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Beethoven’s skull fragments return to Vienna

Skull fragments, presumed to be from composer Ludwig van Beethoven, have returned to Vienna, where the legendary 19th century German composer was buried, experts said Thursday.

Skull fragments, presumed to be of Ludwig van Beethoven are on display at the Medical University of Vienna, Austria on July 20th, 2023.
Skull fragments, presumed to be of Ludwig van Beethoven are on display at the Medical University of Vienna, Austria on July 20th, 2023. Photo: Eva Manhart / APA / AFP

US businessman Paul Kaufmann donated the fragments, which he inherited, to the Medical University of Vienna where researchers will probe the illnesses suffered by the impresario and his cause of death.

“This is where the bones belong, back in Vienna,” Kaufmann told reporters.

Austrian coroner Christian Reiter said the 10 fragments, including two bigger pieces, one from the back of the head and one from the right side of the forehead, had “great value”.

“We have received really valuable material here, with which we hope to continue to research in the next years. That was Beethoven’s wish too,” Reiter said.

The composer battled illness throughout his life and explicitly asked for his body to be studied, Reiter added.

Beethoven, whose piano, chamber and symphonic works are among the greatest of Western classical music, died at 56 in 1827 after years of struggling with unknown ailments, including increasing deafness in his later years.

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The fragments are believed to be the only surviving fragments of Beethoven’s skull, Reiter added.

Kaufmann – whose Jewish ancestors fled the Nazis – said he found the fragments in a small box with “Beethoven” scratched on it in a family safety deposit box in a French bank in 1990.

Kaufmann’s great-great uncle, Austrian doctor Franz Romeo Seligmann, is presumed to have acquired them in 1863 during the exhumation of Beethoven’s body.

Kaufmann said the fragments would now be analysed further to confirm that they belong to the late composer, who died in Vienna.

 Cause of death a mystery

The available evidence suggests that they are authentic.

In 2005, a group of US scientists announced that tests on hair of Beethoven and the skull fragments showed he died from lead poisoning, which may have also been responsible for his hearing loss.

Researchers at the US Department of Energy’s Argonne National Laboratory in Illinois said the bone fragments, tested at the country’s most powerful X-ray facility, had high concentrations of lead, matching earlier findings of lead in his hair.

The source of the lead is unknown, but they said it may have come from a wine goblet made with the metal.

Alternatively, some medical treatments in the 18th and 19th centuries made use of heavy metals like lead and mercury.

Beethoven suffered abdominal pains in his 20s which became progressively worse, and the composer saw a large number of physicians in search of a cure.

In March, researchers who sequenced Beethoven’s genome using authenticated hair samples said liver failure, or cirrhosis, was likely behind his death brought about by a number of factors, including alcohol consumption.

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WHAT'S ON IN VIENNA

Donauinselfest 2024: What to know about Austria’s biggest open-air festival

On Friday June 21st, Austria's largest open-air festival starts in Vienna. Here's what you need to know about the free event and how to get there.

Donauinselfest 2024: What to know about Austria's biggest open-air festival

The Austrian Donauinselfest is known as the largest free open-air music festival in Europe. It happens yearly on Vienna’s Danube island and attracts around three million visitors over three days, from Friday the 21st until Sunday the 23rd.

The festival has been happening yearly since 1983 on the 21.1-kilometre river island. According to the official website, this year, it has several different areas and 14 stages. Visitors can expect more than 700 hours of the program.

The large festival stage offers a mix of music: The line-up includes Austropop legend Wolfgang Ambros & No. 1 vom Wienerwald, Christina Stürmer, Ronan Keating, Provinz, Juju, Alice Merton and Wanda. 

On the rock stage this year, visitors can listen to acts such as Skindred, Madsen, Voodoo Jürgens, Der Nino aus Wien & die AusWienBand, PÄM, Emil Bulls, Itchy and Kontrust.

Dance and party at the OBI / kronehit electronic music stage to acts such as Twocolors, Tita Lau and Lumix. Other stages include the Schlager & Austrohits, which features classic Austrian music and culture.

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Sports and dance programme

A varied sports and dance program spans all three days and offers exercise sessions for all generations. Yoga, 3×3 basketball, beach volleyball, dance workshops, other sporting activities, and hands-on stations await you!

“The Donauinselfest is more than just a music festival. It is a place where people from all districts of Vienna and far beyond come together. They want to celebrate and have fun together, participate in sporting activities, learn about various topics and use different services directly on-site. This colourful mix of art and culture, as well as fun, action, sports, design and consulting services, will be offered all day long on the festival grounds this year,” said Matthias Friedrich, project manager of the event.

READ ALSO: 10 things you should do in Austria this June

How do I get there?

The best way to reach the festival is by public transportation. From the Handelskai (U6), Neue Donau (U6) and Donauinsel (U1) metro stations, it takes just a few minutes to get directly to the festival grounds.

Wiener Linien shortens the intervals between subway trains to three minutes in the evening to make it easier for visitors to leave. The best way to get there by bus or streetcar is to take lines 25, 26, 31, and 29A—the intervals are shortened here on Friday and Saturday nights.

You can also get to the festival site by WienMobil bike. Three temporary stations will be set up for this purpose, where bikes can be rented and returned around the clock. The stations are at Floridsdorfer Brücke, at the Handelskai main entrance and Reichsbrücke. The exact locations can be found in the nextbike app.

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What am I allowed to take? 

Bags and rucksacks up to A3 size are permitted – anything larger is not. If you have a container with you that is larger than A3 format, the security service deployed is entitled to deny you access to the festival grounds. Any large and bulky objects, including folding chairs, are also not allowed (there are several benches and tables on site)

Umbrellas are not allowed for safety reasons – this also applies to toddlers, so please bring a rain poncho if you have one. In case of rain, rain ponchos will also be distributed on-site by the festival organisers and numerous sponsors while stocks last.

Animals are not allowed at the festival – except for guide and assistance dogs. 

You’re also not allowed to bring cans and glass bottles, alcoholic drinks or any drugs. You can bring non-alcoholic drinks in PET water bottles or drinking bottles with a size of up to 0.5 litres. If you need to carry larger quantities of liquid for medical reasons, please contact the responsible security service on site. There are also numerous free water dispensers throughout the festival site. People cannot bring meals, only small snacks such as protein bars or fruits. 

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Of course, weapons of any kind or objects that could be used as weapons. Drones, pyrotechnic articles and laser pointers are also banned.

Finally, the festival also forbids entrance with any “propaganda” or “advertising” material, including “simply political or religious or racist, xenophobic, national socialist, sexist, etc”. 

What else do I need to know?

The festival is free, but anything you consume there, such as food and beverages, is paid for. You can pay with cash or a card. The festival has numerous water dispensers free of charge, so it’s worth it to take a water bottle to refill (up to 0.5 litres is allowed).

Toilet facilities are in place throughout the festival site. A visit to a toilet in a fixed facility or a toilet container costs 0.50 cents – use of the porta-potties is free. If you plan to stay longer at the Danube Island Festival, you can buy an #allyoucanheisl band at a fixed facility or a toilet container (EUR 2.50 for one day, EUR 5.00 for all three festival days).

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