Interiors directly into your Inbox
Thank you! Your submission has been received!
Oops! Something went wrong while submitting the form.
Bloggable Newsletter
Johann Strauss II , the King of Waltz. He composed, lived, performed, and conducted in Vienna.
Known as the ‘King of Waltz,’ Johann Strauss II was a true Viennese through and through. He composed, lived, performed, and conducted here. In 2025, let us follow in the footsteps of ‘Sani’ (the Viennese nickname for Johann Strauss), take a virtual stroll through Vienna, and commemorate the 200th anniversary of his birth.
Today, the only memorial to his birthplace is a plaque featuring a bas-relief portrait of Johann Strauss, created by Austrian sculptor Gustav Gurschner, donated by the Vienna Men’s Choir. For those unaware, it’s easy to walk past this tribute. On October 18, 1925, the statue was unveiled with great ceremony at Lerchenfelder Straße 15 in Vienna’s 7th district, as part of the centennial celebrations for the birth of the ‘Waltz King.’
From here, it’s a short walk to Café Sperl, one of Vienna’s oldest coffeehouses, where you can start your day in true Viennese style with a ‘Melange’ and a ‘Sperl breakfast.’ The Vienna Philharmonic once performed Strauss’s music here. The Art Nouveau decor and Bohemian ambiance make it an ideal spot for photography. Additionally, it was the filming location of the famous ‘phone’ scene in the movie Before Sunrise, starring Ethan Hawke and Julie Delpy.
In just five minutes, you’ll find yourself in the ‘famous heart of Vienna’—Naschmarkt, a vast open-air food market. As you stroll through the sea of Italian olives, fresh oysters, and local cheeses, don’t forget to look up. You’ll see two buildings designed by Otto Wagner, exemplifying the Art Nouveau style, along the Austrian Linke Wienzeile. A few steps further is the renovated MusikTheater an der Wien, where Johann Strauss II’s Die Fledermaus premiered in 1874, marking the zenith of Vienna’s golden age of operetta.
Heading toward the city center, you’ll pass the Kunsthistorisches Museum, which hosts a permanent exhibition on Strauss’s new dimensions, and arrive at one of Vienna’s most important Baroque churches—Karlskirche. This magnificent building is where, just seven weeks after the death of his beloved first wife Jetty, Johann Strauss married his second wife, the actress Lilly (full name Angelika Dittrich), on May 28, 1878.
On the other side of Resselpark, adjacent to Karlsplatz and not far from Karlskirche, stands the Vienna Musikverein. This building is the home of the Society of Friends of Music in Vienna and is considered a sacred temple of classical music, renowned for its world-leading acoustics. The Strauss family didn’t just want to play waltzes—they also sought to hold concert performances. At the inaugural ball in January 1870, the three Strauss brothers conducted pieces they had composed specifically for the Society. Today, the Vienna Philharmonic’s annual New Year’s Concert at the Golden Hall attracts global attention, with The Blue Danube often serving as the grand finale. On October 15, 1894, Johann Strauss II was awarded honorary membership by the Musikverein and named the association as the beneficiary of his estate in his will.
The Vienna State Opera is located at the corner of the Ringstrasse, where Johann Strauss II’s only opera, Ritter Pasman, premiered in 1892. This performance was also the last time the ‘King of Waltz’ appeared before a Vienna audience during his lifetime. He also conducted the overture to Die Fledermaus here. From this point, you can detour to the Haus der Musik, an interactive sound museum where you can ‘conduct Strauss’ from a virtual podium, or even compose your own waltz! Crossing Kärntner Straße brings you directly to St. Stephen’s Cathedral in the city center. On August 27, 1862, Johann Strauss married his first wife, the successful and much older soprano Jetty Treffz, in this cathedral. She was an ideal partner, knowing how to manage the somewhat ‘neurotic’ composer perfectly.
If you wish to pay tribute to Johann Strauss, you can stroll along Wollzeile to the Stadtpark, where the ‘King of Waltz’ is immortalized in a gilded bronze statue by Edmund Hellmer, holding his violin. Unveiled in 1921, this statue has long been a popular photo spot in Vienna. Nearby, at the Kursalon Hübner, Johann often performed with his two brothers, ‘Edi’ and ‘Pepi.’ Today, we can enjoy Strauss’s timeless music there, or in the Orangery at Schönbrunn Palace, a venue where even Mozart himself once performed.
If you’re feeling tired, you can enjoy a refined lunch at the Michelin-recommended Meierei im Stadtpark: Wiener Schnitzel made from milk-fed veal, fried carp, or Kaiserschmarrn. After recharging, take a leisurely walk along the majestic Ringstrasse, cross the Danube, and head to the 2nd district to visit the former home of Johann and Jetty Strauss at Praterstraße 54.
Today, it has been transformed into a charming museum. The entrance is inscribed with a tribute from the German composer Richard Wagner: ‘Johann Strauss is the most musically gifted person of today.’ Indeed, it was here that Johann composed the famous Blue Danube Waltz, and it’s highly likely that he stood at this very desk to complete this timeless masterpiece.
Johann Strauss wasn’t fond of coffeehouses, but coffee, like apple strudel, is an indispensable part of Vienna. The nearby Balthasar Kaffee Bar is a great place to relax and enjoy a traditional Viennese coffee. If you want to see with your own eyes the color of the Danube that made Strauss famous, take a short walk to the Giant Ferris Wheel, then ride the U1 subway line from Praterstern to Donauinsel station, where you can end your day’s stroll by the river. Though the Danube may never have been truly blue, the part of the river flowing through the lands of Johann Strauss will certainly appear a brilliant blue.
If you have the time, don’t miss this pilgrimage site for Strauss music lovers—the House of Strauss in Vienna’s 19th district. The black-and-white tiled marble floor, antique lithographed wallpaper, ceiling murals, and ornate chandeliers are sure to impress, as Johann Strauss II himself once played here. Since the fall of 2023, it has become an interactive museum dedicated to the Strauss family. Measure your ‘waltz pulse,’ dance the waltz in the ballroom, and enjoy concerts—all things Strauss. The museum offers multilingual tours to guide you smoothly through the exhibition. If you’re lucky, you might even have Thomas Strauss, the great-great-grandson of Johann Strauss, personally narrate the story of the Strauss family.
Additionally, the newly opened Johann Strauss: New Dimensions Museum in November 2024 is dedicated to providing an immersive musical experience for visitors of all ages. Through modern technology, we can explore the life of Strauss in an engaging, informative, and multimedia-interactive way.
