Mendelssohn Haus (Mendelssohn House), Leipzig

Mendelssohn's house in Leipzig is where the composer Felix Mendelssohn lived from 1845 until his death in 1847. Now a museum, it features a collection of artifacts dedicated to the life and work of the composer including, particularly, his time in the city.

Born in Hamburg in 1809, Mendelssohn moved to Leipzig in 1835, upon his appointment as a director of the Gewandhaus Orchestra. His family joined him in 1845 and settled in an apartment on the bel etage (second floor) of this building. It was in this house that Mendelssohn's daughter Elisabeth (aka Lili, one of his five children) was born, and he himself died on 4 November 1847.

The International Mendelssohn Foundation, founded in 1991, aimed at preserving Mendelssohn's last home in Leipzig, had this museum opened in 1997.

The property has been restored to the appearance it once had during the composer's life, furnished in the style of late Biedermeier. Mendelssohn's former apartment contains original furniture, written documents, and musical sheets with autographs, as well as the first prints of his productions and some of his watercolors. The study documents the atmosphere in which the composer created, featuring, among other things, the oratorio "Elias".

In addition to the displayed artifacts, the museum has a music salon which is now used for matinee concerts every Sunday. There's also a large chamber music hall, on the first floor of the former coach house.

In 2014, the museum had an extension, on the ground floor, featuring a unique installation allowing visitors to interactively conduct an orchestra, arrange instruments, and switch between modern and historical instruments during playback. A newly created "world for children" in the garden house – which is part of the historical garden surrounding the place – is yet another important addition to the museum.

The Mendelssohn Haus is included in the Blaubuch (Blue Book) of the German Federal Government, as an important cultural site.