Discover Beethoven's birthplace

The famous composer was probably born in this house on 16 December 1770. Experience the artist and man Ludwig van Beethoven, his time and his music.

Beethoven has been portrayed more often than almost any other musician. From the many illustrations from his time we learn a lot about his appearance and behaviour.

The more famous Beethoven became, the greater the interest in him became. In the last years of his life he created depictions showing him walking in nature, in the inn and even in the hospital.

Beethoven grew up in a time of change. The Bönnsche masked ball in the electoral residence shown here is still a symbol of absolutism. At the same time Bonn was occupied by French troops in 1794. With them come the ideals of the French Revolution: "liberty, equality, fraternity".

The social life and open-minded environment of the residence city of the Cologne Electoral Princes shaped the young man and musician Beethoven and provided him with a variety of stimuli for his personal and musical development.

Witness important historical events that were decisive for Beethoven: the devastating fire at the Residenzschloss in 1777, the magnificent visit of the future Archbishop Elector of Cologne Maximilian Franz in 1780, and the centuries-old flooding of the Rhine in 1784.

Beethoven created an extensive social network for himself. To some of his early Bonn friends he maintained a warm contact throughout his life.

The friends he first met in Vienna often helped him with everyday matters, they advised and supported him in many different ways.

Beethoven perfected his dealings with patrons and patrons of the arts. His teacher Christian Gottlob Neefe made sure that he dedicated his first pieces to his employer. That is why they are called "Electoral Sonatas". With these dedications, Beethoven expressed his gratitude for the support.

Beethoven never founded his own family - but he always had people around him who were very close to him. The revered grandfather died when Beethoven was three years old.

Through a regular daily routine, Beethoven managed to strike a balance between productive phases of work and periods of inspiration and relaxation. 

Here you can experience a day in the life of Ludwig van Beethoven.

Beethoven was driven by a perfectionism and struggled for a long time for the final version. You can see that from the handwriting in this room. His creativity and originality made Beethoven one of the most important artists in music history.

Beethoven was a sick man all his life and suffered from severe abdominal pain and colic, which even seemed life-threatening to him. As a musician, however, his progressive hearing loss hit him with an almost unimaginable stroke of fate, which triggered a serious life crisis for the almost 30-year-old.