When Ludwig van Beethoven moved to Vienna at the end of the 18th century (where he would stay until his death in 1827) he arrived in the capital of the Austro-Hungarian Empire and the seat of the Habsburg court. The next few decades of Viennese history would prove to be eventful to say the least, and the city would witness its fair share of upheaval.
At the beginning of the 19th century, Vienna city centre was the seat of Habsburg power and the centre of its government. It was home to around 50,000 people and surrounded by its city wall. This defensive fortification, complete with bastions (forward gun emplacements), gates, a moat and a glacis (a clear, sloping area of ground originally intended to make the walls harder to access) was militarily insignificant by Beethoven's time, as the Napoleonic Wars demonstrated all too clearly; Vienna was occupied by the French in 1805 and again 1809. In 1805 the city was peacefully handed over to Napoleon's troops, and although a defence was attempted in 1809, the capital was eventually forced to surrender. The French blew up part of the city fortifications when they withdrew from Vienna, but it was not until 1857, when the structure was dismantled and made way for the Ringstrasse, that the fortified wall that had enclosed the heart of the city for centuries finally disappeared from the map.
“Die Wut über den verlorenen Groschen” (Rage over a Lost Penny)
Composed around 1795, when Beethoven was living in the “Ogilvisches Haus”.
“The city of Vienna itself is oval in shape. Around it, there runs a wide, dried-up moat and a wall of masonry, which stands between 40 and 50 feet high, with eleven bastions positioned at regular intervals (…)”
Johann Pezzl, “Beschreibung der Haupt- und Residenz-Stadt Wien” (Description of Vienna, Capital and Royal Seat, 1816).
Composed in 1800/1801, when Beethoven was living temporarily in the Greinersches Haus “Zur kleinen Weintraube”.
“The number of people in the whole of Vienna runs to as many as about 300,000 souls, of which 50,000 live in the city itself. However, it is not possible to determine the exact number of people in a city like Vienna, where a large number of people, residents included, are constantly flowing in and out.”
“Neuester wienerischer Wegweiser für Fremde und Inländer vom Jahre 1802” (Latest Guidebook to Vienna for Foreigners and Natives, 1802).
Even today, Ludwig van Beethoven is still famous for having moved house very frequently. Over the 35 years he spent in Vienna, he moved more than 60 times, although he sometimes used multiple at once. Frequent house moves were quite common during this period. For example, it was accepted practice in the summer for many people living in the city centre to escape the cramped streets and heat by moving to a house in the suburbs, in one of the surrounding towns, or in the countryside. Beethoven's various residences show he was no exception.
“The total number of the bigger and smaller streets in the city is 110. However, for such a highly-populated area, it would be desirable for most of those streets to be wider and straighter.”
Johann Pezzl, “Beschreibung der Haupt- und Residenz-Stadt Wien” (Description of Vienna, Capital and Royal Seat, 1816).
“There are 1312 dwellings, generally 3 or 4, or up to 6 or 9 stories high, covered in brick and copper.”
“Neuester wienerischer Wegweiser für Fremde und Inländer vom Jahre” (Latest Guidebook to Vienna for Foreigners and Natives, 1802).
Fixed-term “monthly, quarterly or half-yearly” tenancies can be found in almost all accommodation listings during this period. People living in cities were highly mobile, not least because their financial circumstances forced them to be. There was no social security system in those days, so losing your income usually meant losing your home shortly afterwards. On the other hand, people also had fewer ties to specific properties in those days. Most people had little furniture to speak of and owned very few household goods. They were well used to moving house and starting again from scratch, although some people – Beethoven included – did take their wall coverings with them.
“(…) I am in need of some advice in relation to my household. I have a completely white room (with white walls) and some old wall coverings I wish to hang in it – painting it takes too long and costs too much. Where I can find someone who might affix these old coverings for me (in 1 room), and what might it cost?”
Ludwig van Beethoven, correspondence with Tobias Haslinger (1817)
Composed in 1802/1803, when Beethoven was living on Petersplatz.
Composed in 1806, when Beethoven spent several stints living at the “Pasqualati House”.
“(…) he has three residences where he takes turns to hide himself away; one in the country, one in the city, and a third by the bastion, where I found him on the third floor. I entered unannounced; he was sitting at the piano. I gave my name, and he was very friendly and asked whether I would like to hear a song he had just composed (…)”
Bettina von Arnim describing a visit to Ludwig van Beethoven (28 May 1810)
Contemporary accounts repeatedly return to the issue of housing shortages and steep increases in rents. Prices on the accommodation market were completely unregulated and many residents, particularly in the city centre, found they could no longer cope with relentless upward pressure on prices. This prompted them to move out to the suburbs, where apartments were significantly smaller and cheaper. Beethoven too found himself in need of funds from time to time, and the problems of Vienna's housing market were exacerbated by the constant influx of new residents. The situation was compounded yet further when the Austro-Hungarian state went bankrupt in 1811, which led to the currency being devalued. However, Beethoven found himself house-hunting more often than his contemporaries, even allowing for all these factors. This has often been ascribed to the composer's fiery temperament and, particularly in his later years, to his slovenly behaviour.
“The prices of apartments and rented rooms in Vienna have risen extraordinarily in recent years. All the nice apartments in the better, livelier districts and streets have gone up by half in the last 4 or 5 years, and rented rooms are fetching a good two thirds more than what they used to.”
Johann Pezzl, Beschreibung der Haupt- und Residenz-Stadt Wien (1816). (Description of Vienna, Capital and Royal Seat)
Even thirty years after Beethoven's death, the city centre was still suffering from a shortage of housing, as the following extract shows:
“This little city centre of all of 1184 houses is, even with all its faults, the most distinguished part of Vienna by such a margin that everything squeezes together into this area, which lays claim to nothing except elegance, and the Vienna ‘townsfolk’ look down upon those in the suburbs with disdain, just as any city-dweller looks down upon any small-town man. It is considered preferable to live on the 4th floor in a ‘court’ (a building whose windows overlook a yard) than on the first floor on an attractive, bright street in the suburbs. (…) The price rises of recent years have also brought a lot of changes in this regard, since Vienna is suffering from an acute shortage of accommodation for its growing population.”
Die österreichische Kaiserstadt: illustrirter Führer durch Wien und seine Umgebungen, (1858), (The Austrian Imperial Capital: An Illustrated Guide to Vienna and its Surrounds)
Österreichisches Musiklexikon (in german)
Vienna in the 19th century (in german)
Vienna: the development of the city up to 1857 (in german)
Historical Atlas of Vienna - City Economy and Infrastructure (in german)
Beethoven-Haus Bonn, Digital Collection
ANNO Historical newspapers and magazines
Vienna City Library – Digital Collection (in german)
From the city walls to the Ringstrasse
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