Czech Republic, East of Prague

House of Mozart biographer Franz Xaver Niemetschek. The plaque proudly mentions a visit by Mozart in 1787, but that is improbable; the two men met for the first time in 1791, in Prague.

Birthplace of the composer Bohuslav Matěj Černohorský, (1684-1742). The plaque was installed in 1984.

The pianist and composer Josef Antonín Štěpán (1726-1797)was born here.

Commemorative plaque of the organist and composer Jan Křtitel Kuchař, born here in 1751 (not the original house).

Medieval castle of the nobleman and composer Křystof Harant z Polžic, who lived here from 1615 and altered and extended the castle.As a rebellious protestant, he was executed in Prague.

Birthplace of the composer František Xaver Dušek (1731-1799), Mozart’s host in Prague in 1787. The painted façade with plaque and the authentic environment are attractive.

Smetana’s father worked as a beer brower and the family lived here from 1819 to 1824. Various relatives lived here afterwards, including cousin Luise, Bedřich's first love (Luisenpolka). Smetana room with piano, monument outside.

Luise was buried in the local cemetery

Petrof piano factory, established by Antonín Petrof in 1864 - cf. www.petrof.com .

Commemorative plaque of the composer Jan Křtitel Vanhal (1739-1813), born here (not the original house).

Birthplace of František Škroup (°1801) and his brother Jan Nepomuk (°1811). Monument. František is the composer of the Czech national anthem. He worked at last as a conductor in Rotterdam (NL), where he died in 1862.

Organ by Abraham Storck, 1690; 1 manual, 12 stops; restored in 1990.

This neo-gothic castle was the house of the violinist Jan Kubelik (1880-1940) and the birthplace of his son, the conductor Rafael Kubelik (1914-1996).

Last house of the bandmaster and composer František Kmoch (1848-1912).

Grave of František Kmoch, †1912.

Kmoch monument on a little island in the Elbe river which is named after him.

Choir organ by Nicolaus Michal, 1679; II/p/17.

The horn virtuoso and composer Jan Václav Štich (alias Jan Wenzel Stich or Giovanni Punto, 1746-1803) was born in the earlier Thun-Hohenstein castle; the later castle, now a school, holds memories of him in the entrance hall. The village organises Stich-Punto festivals.

Birthplace of the piano virtuoso and composer Jan Ladislav Dusík, better known as Dussek (1760-1812) and his brother František Josef (°1766). Dussek made a great career abroad, especially in France and England; his younger brother was a more moderate musician.

Large Dusík plaque on the theatre which has been named after him.

A room in the local museum is dedicated to the Dusík brothers.

Mozart is said to have stopped at this post station during one of his journeys between Prague and Vienna.

The Fibich family lived here from 1857 to 1873. The future composer Zdeňek Fibich (1850-1900) was taught by his mother but left the house in 1859 to study elsewhere.

On the music school is a plaque of the composer František Ignác Antonín Tůma (1704-1774), born here.

Commemorative plaque for the composer Jan Václav Voříšek (1791-1825), born here (not the original house).

In the Komenský (Comenius) museum, attention is paid to the Czech quartet and František Ondříček.

The violinist Jaroslav Kocian (1883-1950) was born here. Annual competitions for young violinists.

The castle brewery was the birthplace of Bedřich Smetana (1824-1884). There is a Smetana museum with instruments and documents, besides a collection of historical keyboard instruments. The castle itself has the disposal of a rococo theatre from 1797.

House of Waldstein-Wartenberg, from 1830 occupied by the Smetana family. Monument on the square.

Remarkable birthplace of Bohuslav Martinů (1890-1959): his family lived in the steeple of the St. James church tower. The original furnishing of the small room has been retained and can be visited; the climbing is worth the effort.

The Martinů family lived here between 1902 and 1923.

The Martinů family lived here from 1923 onwards, the composer paid many visits from Paris.

Grave of Martinů since 1979. Until then his grave was in Liestal (Switzerland), in the garden of his benefactor Paul Sacher; the controversy on the transfer to the then communist country has become silent now.

Martinů Center in the local museum and gallery; exhibition and archive.

Birthplace of the composer Václav Tomašek (1774-1850).

The composer Vitěslav Novák (1870-1949) died in this house of his in-laws. There is an exhibition on Novák and Tomášek.

Grave of Vitěslav Novák, but a cenotaph; his ashes were dispersed on Petřín hill in Prague.

This castle from c. 1700 was the house of Marie Červinková Riegrová, the major librettist of Dvořák; many visits by the composer. Now it houses an exhibition on Czech (baroque) music.

Jan Antonín Mareš (1719-1794) was born here but in his native town there is only a streetname that remembers him. He was famous of his curious horn bands of serfs in Russia - > www.horncapella.com

Smetana studied here from 1836 until 1839.

Birthplace of the composer Jan Václav Stamic (Stamitz, 1717-1757). From 1730 the family lived in the (rebuilt) house čp. 48, at the opposite side of the square. Stamitz was the central figure in the famous court orchestra in Mannheim.

The composer Zdeňek Fibich (1850-1900) was born in this hunting lodge. Some decades ago it was accessible to the public, but at present it is (temporarily?) abandoned.

Birthplace of Gustav Mahler (1860-1911). The former inn was restored in 1998 and enlarged with a guesthouse. There is a small exhibition and a concert room. The roses in the garden were planted by Czech and foreign celebrities, including the great singers Gabriela Beňačková and Thomas Hampson.

Mahler monument.