Bertramka

The Villa Bertramka in Prague's Smíchov district is now an important museum commemorating the composer Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. The estate sits in an area that was still rural in the 18th century and was known as the "Laughing Meadow." Originally a vineyard with a wooden house, the property was purchased in 1743 by Franz von Bertram, who had a neoclassical summer residence built here. The house was later bought by the Duscheks, a married couple consisting of the soprano Josepha and her husband Franz Xaver. They used it as a summer home and invited their friend Mozart to Prague in 1787.

At the Villa Bertramka, as he called it, Mozart spent some of the happiest days of his life. Among other things, he worked here on the overture to his opera Don Giovanni, which premiered shortly afterward at Prague's National Theater. A famous anecdote tells how Josepha Duschek locked the hesitating composer in his room until he had finished the score. Mozart also stayed here in the late 18th century to rehearse the opera La clemenza di Tito. After his death, his sons found refuge with the Duscheks, until Josepha later had to sell the estate for financial reasons.

Over the course of the 19th century, the neighborhood lost its idyllic character and turned into an industrial district. The villa, however, survived and was bequeathed to the Mozarteum in 1925. After a thorough restoration in 1956, it reopened as a memorial site. Today the house contains personal belongings of Mozart as well as musical instruments, and gives visitors an insight into the composer's life during his stay in Prague.