Fotoeins Fotografie

Above: Danube river at dusk, facing southeast from Brigittenauer Sporn. Photo, 11 Jun 2022 (X70).

Vienna is a historical city of music with the likes of Beethoven, Haydn, Mozart, Schubert, and more. In the mid- to late-19th century, the Strauss family of composers created a dominant scene in Viennese waltz (Wiener Waltz). Johann Strauss II’s “An der schönen blauen Donau” (The Blue Danube) is one of the best-known compositions of classical music. The song was used famously in Stanley Kubrick’s film adaptation of Arthur C. Clarke’s novel “2001: A Space Odyssey“.

And as in the movie, the soaring feelings of hopeful anticipation during the spacecraft’s journey and docking with the spinning space station have become as routine as my arrival onto Viennese shores from the other side of the big eastern pond. I rely on Vienna to provide the gravity to maintain balance and spirit; this much has stayed true over multiple consecutive summers.

I’ve spent over 100 total days in Vienna, explored many of her streets and districts, and walked hundreds of kilometres. Efforts to immerse myself in various types of the city’s art and architecture have been accompanied by the sounds of brass horns and sweeping strings in a back-and-forth “dance” that spans the entire city. There’s new opportunity to learn about the song’s composer who was born, raised, studied, worked, and died in the Austrian capital city.

With the 200th anniversary of Johann Strauss II’s birth in 2025, the city of Vienna celebrates the occasion with a multitude of arts and culture events over the entire 2025 year.

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Johann Strauss II: traces & places

b/✵   25 October 1825
d/✟   3 June 1899

I’ve highlighted some of the locations where Johann Strauss II (JS2) left his mark. The following is in alphabetical order, but not in chronological order. All numbered locations are indicated in the map below.

1. Birth house on Lerchenfelder Strasse (7.)
2. Church at the Court (1.)
3. City’s central cemetery (11.)
4. Danube, from Nussberg (19.)
5. Diana ballroom (2.)
6. District Museum Leopoldstadt (2.)
7. Dommayer (13.)
8. Hietzing residence (13.)
9. Lutheran city church (1.)
10. Music Society of Vienna (1.)
11. Praterstrasse residence: Wien Museum (2.)
12. Salmannsdorf family villa (19.)
13. Schottengymnasium grammar-secondary school (1.)
14. Stadtpark: Johann Strauss II memorial statue (1.)
15. State Opera (Opera House) (1.)
16. Taborstrasse family residence (2.)
17. Theater by the Vienna river (6.)
18. TU Vienna (Polytech. Institute) (4.)
19. Volksgarten café pavilion (1.)
20. Wieden: Johann-Strauss-Gasse 4 (4.)
21. Wieden: Johann-Strauss-Gasse 10 (4.)
22. Zögernitz casino: House of Strauss (19.)

•   “An der schönen blauen Danube” (The Blue Danube): visualization by Stephen Malinowski, 2016.
•   Sources

The number in parentheses after every location indicates the city district; e.g., (19.) is the 19th district, which is also known as Döbling. Following the description here, the JS2 residence-timeline goes something like: birth house on Lerchenfelder Strasse, Taborstrasse, Praterstrasse, Hietzing, Wieden unti his death.

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Birth house (7.)

Geburtshaus: Lerchenfelder Strasse 15

In 1825, Johann Strauss I and his wife Maria Anna (née Streim) moved into the building known as “Zur goldenen Ente” (The golden duck) at address Lerchenfelder Strasse 15. Later that October, their son Johann Strauss II was born in this residence. In 1834 when JS2 was 9 years old, the entire Strauss family moved to an apartment on Taborstrasse. The building at Lerchenfelder Strasse 15 was subsequently demolished in 1890, and the building in its place today (2024) was completed between 1890 and 1892 (Wien Kulturgut). A memorial plaque appears on the exterior wall on the 1st floor above ground.

The present-day building is under private ownership and not open to the public, but at least the view from street-level is freely available. Public transport with Wiener Linien: bus 13A to stop Piaristengasse, bus 48A to stop Kellermanngasse, or tram 46 to stop Auerspergstrasse.

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Church at the Court (1.)

Kirche am Hof

Despite objections by and without the knowledge of his father, JS2’s mother Anna supported and financed his early music education. An important teacher had been Joseph Drechsler: organist, composer, instructor, conductor, and music director at various churches in Vienna, including the Kirche am Hof from 1823 to 1845. In this interval, Drechsler accepted JS2 as one of his students. With his composition of the gradual “Tu qui regis totum orbem“, JS2 passed his course examination at the Kirche am Hof on 4 August 1844, only a couple of months shy of his 19th birthday.

