of the cemetery, and in the morning two gravediggers lowered it into a common grave. Ten years later, this grave was dug up, but one of the gravediggers took his skull as a souvenir, which is stored in Mozarteum in Salzburg .

However, no one knows where the grave was. Neither Mozart's widow 17 years after the burial, nor later researchers could find her. In 1855, the mayor of Vienna started official investigation on this topic, during which some plans for the cemetery were discovered and the place was more or less determined. It was decided to erect a monument there, which was made by the sculptor Hanns Gasser and which was erected on December 6, 1859. However, in 1891 the monument (but not the remains of Mozart!) was moved to the Central Cemetery .

Cemetery keeper Alexander Kugler, on his own initiative, dragged the remains of crumbling tombstones onto the "orphaned" grave: a weeping angel, a piece of a column and a tombstone without an inscription, on which he engraved the word "Mozart". In 1945, the cemetery (and it is located in the area of ​​​​a major transport hub) was bombed, and Mozart's "memorial" was also damaged; fundamentally updated it, and the cracked slab was generally replaced with a new one by the sculptor Florian Josephu-Drouot in 1950. The old stove is still kept in the district local history museum.

In addition to Mozart, he is buried in the cemetery Austrian composer Joseph Strauss (Josef Strauss, August 20, 1827, Vienna - July 22, 1870, Vienna). He is one of three sons famous composer Johann Strauss (senior), not as famous as his brother Johann Strauss, but still writing some good waltzes and touring quite successfully as a conductor even in Russia. His grave, however, was also moved to the Central Cemetery in 1909. A dilapidated tombstone left in the cemetery of St. Mark, someone else managed to find even in 2010. A new one was built at the central cemetery of Joseph Strauss.

After the opening of the Central Cemetery, St. Mark's Cemetery was closed. Burials have been banned since 1874. But since 1937, tourists have been allowed here. Today, the cemetery is one of the main attractions of Vienna and is a place of pilgrimage for Mozart fans.

The cemetery is open from April to September from 6.30 am to 8.00 pm, and in other months - from 6.30 am to 6.30 pm. How to get there: tram line 71 to the Grasbergergasse stop, or metro line U3, Schlaughthausgasse station, and there walk along the half-tunnel, along which trains run, for 10-15 minutes, towards the transport interchange. The cemetery is located in a residential area, rather uncrowded and deserted. Mozart's grave - right from the entrance to the center of the cemetery and a little to the left. There are signs on it. If anything, at the entrance to the cemetery, on the right side of the central alley, have a plan. And also a toilet. No need to go to the bushes...

Many, I think, remember the depressing scene of the funeral of the great Austrian from Forman's "Amadeus" - wretched cemetery employees shook the composer's body sewn into a burlap from a reusable coffin into a pit half already filled with other similar bodies, sprinkled with lime, left for another "client", leaving the deceased and his "neighbors" on the grave to get wet under the dull rain. What could be sadder than such a finale for a brilliant musician, famous during his lifetime and after his death?
I found material here, according to which everything was not so neglected:

"... Mozart's funeral was modest. But were the farewell miserable, beggarly, as they are usually portrayed by biographers and novelists?

Documents recently discovered in the archives bring significant and striking changes to the usual view.
In the book of K. Behr of 1966, the regulations for funerals in Austria are given in recent decades XVIII century. Already after the publication of the book, its author managed to find new detailed information about funerals and burials, about the categories of funerals and their tariffs, and in connection with this, to study in detail the entries in the so-called Funeral Protocol (Funeral-Protokoll) of the parish of St. Stephen for 1791. The results of the study are presented by the scientist in the article “The Funeral of Mozart “in the Third Class”” (1969).
The funeral regulations (Stol- und Konduktsordnung) of January 25, 1782 established three classes (categories) of funerals for adults and two classes for three age groups of children under 15 years old. In addition, the free burial of the poor (Armenbegräbnis), legalized by a decree of 1750, has been preserved. Classes differed in composition service personnel, selection of utensils, assortment of bells, participation of music and, accordingly, the amount of payment.
Thus, the cost of a funeral in the third category was 8 florins 56 kreuzers (a florin, or gulden, equaled 60 kreuzers), in the second category, 37 florins. Funeral music was quite expensive; for example, "Miserere" was valued at 6 guilders. In the lowest category, there was no music.
Mozart's name is included in the funeral register ("protocol") in the third class, indicating the parish fee (4 florins 36 kreuzers) and the church tax (4 florins 20 kreuzers), which in total amounted to just 8 florins 56 kreuzers, as well as an additional fee ( 3 florins) for the funeral chariot (Wagen) to follow the coffin from the church to the cemetery (about five kilometers).
According to the funeral regulations, at the specified normal rate (8 florins 56 kreutzers) the following was provided:
- staff - a priest, a sexton, four porters in raincoats, four boys in robes, a minister with a cross and a gravedigger;
- attributes - shroud, crucifix (or icon), four lanterns;
- grave, bell ringing.
This arrangement of the ritual was the most common at that time. It was usually ordered by the lower and middle strata of the population, and sometimes by less wealthy noble families. Among the dead, 74 adults were buried in the Cathedral of St. Stephen from mid-November to mid-December 1791, more than two-thirds (51) belong to the third class. In the first class there are 5 deceased, in the second - 7. The remaining 11 are outside the categories; they were buried according to the most simplified procedure, for nothing - gratis.

