Café Dommayer

The plaque you see here marks one of music history's most dramatic debuts. On October 15, 1844, a 19 year old violinist named Johann Strauss II conducted his first concert at this spot. His father tried everything to stop it.

Johann Strauss I was the undisputed Waltz King of Europe. When his son showed musical talent, the father wanted him to become a banker instead. He even threatened every major venue in town: if you hire my son, I will never play for you again. So the younger Strauss found Dommayer's Casino, a ballroom on the edge of the city where his father's influence didn't reach.

The night of the debut, the father's business manager handed out free tickets to rowdies, hoping they would disrupt the performance. They tried. But when the young Strauss raised his baton and played his waltz Sinngedichte, the crowd went wild. One piece got 19 encores.

A critic the next morning wrote: "Good evening, Father Strauss. Good morning, Strauss Junior."

The father never set foot in this building again. Five years later, he died. His son went on to write over 500 waltzes, including The Blue Danube. The memorial was placed here in 1999 by Julius Meinl.