Mendelssohn-Haus

The Mendelssohn House on Goldschmidtstrasse in Leipzig is the last surviving private residence of the composer Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy, and the only one that still stands. The late Neoclassical building, dating from 1844, has housed a museum run by the Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy Foundation since 1997. Visitors can admire the composer's original furniture, letters, manuscript scores, and watercolors. Particularly impressive are his study, where Mendelssohn composed the oratorio "Elijah," among other works, and the music salon, which hosts concerts on Sundays. A historic garden and a chamber music hall in the former coach house round out the ensemble. Since 2014, an interactive installation on the ground floor has let you conduct an orchestra virtually and switch between modern and historical instruments. In addition, exhibitions on the third floor are devoted to Fanny Hensel and to the conductor Kurt Masur, whose institute is based here. As part of the national cultural heritage and a member of the Working Group of Composer Museums in Germany, the site is a central destination for music lovers.