The genuine Salzburg Mozartkugel – Homage to Genius and Craftsmanship

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 eldest son of the family, Josef Holzermayr, was working as a gingerbread maker and confectioner at that time. 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 Purveyor to the Court and was henceforth chosen to supply Archduke Franz Ferdinand, Archduke Eugen, and 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’, Rudolf Holzermayr opened the confectionery of the same name 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 proven recipes. Until 1930, 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 Salzburger Mozartkugel, jams, and dessert pastries. With great diligence, his wife Elisabeth Holzermayr and his sister Maria Holzermayr managed the business. A second pillar was the traditional confectionery wholesale business: From Salzburg, confectioneries, pastry chefs, gingerbread makers, and specialty confectionery shops were supplied with selected imported goods – primarily high-quality chocolate for further processing.

The Salzburg Mozartkugel – an 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 confectionery shop of the retired Louise Karuth, including the Salzburger specialty Mozartkugel from the bakery of Rudolf Baumann, who had already transferred his business in 1888 to Louise Karuth with confectioner Julius Moll and 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 likely a tribute to the Mozart family, who regularly visited Café Tomaselli – the café with which Baumann had family ties. Under the management of Rudolf Holzermayr with his wife Elisabeth and sister Maria, the real Mozartkugel was permanently added to the product range and continued to be produced using the traditional layered recipe.

A classic with attitude – following the tradition of 1880

Today, the Genuine Salzburg Mozartkugel stands for a balanced, classic taste experience at the highest level of confectionery craftsmanship—clearly setting itself apart from comparable products. In its production, the use of palm oil is deliberately avoided—out of conviction and with the commitment to using only the finest 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 sister, is particularly remembered for her dedicated and self-sacrificing management of the business during the difficult years of the First World War and the crisis years from 1927 to 1933. For over 60 years, she dedicated herself to the company’s survival and, after the Second World War, significantly contributed through her good relations with the US armed forces to ensuring that both the supply of the population and the business itself functioned smoothly.

Expansion and Transfer

From 1950, Elisabeth Holzermayr took over the business at Alter Markt 7 as a widow’s continued operation and the confectionery wholesale business in Kaigasse 10. In 1967, Felix Holzermayr re-established the independent sweet and luxury food wholesale business in Kaigasse 10. Son Felix Holzermayr now supplied specialty shops, confectioneries, and retailers in the City and State of Salzburg, in Pinzgau, and in Salzkammergut – primarily with the flagship product of the house: the specialty Salzburger 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 car