The Philharmonic Ball, in Vienna, Austria.Paul Bauer/Vienna Tourism
A world-touring music idol with fans clamouring for locks of his jet-black curls. His jealous father trying to derail the gifted first-born from following in his footsteps. Illegitimate children. Feuding brothers. Family fortunes, made and lost.
Are these tabloid headlines? Reality TV plot lines? Nope. They’re biographic notes for Johann Strauss, father and son, both esteemed classical music composers and performers who took 19th-century Vienna by storm and left it with a legacy in triple time: the waltz.
This year, the Austrian capital is celebrating the 200th anniversary of the birth of Johann Strauss Jr., who ended up eclipsing his father and claiming the mantle of Waltz King. His music is still beloved around the globe. But not everyone agrees on how best to honour Schani, an Austrian nickname for Johann by which he is affectionately known.
On a recent blustery afternoon in Vienna’s Old Town, a white-haired gentleman held court over lunch, his disregard for speaking quietly at odds with his grandfatherly appearance. The topic that sparked such vehemence? The unofficial anthem of Austria – and arguably Strauss’s most famous composition – The Blue Danube Waltz.
“The way it’s played is completely wrong,” he said, chirping with mock exaggeration his take on how the piece is commonly performed. It’s meant to be witty and ironic, he said, not some bucolic confectionary.
This verdict was rendered by a retired judge who happens to be the great-grand-nephew of the composer himself. Eduard Strauss now chairs the Vienna Institute for Strauss Research, which promotes, as he says, “historically informed” and kitsch-free interpretations of his ancestors’ music.
Johann Strauss’ apartment, an intimate space that gives a taste of his day-to-day life, including the standing desk where he composed The Blue Danube.Paul Bauer/Vienna Tourism
To make your own ruling on the Waltz King, 2025 is the perfect time to head to Vienna. In a single day, you can visit a trio of Strauss-related museums – or take in one of the myriad special events on the calendar, if your timing is right.
A 15-minute walk from the Old Town brings you to a permanent exhibit opened to coincide with the bicentennial: Johann Strauss New Dimensions.
A GPS-enabled audio guide means there’s no fumbling with the recording as you move through the venue, which presents the highs – and the lows – of the Strauss family. My favourite was the last room, where Strauss melodies play on everyone’s headphones while projections dance on the walls. So infectious is the music that elementary-school kids are cutting a rug, without any inhibitions.
Another short stroll – past the Musikverein, site of the iconic Strauss-centric New Year’s Day concerts – brings you to the Haus der Musik, the Sound Museum.
The Johann Strauss monument at Stadtpark, in Vienna, Austria.Paul Bauer/Vienna Tourism
Kids love the musical staircase, where each step taken produces a different note of a scale. Exhibits range from the science of sound to the virtual conductor, which lets you try your hand with a baton. The Great Composers Rooms highlight musical geniuses who lived and worked in Vienna over the centuries: Haydn, Mozart, Beethoven, Schubert.
But the Strauss room is where people have the most vivid reactions. One father starts to hum along to the catchy waltzes and can’t stop as he moves on through the rest of the museum.
Hop onto the subway for a quick ride to the Johann Strauss Apartment. Schani moved there at 37 as a newlywed, with the first of his three wives. It’s an intimate space that gives a taste of his day-to-day life, including the standing desk where he composed The Blue Danube.
Praterstrasse, the tree-lined boulevard where Strauss lived, offers an excellent array of restaurants at which to replenish your forces from a day of museum-hopping.
Heading back to your lodgings after dinner, cast your gaze up to the night sky. Starting this spring, one of the sparkles you’ll see up there might well be an orbiter hosting a new rendition of The Blue Danube. A May 31 concert is being transmitted into space – celebrating Schani’s birthday with a bang.
In a single day, you can visit a trio of Strauss-related museums – or take in one of the myriad special events on the calendar, if your timing is right.Gregor Hofbauer/Vienna Tourism
If you go
Vienna’s year-long celebration of the Strauss bicentennial ranges from the predictable (classical concerts, dance, theatre) to the unexpected (escape rooms, raves, augmented reality installations). For detailed listings, go to johannstrauss2025.at
April 5: Bat Day commemorates the premiere of Die Fledermaus, Strauss’s most famous operetta, which features no actual bats if you discount a prank involving a flittermouse costume. But representations of the flying mammals are now synonymous with the piece – and the focus of this day’s activities taking place around the MuseumsQuartier.
May 31: The Vienna Symphony, under conductor Petr Popelka, performs a “galactic concert” at the MAK – Museum of Applied Arts, from which a live broadcast of The Blue Danube will be transmitted by the European Space Agency to the Voyager 1 space probe. The event will fulfill a vision for Strauss’s signature waltz foreseen by director Stanley Kubrick in 2001: A Space Odyssey.
June 26-27: Free open-air concerts by the Vienna Symphony kick off the city’s annual Summer of Culture. In the shadow of the Prater’s Giant Ferris Wheel, the shows include cabaret trio the Flying Schnörtzenbrekkers and Thomas Quasthoff singing Sinatra.
Oct. 25: Celebrate Strauss’s birthday with two top-tier concerts at the Musikverein. In the afternoon, the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra, with soprano Nikola Hillebrand and the Vienna Men’s Choral Society, present an updated version of the 1925 concert held for Strauss’s centennial. In the evening, the Vienna Symphony, with violin superstar Anne-Sophie Mutter and the Vienna Boys’ Choir, perform Strauss favourites. Also featured is the world premiere of Max Richter’s Fantasy for Violin and Orchestra.
The Casino Zögernitz, in Vienna, Austria.Gregor Hofbauer/Vienna Tourism
Where to stay:
The Hotel Imperial, a former private palace on Vienna’s famed Ring Boulevard, offers luxury service and dining, which have made it a favourite haunt of celebrities, from Mahler to the Rolling Stones. Recently seen hanging out on the premises: Eugene Levy filming a coming episode of his series The Reluctant Traveler. Rooms from €550 ($858).
A more reasonable option is the Hotel Josefine. The boutique establishment, recently awarded a Michelin Hotel Key for its unique ambience, has a cosmopolitan art-deco feel. Rooms from €195 ($304).
Getting around: Download the ivie app, a free city guide that includes self-guided walking tours. Buy a Vienna City Card, which gives you access to all forms of public transit, and an optional add-on for an airport transfer.
The writer was a guest of the Vienna Tourism Board. It did not review or approve the story before publication.