As Austria’s capital city and one of Europe’s foremost centers of art and culture, Vienna has been home to numerous people who have left their mark on history.
Keep reading to find out 12 of the most fascinating – and selected places in the city associated with them.
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Prince Eugene of Savoy
Lived: 1663 – 1736
Raised in the glittering court of King Louis XIV of France, Prince Eugene left his native land after Louis denied him a commission in the French army for being…too ugly.
Eugene soon enlisted in the Austrian Imperial armies, where he would go on to become one of the greatest military commanders of his time. His successes included neutralizing the Ottoman threat to Europe and defeating his old country of France during the War of the Spanish Succession.
Where to Visit: Eugene amassed a fortune thanks to his victories. With the money, he built a stunning palace, known as the Belvedere, to be his summer residence. Today, it houses the premier collection of Austrian art in the world. Also, that giant statue of a man on horseback outside of the Hofburg? That’s Eugene.
Empress Maria Theresa
Lived: 1717 – 1780
Maria Theresa came to the Austrian throne after her father changed the law to allow her to succeed. She spent the early years of her reign defending her sovereign rights in a number of wars.
Maria Theresa would rule for 40 years, during which time she instituted several reforms. Somehow she also found time to give birth to 16 children, including the infamous Marie Anntoinette.
Where to Visit: Maria Theresa ordered extensive remodeling of Schönbrunn Palace, the Hapsburgs’ summer residence. Much of this rebuild, including the ornate staterooms, remain. You can even see a rare example of one of Maria Theresa’s beds, complete with Baroque appliqué embroidery.
Joseph Haydn
Lived: 1732 – 1809
Austrian composer Haydn moved to Vienna as a boy when he was selected to become a choirboy at St. Stephen’s Cathedral (Stephansdom).
A friend Mozart and tutor to the young Beethoven, Haydn was a pioneer of chamber music, such as the string quartet and the piano trio. His favorite among his compositions seems to have been “Gott erhalte Franz den Kaiser,” also known as the “Emperor’s Hymn,” which was the last piece of music he ever played.
Where to visit: The Haydn Museum is located in the building that was the composer’s residence for the last 12 years of his life. He wrote two of his great oratorios, The Creation and The Seasons at this house.
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Lived: 1756 – 1791
One of the most celebrated of all classical composers, child prodigy Mozart first came to Vienna as a boy to perform for the Empress Maria Theresa. Years later, after a falling out with his employer in his native Salzburg, he moved permanently to the city.
It was in Vienna that Mozart achieved some of his greatest personal and professional successes, but he died prematurely at the age of 35.
Where to visit: Mozart lived for a time just a stone’s throw away from St. Stephen’s Cathedral. His apartment, where he produced such works as The Marriage of Figaro and Don Giovanni, has been turned into the Mozarthaus, a museum dedicated to his life.
Ludwig van Beethoven
Lived: 1770 – 1827
Originally from Germany, Beethoven spent several years in Vienna, the city where he eventually died. As a young man, he had come to the city to study under Joseph Haydn.
Beethoven fought increasing deafness in his later years. He nevertheless continued to compose music, including Symphony No. 9, one of the most outstanding masterpieces in the history of music.
Where to visit: There are a couple of museums dedicated to Beethoven in Vienna. The Beethoven Museum located at Probusgasse 6 is where the composer came to live, poignantly, in a vain attempt to cure his deafness.
Franz Schubert
Lived: 1797 – 1828
One of the earliest composers of the Romantic era, Schubert was surprisingly prolific during his brief 31 years. He wrote 600 lieder (songs) and a number of symphonies. The Vienna native was born and lived in the city his entire life.
Where to visit: The Schubert Geburthaus (Schubert’s House of Birth) is where, you may have guessed, Schubert was born. It’s one of the few remaining suburban houses from the era and is now a museum dedicated to the compower.
Johann Strauss II
Lived: 1825 – 1899
Viennese music is almost synonymous with the waltz and the undisputed “Waltz King” was Johann Strauss II. The best-known of a dynasty of composers, he wrote over 500 waltzes, polkas, and other types of dance music during his career.