The public is free to enter and wander the open plaza; surrounding the plaza are various buildings both public and private. Public transport with Wiener Linien: U-Bahn U1 or U3 line to station Stephansplatz, or U-Bahn U2 line to station Schottentor.

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City’s central cemetery (11.)

Zentralfriedhof

Buried in the city’s central cemetery are various members of the Strauss family including:

•   Johann Strauss I (father)
•   Anna Strauss (mother, née Streim)
•   Johann Strauss II, 1825–1899
•   Josef Strauss, 1827–1870
•   Eduard Strauss, 1835–1916

Entry to all parts of the central cemetery is free of charge, but note their opening hours depending on the time of year. Public transport with Wiener Linien: U-Bahn U3 to end station Simmering, then tram 11 or 71 to stop “Zentralfriedhof, 2. Tor”.

Elsewhere, mezzo-soprano and JS2’s 1st wife, Henrietta “Jetty” Treffz Chalupetzky (1818–1878), and Johann II’s sisters Anna (1829–1903) and Therese (1831–1915) are buried in a single grave in Hietzing cemetery. Johann Strauss III, son of Eduard and nephew of Johann II, is buried in Grinzing cemetery.

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Danube, from Nussberg (19.)

View of the river from northern hills

The Danube river itself isn’t blue and more like a murky brownish-green from all that silt and mud content, but on a summer morning, I’ve gone up into the foothills and vineyards for an obstructed view that includes plenty of greens and blues. Throughout the city are views of four water bodies with the name Danube.

Public transport to the view seen below: ÖBB S-Bahn S40 train to station Nussberg or Wiener Linien tram D northbound to penultimate stop “Nussberg S”. Then, walk uphill on Greinergasse, Hackhofergasse, then Eichelhofstrasse to Eichelhof, and beyond to the rest of the Nussberg ridgeline. This forms a part of the city’s hike trail “Stadtwanderweg 1.”

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Diana ballroom (2.)

Dianasaal, Dianabad: Obere Donaustrasse 93–95

By the mid-19th century, the Dianabad (Diana public baths) in Vienna’s Leopoldstadt district had established itself as an important communal baths facility and as community centre. In the winter, the largest swimming pool was emptied, covered, and reutilized as a ballroom called the Dianasaal (Diana Hall) where concerts and other public events took place. The ballroom is where JS2’s composition “An der schönen blauen Donau” (The Blue Danube) was played for the first time to the public on 15 February 1867. For the 70th anniversary of the debut, a commemorative plaque was installed in the Dianabad in 1937; this plaque is now in the collection of the District Museum Leopoldstadt. Between 1866 and 1867, JS2 composed “The Blue Danube” in the residence he shared with his wife, Jetty, on Praterstrasse.

Since 1969, the address of the former Diana baths is an office building and home to IBM Österreich (IBM Austria). Additional commemorative plaques have appeared, but I’ve two key questions. (1) What happened to the 1975 commemorative plaque on the 150th anniversary of Johann II’s birth? (2) After the 4th version of the Diana baths were closed in October 2020, what happened to the 2017 commemorative plaque on the 150th anniversary of the debut of “The Blue Danube”?

The IBM Austria headquarters is not open to the public, and the Diana baths are closed. What remains are the free views from the streets outside the IBM building and across the Danube canal. Public transport with Wiener Linien: U-Bahn U1- or U4-line to station Schwedenplatz, or tram 2 to stop Marienbrücke.

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District museum Leopoldstadt (2.)

Bezirksmuseum Leopoldstadt: Karmelitergasse 9

Each of Vienna’s 23 city districts has its own district museum with their own collection of memorabilia, objects, and photographs which encapsulate the district’s history. In the 2nd district, the Leopoldstadt museum includes in their collection a plaque commemorating the 70th anniversary of the public debut of “The Blue Danube” in the Diana ballroom.

While there is no admission charge, please note the unusual opening hours for the District Museum Leopoldstadt: Wednesdays 16h to 1830h, and Sundays 10h to 13h; closed on school- and statutory-holidays. The district museum is less than 200 metres from the Strauss’ family Taborstrasse residence on the other side of Karmeliterplatz. Public transport with Wiener Linien: U-Bahn U2 line to station Taborstrasse, tram line 2 to stop Karmeliterplatz, or bus line 5A to stop Karmeliterplatz.

