Royal Figure
13 March 1741, Vienna - 20 February 1790, Vienna
The Enlightenment emperor who reshaped the world Mozart moved into. Joseph II’s radical reforms, known as Josephinism, dissolved monasteries, introduced religious tolerance, and restructured Catholic institutions across the Habsburg lands. Archbishop Colloredo in Salzburg was deeply aligned with this ideology, which is part of why Mozart found Colloredo’s austerity so suffocating.
When Mozart moved to Vienna in 1781, he served as Joseph’s court chamber musician. It was Joseph who commissioned Die Entfuhrung aus dem Serail and Le nozze di Figaro, two of the works that made Mozart immortal. The connection runs both ways: Salzburg produced Mozart, and Joseph’s Vienna gave him the stage.
Locations
Baroque
The official palace and seat of power of the Prince-Archbishops for over 200 years. Wolf Dietrich von Raitenau rebuilt it in grand baroque style. Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart performed for the Archbishop in these very rooms. Troger's frescoes look down from the state rooms. Today the Prunkraume and Residenzgalerie are open to visitors. Directly on Residenzplatz.