Strauss’ most famous work is “The Blue Danube,” a waltz that saw only mild success upon its debut. It has since become one of the post popular pieces of classical music and is regarded as Austria’s unofficial national anthem. (And, as I discovered, played every time you get on an Austrian airlines flight.)
Where to visit: There are numerous places around Vienna associated with Strauss, including his iconic Golden Statue in the Stadtpark. A high-tech Johann Strauss Museum opened in 2024, but if you want to be in the same space where “The Blue Danube” was written, head to the Johann Strauss Apartment.
Empress Elisabeth of Austria
Lived: 1837 – 1898
Born a Bavarian princess, Elisabeth was married to the Austrian emperor Franz Josef at the tender age of 16. The free-spirited “Sisi,” as she was known, despised the stifling formal Viennese court and spent as much time as possible away from the city – and her husband.
Elisabeth was celebrated as one of the most beautiful women of her generation, a mystique she did her utmost to cultivate. Her championship of her Hungarian subjects led to the creation of the dual monarchy of Austria-Hungary in 1867.
Where to visit: When she was in Vienna, Elisabeth lived at the Hofburg palace. Her old apartments there have now been turned into the Sisi Museum, where you can learn more about her life and see many objects that belonged to her.
Otto Wagner
Lived: 1841 – 1918
In the late 19th century, new artistic styles were emerging. A group of artists and architects in Vienna moved away from traditional forms towards an Art Nouveau-inspired style known as the Vienna Secession.
Otto Wagner was one of the most prominent architects of the Vienna Secession. His work helped to transform Vienna into the city we see today.
Where to visit: Wagner’s work is all over the city. Among the best are the Austrian Post Savings Bank, the Kirche am Steinhof, and the Karlsplatz Stadtbahn Station.
Sigmund Freud
Lived: 1856 – 1939
Dubbed the “father of psychoanalysis,” Freud was a neurologist – and one of the most controversial thinkers of the 20th century.
There’s no doubt about Freud’s influence on psychology; our modern notions of the unconscious can be traced directly to him. Freud pioneered psychoanalysis and, while many of his theories have been challenged, they in some ways are the theories and therapies by which all other psychological theories and therapies are measured.
Where to visit: The Sigmund Freud Museum is where Freud lived, worked, and wrote the Interpretation of Dreams. His famous couch, however, is missing – when he fled the Nazis, Freud took the couch with him to London, where it remains.
Gustav Klimt
Lived: 1862 – 1918
Klimt was a painter and one of the most important figures of the Art Nouveau movement. A founding member of the Vienna Secession, he served as its first president.
Klimt preferred to paint women – oftentimes with overt eroticism – and was a popular portrait painter in his time. His most distinctive style was his “Golden Phase,” in which he heavily incorporated gold leaf into his paintings.
Where to visit: Klimt’s work can be found in galleries around the world, but several of his works, including his masterpiece The Kiss are at the Belvedere.
Hedy Lamarr
Lived: 1914 – 2000
Hedy was born and raised in Vienna, and it was here that she married her first husband, an arms dealer who sold munitions to Mussolini and Hitler. She later fled to America, where she became a major Hollywood star.
During WWII, Hedy, a self-taught scientist, teamed up with avant-garde composer George Antheil to invent a frequency-hopping spread spectrum to guide torpedoes. They were granted a patent and then…nothing.
Years later Hedy finally gained recognition for her scientific work. The frequency-hopping technique she invented provided the basis for today’s GPS, Bluetooth, and WiFi.
Where to visit: Like many others on this list (Ludwig van Beethoven, Franz Schubert, Johann Strauss), Hedy is buried in in Vienna’s Central Cemetery (Zentralfriedhof). Her distinctive memorial was inspired by the frequency-hopping technology she invented.
Want to learn more about the best things to do in Vienna? Check out my picks for the 12 Best Things to Do in Vienna!
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