Mozart was buried in a common grave. But it was in the grave, and not in the pit, which allegedly "endlessly replenished" with the corpses of the homeless and criminals. And, moreover, not in a mass grave, but in a group one, where four large and two children's coffins were placed in a regular manner, at some distance from each other. After filling all the places, the coffins were simultaneously covered with earth.
In the record of the Cathedral of St. Stephen, who registered the funeral at the cemetery of St. Mark from different communities, on December 6, the name of Mozart alone was entered in the own community of the cathedral (community of St. Stephen), in other communities - five names (two women, a nine-year-old girl and two newborns). The day before, three recordings were made, the next day, also three. Among the deceased named these days were, presumably, those who found peace in the same grave with Mozart. Unfortunately, the records do not reflect the composition of each individual group grave and do not indicate its exact location.
Periodically, once every seven to ten years, the graves were dug up, and the trace of the remains disappeared forever.
Burial in common graves was not something exceptional in those days. On the contrary, individual graves in cemeteries were an exception to the rule (aristocrats had the opportunity to bury the remains in family crypts). Joseph II, in his doctrinaire "rationalism", reached the point that in August 1784 he issued a decree forbidding burial in coffins and establishing the burial of a body dressed in a linen bag, because, as motivated in the decree, "during burial; there can be no other intention than to contribute to the fastest possible decay ... ”(Behr, p. 125). But this innovation of the “enlightened monarch” caused such strong discontent that already at the beginning next year Joseph was forced to declare the order introduced by him optional. At the same time, he emphasized that in all other respects (that is, in relation to common graves), the decree of 1784 "remains in full force." This custom survived under Leopold II and even under his successor Francis II. By decree of 1807, separate graves were allowed "only in very special cases for persons of the highest ranks and merits" and deviations from the established order were not allowed "in any case." It can be assumed, however, that in practice such privileges, as well as exceptions, were known before.
The burial of Mozart in a common grave seems to be a glaring fact, not because such a burial was unusual: on the contrary, because it was too ordinary. To Imperial Vienna, the merits of the greatest son of Austria seemed insufficient to take care of allocating for him a separate plot in the cemetery with a length of some three arshins.

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart - bright representative Vienna Classical School. He masterfully mastered various musical forms of his time, had a unique ear and a rare talent as an improviser. In a word, genius. And around the life and death of a genius, there are usually a lot of rumors and speculation. The composer passed away at the age of thirty-five. His early death became the subject of controversy, formed the basis of the plots of literary works. How did Mozart die? What caused his sudden death? And where is Mozart buried?

The composer, whose biography has been of interest to researchers around the world for more than two centuries, died in 1791. biographies prominent people usually start at birth. But Mozart's biography is so extensive that any of the periods is worthy of close attention. This article will focus primarily on how Mozart died. There are many assumptions. But according to official version The cause of death was a long illness. But before proceeding with the description last days Mozart, his biography should be briefly stated.

Childhood

Where was Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart born? The childhood city of the great musician's youth is Salzburg. Amadeus' father was a violinist. Leopold Mozart devoted his life to children. He did everything to ensure that his daughter and son received a decent musical education. It's the musical. Unique abilities with early years showed both Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, whose biography is presented in our article, and his older sister Nannerl.

Leopold began teaching his daughter how to play the harpsichord quite early. Wolfgang was at that time quite small. But he followed his sister's lessons and repeated passages from musical works. Then Leopold decided that his son must certainly become a composer. Wolfgang, like his Nannerl, started performing very early. The audience was fascinated by the game of geeks.

Youth and the beginning of creativity

Since 1781, the hero of this article lived in Vienna. Haydn is a classic. Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, along with these great musicians, created works that will never be forgotten. He managed to achieve such heights not only thanks to his innate talent, but also to perseverance and hard work.

