birthplace of Franz Liszt

The Liszthaus Raiding stands in the village of Raiding in Burgenland, a lowland province of Austria. The stone house dates from the 16th century and was once part of a noble estate built by the von Guniafalva family. In the mid-17th century the estate was enlarged by Johann Illesy, who married the family’s daughter. The Esterházy family bought the property in 1805 and Adam Liszt worked there as steward of the sheep while playing cello in Prince Esterházy’s orchestra. The future composer Franz Liszt was born in one of the six rooms on 22 October 1811. The house became a place of remembrance in 1951 after two years of renovation. In 1971 Paul Esterházy donated the building to the town, and in 1979 it opened as a museum dedicated to the composer’s early years. A modern concert hall was added in 2006 beside the old house and now hosts the annual Raiding Liszt Festival. The hall’s fine acoustics have attracted professional musicians to make commercial recordings there. Visitors enter the museum rooms where the Liszt family once lived and see the kitchen and the small wine-fermentation chamber. The concert hall next door seats about 580 people and presents performances throughout the year. Outside, the village of Raiding lies among flat Burgenland farmland, a quiet setting for a house that gave the world one of its greatest composers.