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Dommayer casino (13.)

Dommayergasse 1; now, Konditorei Oberlaa Café Dommayer

Ten days shy of his 19th birthday, JS2 and his orchestra made their public debut at Casino Dommayer on 15 October 1844. An interesting sidebar is that his father Johann Strauss I had tried to prevent his son from conducting his own group of musicians (to prevent competition!), and had threatened to never play at Dommayer or any other institution which hosted his son. The present-day café is next to the small Johann Strauss Platz with a memorial dedicated to him by the Julius Meinl coffee manufacture and retail company in 1999.

The building is home to an actively operating café for “Kaffee und Kuchen” (coffee and cake). Public transport with Wiener Linien: U-Bahn U4 line to station Hietzing; then, tram 10, 52, or 60, to stop “Dommayergasse”. Alternatively, walk 0.6 km (about 10 minutes) southwest from Hietzing station to Café Dommayer.

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Hietzing residence (13.)

Maxingstrasse 18

In 1868, JS2 purchased in Hietzing this villa on what was then Hetzendorfer Strasse, and by 1870 he lived here for a time. Johann and his wife Jetty moved here permanently in 1874. It’s at this Hietzing location where Johann II also composed the operetta “Die Fledermaus” (The Bat), which got its opening debut at the Theater an der Wien in 1874. His wife Jetty died here on the night of 8–9 April 1878, after which Johann II had the building sold and moved to a villa in the Wieden district. Jetty is buried in Hietzing cemetery nearby.

There is no public entry, as the property is under private ownership. The only view of the building is out in front from the street. Public transport with Wiener Linien: U-Bahn U4 line to station Hietzing; then bus 56A, 56B, 58A, or 58B to stop Tiroler Gasse. The Schönbrunn palace and park are across the street.

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Lutheran city church (1.)

Dorotheergasse 18

Photo, 1 Jul 2025 (P15); 6 Jul 2025 (P15/X70).

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Music Society of Vienna (1.)

Musikverein Wien

As part of the overall development on the inner city’s Ringstrasse (Ring Road), Viennese architect Theophil Hansen designed in the neoclassical architectural style the Musikverein building which received its official imperial inauguration in January 1870. Only two weeks later on 15 January 1870, Johann Strauss II conducted the first official ball in the venue, including his waltz-composition specifically for the event: “Freut euch des Lebens!” (Enjoy life!, op. 340). On 22 April 1873, Johann II debuts his waltz “Wiener Blut” (Vienna Blood, op. 354) at the Musikverein, conducting the house-orchestra Vienna Philharmonic for the first time.

Since 1924, the building’s Great Hall is home to the annual New Year’s Day concert performed by the Vienna Philharmonic. The song-list varies annually, but typically includes two standard Strauss-waltz numbers: dad Johann I’s “Radetzky March” and son Johann II’s “The Blue Danube”.

The Musikverein offers guided tours for a fee in either German or English. Public transport with Wiener Linien: U-Bahn U1, U2, or U4 line to station Karlsplatz; tram 1, 71, D to stop Schwarzenbergplatz.

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Praterstrasse residence (2.)

Praterstrasse 54 (Wien Museum Johann Strauss Wohnung)

In 1863, JS2 married former opera singer Jetty Treffz. Johann II moved out of the family home on Taborstrasse, and in 1864, he and his new wife moved into their new apartment at Praterstrasse 54. They lived in an apartment spanning one-half of the entire 1st floor above ground until 1874 when they moved to Hietzing into a villa Johann II purchased in 1868. Today, the city’s museum occupies a part of their former apartment on Praterstrasse; the remainder of the floor is private property.

Within this apartment between 1866 and 1867, JS2 wrote “The Blue Danube” (op. 314), which got its public debut not far from here at the Diana ballroom.

The public can visit the Wien Museum: Johann Strauss II Wohnung with admission charge. Public transport with Wiener Linien: U-Bahn U1 line to station Nestroyplatz.

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Salmannsdorf family villa (19.)

Dreimarksteingasse 13

The maternal grandfather of JS2 owned a house in the village of Salmannsdorf, about 8 km northwest from Vienna’s city centre. Strauss’ immediate family spent the summers of 1829 to 1832 here at this location, and it’s also where Strauss II composed his first waltz “Erste Gedanke” (First Thought) months shy of his 6th birthday in 1831.

The former villa is now private property and not open to the public. The chapel across the street may be open at other times. Public transport with Wiener Linien: take bus 35A to its terminus stop “Salmannsdorf”, and walk the rest of the way uphill on Sulzweg and Dreimarksteingasse.

