The Genuine Salzburg Mozartkugel – Homage to Genius and Craftsmanship
Welcome to the Home of the Inventor of the Salzburg Mozartkugel – Austria’s most Famous Praline since 1880.
As an homage to the musical genius Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, confectioner Rudolf Baumann created the first Mozartkugel in Salzburg in 1880 – handmade and carefully wrapped in the characteristic silver foil with a blue Mozart head. Since the early 20th century, this sweet delicacy has been available at the inventor’s premises: in Josef Holzermayr’s traditional confiserie at Alter Markt 7 – in the heart of Salzburg’s Old Town. Made with great care and in limited quantities, this sweet specialty remains an exclusive gift to this day – appreciated by connoisseurs around the globe.
Chronicle & History of the Salzburg Specialty Mozartkugel
Confiserie Josef Holzermayr – a sixth-generation family business. The roots of today’s internationally renowned Confiserie Josef Holzermayr date back to the year 1865. At that time, the success story of a company that has preserved the highest craftsmanship for generations began in the small town of Werfen.
The family’s eldest son, Josef Holzermayr, was active at that time as a gingerbread maker and wax chandler – a profession equivalent to today’s confectioner’s trade. With great craftsmanship, he soon took over the traditional Lebzelterhaus in Werfen, where he first produced and sold his handmade sweet specialties. His diligence and passion for the confectionery craft soon made Josef Holzermayr known beyond the region: With his confectionery delicacies, he was present at church consecration festivals and farmers’ markets throughout the country.
An Important Milestone Followed
Josef Holzermayr was appointed Imperial and Royal Court Confectioner and was henceforth chosen to supply Archduke Franz Ferdinand, Archduke Eugen, as well as their high-ranking guests from all over the world with his sweet specialties. With nothing more than a simple handcart, yet filled with ambition and artisanal dedication, the dedicated confectioner regularly made his way to Hohenwerfen Fortress – an early testament to the reputation his products already enjoyed at that time.
The confectionery in Salzburg’s Old Town
True to the company philosophy “Chocolate to Enjoy”, Josef Holzermayr opened the eponymous Confiserie on Mozartplatz in Salzburg’s Old Town. From here, Holzermayr made it his mission to make his products accessible to a wide audience. From then on, Holzermayr was primarily occupied with the production and sale of his sweet specialties – lovingly handcrafted and according to his own recipe. Until 1920, the main house in Werfen served as the bakery for the sweet creations. The most popular products at that time included gingerbread, chocolates, candied fruits, finest bonbons, the Salzburg Mozartkugel, jams, and dessert pastries. A second pillar was the traditional confectionery wholesale business: From Salzburg, they supplied confectioneries, pastry chefs, gingerbread makers, and specialty confiserie shops with selected imported goods – above all, high-quality chocolate for further processing.
The Genuine Mozartkugel – a Salzburg Invention by Confectioner Rudolf Baumann
In 1919, Rudolf Holzermayr moved his business from the Getreidegasse to its present location on Alter Markt 7, then called Ludwig Viktorplatz – directly opposite the traditional Café Tomaselli. There he took over the confiserie shop of the retired Louise Karuth, including the Salzburg specialty Mozartkugel from the bakery of Rudolf Baumann, who had already transferred his business in 1888 to Louise Karuth and confectioner Carl Joseph Fischer. The Mozartkugel is an invention of the Salzburg confectioner Rudolf Baumann, son-in-law of the Tomaselli dynasty. The historical context suggests that the praline was probably a tribute to the Mozart family, who regularly visited Café Tomaselli – the café with which Baumann had family ties. Under the direction of Rudolf Holzermayr, the genuine Mozartkugel was permanently added to the product range and continued to be produced in proven quality by confectioner Karl Joseph Fischer.
A Classic with Attitude – According to the Original Recipe from 1880
Today, the Genuine Salzburg Mozartkugel stands for a balanced, classic taste experience at the highest level of confectionery art – and thus clearly distinguishes itself from comparable products. In its production, the use of palm oil is deliberately avoided – out of conviction and with the commitment to use only the best ingredients. Also, alcohol is not used in the recipe to enable an intercultural and cross-generational enjoyment.
Strong Women in Difficult Times
Maria Holzermayr, the owner’s daughter, remains particularly memorable, as she dedicatedly and self-sacrificingly managed the business in the difficult years of the First World War and in the crisis years from 1927 to 1933. For more than 60 years, she devoted herself to the continued existence of the company and, after the Second World War, made a decisive contribution through her good relations with the US armed forces to ensuring that both the supply of the population and the company itself functioned smoothly.
Expansion and Transfer
From 1950, Elisabeth Holzermayr took over the business on the Alter Markt and expanded it to include a confectionery wholesale business in the Kaigasse 10. Together with her son Felix Holzermayr, she henceforth supplied specialty shops, confectioneries, and retailers in the city and state of Salzburg, Pinzgau, and Salzkammergut – primarily with the flagship product of the house: the Genuine Salzburg Mozartkugel.
The Sixth Generation
Today, the company is run by the family in the sixth generation. After Elisabeth Rossmann (née Holzermayr), her daughter Gabriele Truschner-Rossmann took over the management. In the meantime, her son Alexander Truschner is also active in a management position and continues the more than 160-year-old confectionery tradition with great care.
