The International Mozart Foundation converted the house into a museum way back in 1880, but the current form of the museum is only about twelve years old. Even when we visited, it was undergoing renovations and changes, with restyling being done by Robert Wilson.

The Mozart Museum spreads across a series of rooms, beginning at the room where he was born. In the centre of this room is a white wooden crib in which is laid a baby-sized doll: very spooky. On the walls, and in the adjacent rooms, are paintings, sketches and silhouettes of Mozart and his family. As you go from one wooden-floored room to the next, you see more Mozart memorabilia: locks of his hair (rather a lot of this: the poor man either lost a lot of hair, or got chased by fans waving barber scissors); an embroidered silk wallet; an agate tobacco case; violins (including one he owned as a child), and sheets of music written in his own hand. In addition, there are dioramas depicting a performance of a Mozart opera; details of opera costumes; and information about the opera singers of Mozart’s time.

The sections designed by Robert Wilson combine the classicism of Mozart’s age with twenty-first century art. In one room, glass cases embedded in the black walls hold exhibits; in another, Mozart’s biography is written in flowing white calligraphy, in different languages, all across the dark brown walls. In yet another highly unusual room, old framed prints of Salzburg city hang upside-down in a room that’s upside-down too: a three-dimensional model of Salzburg hangs from the ceiling, its spires and domes reaching down towards a floor that’s pierced by tiny pinpricks of illuminated star-like glass. Interesting, pretty- though not particularly relevant to Mozart as a theme, perhaps.

We shelled out €6 per person to visit the museum, and were, truth to tell, somewhat dissatisfied. Okay, this was Mozart’s house, but in a Mozart Museum, I’d really have expected much more that actually related to the man himself. The museum tells you lots about opera, banquets, medieval Salzburg, and the like- maybe it could have concentrated a bit more on Mozart.

The Mozart Geburtshaus is open daily from 9 to 6, extending up to 7 in July and August. Get there early, because it tends to fill up fast.

Salzburg’s most famous son is, of course, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. In addition to all the Mozart paraphernalia on sale at numerous souvenir shops, the ubiquitous Mozartkugeln, the odd Mozart statues, and of course, numerous Mozart concerts, two museums are dedicated to the memory of Mozart. As Mozart preferred to spend most of his short adult life in Vienna, Salzburg has to make do with his place of birth (Geburtshaus) and the house his family occupied during his teens (Wohnhaus).

The more famous is the Geburtshaus located in the heart of the old town. It is in a lovely yellow-painted Baroque house where the Mozart family rented a few rooms on the third floor (fourth if the ground floor is not counted separately). The building’s original decorative Rococo façade facing the Rathausplatz was destroyed during the nineteenth century but the façade facing Universitätsplatz is the original from Mozart’s time. Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart was born here on 27 January 1756 as the last of seven children.

During our out-of-season visit, there were no queues to enter, and my wife and I went in turns in order not having to drag the children up and down the stairs and through the narrow corridors. As there is not that much to see inside, it took only a few minutes for each of us. Several documents, letters, and objects reminding of Mozart are on display. The most interesting items are a number of violins, including a small child’s violin, and a piano that belonged to Mozart. Piano recitals recorded on this piano inside the house are available on CD from the gift shop.

A lower floor is dedicated to Mozart and the stage with displays of opera stage sets and explanations of the stories of several operas. Despite the factual errors in the film, "Amadeus" this museum is quite happy to use parts of it to great effect to bring to home the life and experiences of Mozart.

Opening hours are daily from 9am to 6pm, closing at 7pm in July and August. Admission is €5.50 or free with the Salzburg Card.

Of course, visiting Salzburg in January 1987, I had to see Mozart's birthplace on Salzburg's main drag, the Getreidegasse. I was with a small group from my tour bus on that snowy January morning when we arrived at Mozart's birthplace. One of my travel mates said she wasn't going to go into the building because it was a waste of time to visit a dead person's place. I was offended by this person's comments and Ugly Americanism, but didn't say anything. So, I went into Mozart's birthplace alone, leaving my Ugly American travel mate to freeze and dodge snowflakes.

Mozart's birthplace or Geburtshaus is now a museum that houses articles and musical instruments from Mozart's short lifetime. Mozart was born in this house in January 1756 and spent most of the first 20 years of his life here. He picked up his first instrument at age 5 (a violin) and was a musical "wunderkind" who gave his first concert in front of Maria Theresia, her family, and her court in Vienna.

Mozart composed many of his works in this house, including "Requiem" and "The Magic Flute." After the age of 20, Mozart spent most of his time in Vienna and at the Wohnhaus on the other side of Salzburg. He died at the age of 35 on December 16, 1791 under mysterious circumstances. Was it a fever that killed Mozart, or did his rival, Italian composer Antonio Salieri, poison him like it was depicted in the movie Amadeus? The mystery surrounding Mozart's death even gets me thinking.

If you are a fan of Mozart, this is the place to be. The house and museum are very small and will not take long to tour. It is highly recommended for fans and non-fans of Mozart and his music.

Mozart's birthplace is open daily from 9am-7pm in the summer and 9am-6pm in the off-season. Last entrance is 30 minutes before closing and the phone number is 0662/844-313.