Heinrich Schütz House is a cultural site in

Bad Köstritz Bad Köstritz () is a town in the district of Greiz, in Thuringia, Germany. It is situated on the White Elster river, 7 km northwest of Gera. Bad Köstritz is known for the Köstritzer brewery and its Schwarzbier (black beer). History T ...

, in

Thuringia Thuringia (; officially the Free State of Thuringia, ) is one of Germany, Germany's 16 States of Germany, states. With 2.1 million people, it is 12th-largest by population, and with 16,171 square kilometers, it is 11th-largest in area. Er ...

, Germany. The composer

Heinrich Schütz Heinrich Schütz (; 6 November 1672) was a German early Baroque music, Baroque composer and organ (music), organist, generally regarded as the most important German composer before Johann Sebastian Bach and one of the most important composers of ...

(1585–1672) was born here; the house is now a museum about his life and work.

History

The earliest mention of the building is in 1505. Albrecht Schütz, the composer's grandfather, was named as innkeeper in 1545, and in 1572 Christoph Schütz, the composer's father, took over the inn."Museum"
''Heinrich-Schütz-Haus Bad Köstritz'' Retrieved 29 May 2023. In 1583 Christoph Schütz married Euphrosine Bieger, the daughter of the mayor of

Gera Gera () is a city in the German state of Thuringia. With around 93,000 inhabitants, it is the third-largest city in Thuringia after Erfurt and Jena as well as the easternmost city of the ''Thüringer Städtekette'', an almost straight string of ...

; it was his third marriage. Heinrich Schütz, their second child, was born"Heinrich Schütz"
''Heinrich-Schütz-Haus Bad Köstritz'' Retrieved 29 May 2023. on 8 October 1585. In 1591 the family moved to

Weißenfels Weißenfels (; often written in English as Weissenfels) is the largest town of the Burgenlandkreis district, in southern Saxony-Anhalt, central Germany. It is situated on the river Saale, approximately south of Halle, Saxony-Anhalt, Halle. His ...

, and Christoph's brother Andreas took over the inn. The composer's later home in the town, the Heinrich Schütz House in Weißenfels, is now a museum."Museum"
Heinrich Schütz Haus. Retrieved 29 May 2023. In 1931 a memorial plaque was unveiled by the Heinrich Schütz Committee of Bad Köstritz. In 1952 the outbuildings and part of the inn were demolished when a new road was built; in the remaining part, a small memorial about the composer was created for the first time in 1954. In 1985, the 400th anniversary of the composer's birth, the building was transformed into the ''Forschungs- und Gedenkstätte Heinrich Schütz Haus Bad Köstritz'' – "the research and memorial place, the Heinrich Schütz House at Bad Köstritz". It opened on 15 October 1985. The house was renovated in 2000.

Exhibitions and events

There is a permanent exhibition about the life and cultural background of the composer, regarded as the first German composer of international importance. The house is a venue of the regional annual , which began as ''Köstritzer Schütz Tage'' (Köstritz Schütz Days). It offers concerts, seminars, courses in

early music Early music generally comprises Medieval music (500–1400) and Renaissance music (1400–1600), but can also include Baroque music (1600–1750) or Ancient music (before 500 AD). Originating in Europe, early music is a broad Dates of classical ...

, and temporary exhibitions in the museum."Heinrich Schütz House in Bad Köstritz"
''Kulturelle Gedächtnisorte'' Retrieved 29 May 2023.

References

{{authority control Biographical museums in Germany Music museums in Germany Museums in Thuringia Museums established in 1985 1985 establishments in East Germany

House A house is a single-unit residential building. It may range in complexity from a rudimentary hut to a complex structure of wood, masonry, concrete or other material, outfitted with plumbing, electrical, and heating, ventilation, and air c ...