Beethoven was on the move. Always. He had dozens of residences during his lifetime, sometimes as a guest, sometimes his own rent. Among the many, probably the most famous is the one, where he passed away on March 26th, 1827.
The house was called Schwarzspanierhaus, meaning black Spanish house. Today, the exact address is Schwarzspanierstraße 15, 1090 Vienna. Beethoven used to live on the second floor, overlooking a meadow.
The original building was a convent building for the Schwarzspanier monastery. It was built between 1687-1727 (a convent wing with courtyard on the street, and a garden behind the building). Joseph the II. later relocated the convention and the building was handed over to the army. In 1781 it was auctioned off, the first owner was a merchant called Joseph Ignaz Sigmund, who converted the building into a rental house.
The name Schwarzspanier came into use to distinguish the convention from the Trinitarians, who were called “White Spaniards”, after their white monk robe.
After Beethoven, who lived here from 1825 till 1827, two more residents occupied the same apartment. First Nicholas Lenau (a Hungarian-Austrian poet), and as last resident, Otto Weininger (an Austrian philosopher). On November 17, 1903, despite public anger, the building was demolished, destroying the Beethoven-apartment forever. Some parts, like the door and the parquet floor, were saved and today these can be seen in Vienna’s House of Music.
On the new building, for the memory of Beethoven, a bronze relief was placed by Anton Grath, unveiled on November 3, 1929.