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Schottengymnasium grammar-secondary school (1.)

Schottenstift (Scots monastic foundation)

JS2 attended the Schottengymnasium grammar- and secondary-school from age 11 to 15; that he lasted four full years is frankly amazing because he was only interested in composing and playing music. Verbal strife with the school’s teacher proved too much, and the school finally expelled Johann II in 1840. Both he and his brother Josef eventually enrolled in the imperial and royal polytechnic institute.

The public is free to enter and wander through the Schottenstift foundation, but generally, buildings are not open to the public. Public transport with Wiener Linien: the nearest U-Bahn station is Schottentor on the U2 line. Schottentor is also served by trams 1, 37, 38, 40, 41, 42, 43, 44, 71, and D.

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Stadtpark (1.)

Johann Strauss II memorial statue

In 1921, the city of Vienna unveiled to the public a gilded memorial statue of Johann Strauss II, created by sculptor Edmund Hellmer. The memorial statue had originally been in the planning for over 20 years. With regilding in 1991 for a new shine, the golden Strauss statue may well be one of the city’s most popular attractions.

The Stadtpark (city park) is free to enter for the public at all times. Public transport with Wiener Linien: U-Bahn U4 line to station Stadtpark.

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State Opera, Opera House (1.)

Staatsoper

On 22 May 1899, JS2 conducted a special matinee performance of “Die Fledermaus” at the State Opera House on the Ringstrasse. That would be his final appearance in public, and death would arrive almost two weeks later at his residence on Igelgasse with his 3rd wife Adele by his side.

The Opera House is open daily for public guided tours. Public transport with Wiener Linien: U-Bahn U1, U2, or U4 line to station Karlsplatz; or tram 1, 2, 71, or D to stop Oper/Karlsplatz.

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Taborstrasse family residence (2.)

Taborstrasse 17 in Leopoldstadt

For over 50 years, the Strauss family lived on the first floor in the three-storey building called “Zum goldenen Hirsch” (The Golden Stag), known also as Hirschenhaus (House of the Stag). The Strauss family moved here in 1834 when JS2 was 9 years old. Eduard Strauss was born in the apartment a year later in 1835, and was also the final member of the Strauss family to move out in 1886. The building was subsequently demolished in 1911.

The present-day building is private property, but the views are free to the public from the street. The Taborstrasse residence is less than 200 metres from the Leopoldstadt district museum at the opposite side of Karmeliterplatz. Public transport with Wiener Linien: U-Bahn U2 line to station Taborstrasse, tram line 2 to stop Karmeliterplatz, or bus line 5A to stop Karmeliterplatz.

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Theater by the Vienna river (6.)

Theater an der Wien

JS2’s wife Jetty and Theater an der Wien artistic director Maximilian Steiner (%) persuaded a reluctant Johann II to write operettas for the theater. Several of JS2’s operettas received their premieres at Theater an der Wien: “Indigo und die 40 Räuber” (Indigo and the Forty Thieves) in 1871, “Die Fledermaus” (The Bat) which he wrote in 1874 at the Hietzing residence, “Cagliostro in Wien” (Cagliostro in Vienna) in 1875, “Das Spitzentuch der Königin” (The Queen’s Lace Handkerchief) in 1880, “Der Zigeunerbaron” (The Gypsy Baron) in 1885, and “Die Göttin der Vernunft” (The Goddess of Reason) in 1897. The theater is also famous for its connections to composers Beethoven, Lehár, and Schubert; and to the aspiring Viennese actor Hedwig Kiesler, who later became Hedy Lamarr in Hollywood.

Theater an der Wien is open during performances and occasionally for guided tours. Public transport with Wiener Linien: U-Bahn U1, U2, or U4 to station Karlsplatz; bus 59A to stop Bärenmühldurchgang.

(%) Maximilian Steiner’s son, Gabor Steiner, became a theater director and leased the Kaiserwiese parcel of land on which the Prater’s Riesenrad (Giant Ferris Wheel) was constructed in 1897. Maximilian Steiner’s grandson, Max Raoul Steiner, composed music for film and stage in Hollywood, producing over 300 film scores, earning him a total of 24 Academy Award nominations and 3 “Oscar” wins.

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TU Vienna / Polytech. Institute (4.)

Present: Technical University of Vienna, Technisches Universität Wien.
Formerly: Imperial & Royal Polytechnical Institute, kaiserlich-königliches Polytechnisches Institut.