At what age did Mozart die? The composer was only thirty-five. And ten years before his death, he settled in Vienna. During this short period of time, Wolfgang turned from a little-known musician into

The house belonged to the Webers, who had three unmarried daughters. One of them - future wife Wolfgang, Constance. In the same year, when he first crossed the threshold of the Weber house, he began to create the opera Abduction from the Seraglio. The work was approved by the Viennese public, but the name of Mozart still had no weight in musical circles.

Glory

Mozart soon married Constance Weber. After the wedding, his relationship with his father went wrong. Mozart Sr. until the last days was hostile to his daughter-in-law. The peak of Wolfgang's fame falls on the mid-eighties. A few years before his death, he begins to receive huge fees. The Mozarts move into a luxurious apartment, hire servants and buy a piano for crazy money at that time. The musician strikes up a friendship with Haydn, who once even gives a collection of his works.

In February 1785, the public was presented with a piano concerto in D minor. "Why great Mozart died in poverty? - sometimes you can hear such a question. What is the basis of the opinion about the financial troubles of the pianist and composer? Indeed, in the mid-eighties, Mozart was at the peak of his fame. He was one of the wealthiest musicians in Vienna in 1787. Four years before his death, he sent his son to a very expensive and prestigious educational institution. And in the same year great pianist joined the Masonic lodge. But in last years the composer was somewhat shaken. However, it was still far from poverty.

Financial difficulties

In 1789, Wolfgang's wife fell ill. He was forced to send her to a medical resort, which shook his financial situation. A few months later, Constance began to recover. By that time, The Marriage of Figaro had already had considerable success. Mozart took up writing works for the theatre. He had written operas before. But his early writings were not successful.

The last year of his life for Mozart was very fruitful. He wrote a symphony in G minor, received the post of bandmaster. And, finally, he began to work on "Requiem". It was ordered by a stranger who wants to honor the memory of his wife.

Requiem

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, whose biography is surprisingly eventful, despite his early death, wrote an uncountable number of works. He had many students, he received during his lifetime good fees from the publication of his works. Shortly before his death, he began to create his last work - "Requiem". The work captured him so much that he stopped accepting students. In addition, his health suddenly began to deteriorate every day.

How Mozart died was told years later by relatives who witnessed the death of the great composer. Among them was the son of a musician. According to the memoirs of relatives, Mozart suddenly became so ill that he had to call a doctor. And not any, but the best in Vienna. Indeed, the healer helped the musician. However, the improvement did not last long. Soon Mozart fell ill completely.

Acute millet fever

According to the memoirs of Sophie Weber, the musician's sister-in-law, after his condition worsened, the relatives decided to call another doctor. The cause of Mozart's death is controversial, because his symptoms were so unusual that they did not allow doctors to come to a consensus regarding the diagnosis.

IN recent weeks the composer's hearing became acute. He suffered from unbearable pain, even from touching his body to his clothes. Mozart was getting weaker every day. And besides, his condition worsened due to imperfect methods of medicine. The patient was regularly bled: this therapeutic technique in those days was considered universal. The cause of Mozart's death, perhaps, would have been established if he had lived in the 21st century. In the eighteenth century, the methods of treatment were, to put it mildly, ineffective. The death certificate of the genius was: acute millet fever.

At that time, a good part of the Viennese population suffered from this disease. How to treat him, the doctors did not know. That is why one of the doctors, having visited the dying man, concluded: he can no longer be saved.

General weakness of the body

The life and work of Mozart is the subject of many books, fiction and documentaries. His rare gift was discovered in early age. But in addition to the unique abilities, Mozart, contrary to popular belief, extraordinary diligence. Much has been said today about how Mozart died. There is a version that the envious Salieri poisoned the great musician. But the composer's contemporaries thought differently.

After Mozart's death, some doctors claimed that he died of a serious infectious disease. His body could not fight as a result of general weakness. And Mozart was physically weakened as a result of many years of work without interruption and rest.

Over the years, it has become increasingly difficult for researchers to diagnose a musician. There are many contradictions in the records of Sophie Weber and other relatives. It was these circumstances that gave rise to a lot of versions about the death of Amadeus Mozart. Let's consider each of them.

Salieri

The version that Mozart died at the hands of an envious person is the most common. And it was she who formed the basis of Pushkin's tragedy. According to this version, Mozart's life and work were surrounded by idleness. Nature allegedly endowed the musician with such talent that no effort was required. Everything Mozart managed effortlessly, easily. And Salieri, on the contrary, with all his efforts, was not able to achieve even a miserable share of what Mozart could do.

