Nowhere mentioned in this forum, so far as I can determine, are the important Haydn-related sites within an hour or two of Vienna. Seeing them during our recent trip to Austria has given a new dimension to Haydn%26#39;s music in a way we never would have imagined.
Haydn fans will know about his 5-year residency as court composer/orchestra leader at the Esterhazy family palace in Eisenstadt, but may not realize that Eisenstadt is less than an hour by car (or rail or bus) from Vienna. The palace not only is restored and open to visitors, including the rooms where Haydn conducted his own work, but also features regularly scheduled orchestral and chamber-music concerts in those very rooms.
In addition, every September there is a 10-day Haydn festival called Haydntage (%26quot;Haydn Days%26quot;) featuring morning, afternoon, and evening peformances each day in those rooms by internationally known artists and groups, including a Haydn opera (next year it%26#39;s the familiar oratorio Messiah, but past years, including this one, have seen more rarely performed works). We attended 3 days worth of world-class performances during this year%26#39;s Haydntage, and were simply thrilled by the experience.
If you get as far as Eisenstadt (or even if you don%26#39;t stop off there), less than another hour further east and across the border in Hungary is Esterhaza, the Esterhazy family palace where Haydn lived and worked for the next 24 years -- the bulk of his professional life. The town is now called Fertod. Much of this palace too has been restored, including the music rooms. I understand that concerts occasionally are given there as well, and that a chamber-music festival is presented shortly after the September Eisenstadt event.
Fertod is not too easy to reach by public transportation, but our hotel in Eisenstadt arranged for a local taxi to take the two of us there and back one morning for only 30 Euros each way, plus 15 Euros an hour of waiting time. Guided tours of the palace run continuously, and although nominally in Hungarian there%26#39;s an English-language text given out, and our guide gratuitously translated his remarks into English for the benefit of the few English-speakers in our group. (And contrary to well-meaning but erroneous information provided to us in Eisenstadt, the modest Esterhaza admission fee can be paid in Euros, as can your souvenir booklets and postcards.)
If you%26#39;re hard-core Haydn fans like us, you couldn%26#39;t better spend 90 Euros.
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Thank you for the information on Hayden. I tried to reach Eisenstadt by train a few years ago, but was unsuccessful. I don%26#39;t know whether the Saturday schedule differed from that of the rest of the week. My German is rather poor and I was discouraged when trying to ask for help. I am going back to Vienna next June. Do you have any info on which train goes to Eisenstadt?
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For train schedules, see the official website at www.oebb.at. It has an English-language version. I understand from other postings here that schedules are changing in December, so better check it when your travel date approaches. If I recall correctly, the schedule to Eisenstadt also includes busses. That looked to be more convenient (the rail station is on the outskirts of town).
We actually wound up traveling not by train or bus but by car. To avoid having to wrestle heavy luggage on and off trains unncecessarily, we had our hotel in Eisenstadt send a car to pick us up in Vienna (which turned out to be a local taxi, albeit a Mercedes) for only 68 Euros. (The hotel in Vienna quoted 92 Euros for the same service -- life is cheaper in the provinces, I guess). Considering that this obviated taxi%26#39;s to and from the respective train stations, and was quicker to boot (only 45 minutes door to door), it seemed like a bargain.
If you do this, ask the hotel to engage Frau Wagner as the driver. She drove us both ways between Eisenstadt and Vienna, to and from a wonderful (Michelin 2-star) country restaurant a few km from Eistenstadt), and also on our day trip to Esterhaza (Fertod) in Hungary. She was prompt, always available, cheerful, a good conversationalist in English, just an all-around pleasure. The hotel should know who she is, but if you%26#39;d like her phone number I%26#39;ll dig it out.
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I made it to Eisenstadt when I went to Vienna last month (my first visit). Unfortunately I was a bit worn out and didn%26#39;t get to hear any of the Haydntage performances, though I%26#39;d wanted to. I did see the Esterhazy palace, and Haydn%26#39;s tomb. I also encountered a bit of trouble figuring out the trains, but as far as the town goes, I was helped by a very nice gentleman while I was scratching my head at the big map of the town about a km from the bahnhof; he asked me %26quot;Can I help you%26quot; in such a passionate tone, I will never forget his courtesy. FWIW I also had an outstanding snack of French fries and beer in a local pub while waiting to see Haydn%26#39;s tomb. The price for this meal was €4, which would have been a bargain just for the beer.
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