After his expulsion from the Schottengymnasium school in 1840, JS2 enrolled in the imperial and royal polytechnic institute, where following his father’s wishes, the young man was supposed to avoid music and take up commerce and accounting instead, for future employment as bank clerk. On the sly, Johann II took lessons in violin and music, much to his father’s frustration and fury. On the other hand, his younger brother Josef, who was a talented musician but wanted nothing to do with music as a career, enrolled in 1841 at the polytechnic institute to study mechanical engineering and at the Academy of Fine Arts to study drawing, design, and architecture.

The Imperial and Royal Polytechnical Institute operated between 1815 and 1872, after which the institution changed to the Technical University with approval to grant doctoral degrees in 1901.

The public can wander through the grounds of the Technical University of Vienna, but the view below is from Karlsplatz next to the Karlskirche. Public transport with Wiener Linien: U-Bahn U1, U2, or U4 line to station Karlsplatz.

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Volksgarten café pavilion (1.)

Volksgarten park

Photo, 6 Jul 2025 (P15/X70).

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Wieden: Johann-Strauss-Gasse 4 (4.)

Final residence on Igelgasse, until his death in 1899

In 1878, JS2 moved from Hietzing to a two-storey palace here at Igelgasse 4, where he stayed until his death in 1899. One month after his death, the city of Vienna renamed the street from Igelgasse to Johann-Strauss-Gasse in his honour. Heavily damaged in 1944 from bombing in World War 2, the structure was subsequently demolished. A post-war building was constructed in the mid-1960s with the present-day street-address Johann-Strauss-Gasse 4, where a memorial plaque dedicated to Strauss II appears on the outside wall.

As private apartments and residences, the present-day building is not open to the public, but the view seen below is from Johann-Strauss-Gasse. Public transport with Wiener Linien: bus 13A to stop Johann-Strauss-Gasse; tram 1, 62, or Badner-Bahn (Wiener Lokalbahnen) to stop Johann-Strauss-Gasse.

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Wieden: Johann-Strauss-Gasse 10 (4.)

Slightly uphill and about 100 metres from JS2’s final residence (above) is a display mounted on the outside wall of the apartment building at address Johann-Strauss-Gasse 10. The artpiece shows the opening musical notes to his famous waltz number “The Blue Danube” in 3-4 time, honouring his 21 years in the neighbourhood.

As private apartments and residences, the present-day building is not open to the public, but the view seen below is from Johann-Strauss-Gasse. Café Vitrine at street-level is open to the public for a sip and a bite. Public transport to stop Johann-Strauss-Gasse: Wiener Linien with bus 13A, tram 1, or tram 62; Wiener Lokalbahnen with the Badner-Bahn tram-train.

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Zögernitz casino (19.)

House of Strauss, Döblinger Hauptstrasse 76

Photo, 13 Jul 2025 (P15/X70).

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An der schönen blauen Donau

Walzer op. 314, by JS2: 9m33s visualization by Stephen Malinowski, 2016.

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Sources

•   Austria Forum, by Technical University of Graz, in German.
•   Czeike, F., Historisches Lexikon Wien, in 6 Bänden (Wien: Kremayr & Scheriau/Orac, 2004); available from Wien Stadtbibliothek: <https://www.digital.wienbibliothek.at/wbrobv/content/titleinfo/1112764> [accessed Dec 2025].
•   Kunst & Kultur in Wien (Art & Culture in Vienna), by city-guide Hedwig Abraham, in German.
•   Österreichisches Musiklexikon Online (Austria Music Lexicon), in German.
•   Reise Erinnerung, in German.
•   J. Strauss II biography, by Vienna Institute for Strauss Research, in English.
•   Strauss family, by WeltRentner in German.
•   Suchet, J., The Last Waltz: The Strauss Dynasty and Vienna (New York: St. Martin’s Press, 2015).
•   Visiting Vienna, in English.
•   Wien Geschichte (History of Vienna) Wiki, by Stadt Wien (City of Vienna) in German.
•   Wien Museum Online Sammlung/Collection: available at https://sammlung.wienmuseum.at/ [accessed Dec 2025].

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Except for images from Wikipedia and Wien Museum’s online digital collection, I made all other images above in the summers of 2018, 2022, 2023, 2024, and 2025, with a Fujifilm X70 fixed-lens prime (X70) and an iPhone15 (P15). This post appears on Fotoeins Fotografie at fotoeins DOT com as https://wp.me/p1BIdT-nc7. Last edit: 4 Dec 2025.