Pushkin's work is based on fiction. But many readers today do not distinguish the author's fantasies from confirmed facts. Pushkin's heroes argue that genius and evil are incompatible concepts. In the work of the Russian writer, Salieri prevents poison from Mozart, because he does not agree with him. He believes that he is sacrificing an idle but gifted composer to art.

The opinion that Salieri is a murderer is considered to be one of the versions also because at the beginning of the nineteenth century his confession was found in one of the church archives, in which he confessed and repented of his deed. There are no confirmed facts that this document really existed. However, even today, many admirers of Mozart's work are sure that the genius fell victim to the envy of a "colleague".

Constance

There is another version of poisoning. Its adherents believe that Mozart was sent to the next world by his wife. And one of the musician's students helped her in this. If you believe the rumors, then the passionate romance of Constance and Züsmayr was accompanied by showdowns and extremely emotional reconciliations. The lover of Mozart's wife was a very ambitious man, if not a careerist. And he could well enter into with Constance in love affair solely to annoy his great teacher. But why did Süssmayr need to get rid of Mozart? What would his death give him?

In addition, this version is less plausible due to the fact that after the death of the musician, his diary was preserved. And he is a testament to the deepest devotion and love that reigned in the Mozart family.

ritual murder

And finally, the latest version. If we take into account only those that talk about violent death, then this one is perhaps the most plausible. As already said, great musician was a member of a Masonic lodge. Masons, as a rule, help their "brothers". But they did not help Mozart when he was in severe financial difficulties. They even ignored the death of the composer, not canceling the next meeting as a sign of mourning.

Some researchers believe that the reason for the murder was Mozart's intention to create his own lodge. In one of latest works - « Magic flute»- used Masonic symbols. Demonstrating something similar to the uninitiated was not accepted. Perhaps Mozart was killed by his Masonic brothers.

burial

It is known where Mozart is buried. In the cemetery of Saint Mark. The date of the burial remains disputed. According to the official version - December 6th. It is widely believed that Mozart was buried in a mass grave intended for the poor. But, according to historians, the burial took place according to the third category. It was not the funeral of a beggar, but also not a magnificent farewell ceremony for the great composer, pianist, teacher. As is often the case, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart's true fame came after his death.

The Central Cemetery in Vienna or St. Mark's Cemetery has long been firmly included in the list of city attractions and must-see places. It is worth going here for many reasons. First, the location. The 11th arrondissement of Vienna is a mixture of Turkish and Arabic colors against a European background. Small Chinese shops filled with tinsel can please you with some souvenir trinket.

Secondly, the cemetery is the second largest in Europe. I will give only the figures - 3 million graves. This place has long turned into a huge park with old mighty trees, smooth paths sprinkled with gravel, clearings, flower beds, with roe deer walking around, jumping squirrels. Thirdly, very respectable people, famous all over the world, lie here.

Thus, even if you are not a tafophile (lover of cemeteries), it is worth a look here. At the central gate number 2 you can get a printed plan-map. On a large stand, burial sites are painted - Jewish, Buddhist, Catholic, Orthodox, Bulgarian, Serbian and many others. There is enough space for everyone, regardless of religious beliefs, occupation and nationality.

musical alley

The most picturesque monuments are located along the main avenue. On the site of composers, you can stand near each monument, admire the sculptures, greet everyone. Here is Ludwig Beethoven with a beautiful golden bee (the symbol of the Masons) on the obelisk. How not to remember that on the day of the funeral of this great man in Vienna, all educational institutions were closed as a sign of respect for the composer. Two hundred thousand people followed his coffin. The grave of Johann Brahms is also nearby. And another Johann - Strauss, whom the Viennese dubbed the king of waltzes. And Strauss the father. In the very center of this site is the symbolic burial place of Mozart. After all, once he was thrown into a mass grave for the poor. Therefore, the exact location is unknown.

Sometimes you can get to a concert here, because musicians often come here to bow to teachers and idols. Therefore, the Vienna cemetery is called the "musical" cemetery of Europe.

By the way, Salieri's grave is also in this cemetery, only it is located near one of the fences.

Sometimes a bus travels around the cemetery, delivering it to the sites. But you can also travel by fiacres. Enough to book a tour. Looks very romantic. A fiacre rolls along the cemetery, the charioteer (or what to call him, I don’t know) waves his whip, pointing around.

Orthodox part

The cemetery also has a small Orthodox Church. Around the grave with Russian inscriptions, with "yats". Entire families lie side by side.

Not only tourists walk around the cemetery, but whole family groups can also be found on the alleys. The air here is clean, birds sing on the branches, squirrels, sitting on marble or granite slabs, sedately gnaw nuts. Ready-made sketches for rural pastorals.