A true artist dies young... Schubert was a sad additidon to the list of those numerous artists who have left us too early - he died in his prime age just after he started getting famous and rich.
Schubert was (in addition to Beethoven) one of the first composers who could have lived out of composing but poor Schubert could only enjoy that for a couple of years before he died. If you go to check his house museum in Nußdorferstraße in Vienna (see our other Schubert review!) where he was born and compare it with this house where he died at his brother’s, for most part of his life he wasn’t really one of the rich and famous. Such a pity, he should have!
In any case, this is the house where he died in November 1828, only at 31 years of age. He managed to complete some of his last pieces of music here and wrote some touching letters to his friends about his imminent death. At the museum, you can also listen to many of his most famous masterpieces while mourning one of the greatest composers of all time.
Schubert’s heart deteriorated strangely when he had barely reached adult age. He thought it could have been a mercury poisoning as it was being used at that time as common treatment for syfilis but how do we know… Officially the cause of his death was typhoid fever.
Schubert was buried near Beethoven’s grave at Währing cemetery - see a nice picture of the entrance to the graveyard in the museum but don’t rush there as in 1888, both Schubert's and Beethoven's graves were moved to the Vienna’s Central Cemetery close to those of Johan Strauss II and Johannes Brahms.
The museum itself is yet another old charming city house where people continue living their lives today as if nothing had happened and Schubert was just one of the guests in an eternal flow of tenants. The museum is nothing much to write home about: three small rooms with no loo, no café and the museum shop is but a couple of shelves at the reception with little of interest to you even as gifts to your least favoured neighbour. Don’t even think about coming in a wheel chair or with a pram, this museum is not for you.
Schuberts Sterbewohnung
1040 Wien, Kettenbrückengasse 6
https://www.wienmuseum.at/de/standorte/schubert-sterbewohnung
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