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 family’s eldest son, Josef Holzermayr, worked as a gingerbread maker and confectioner at that time. Shortly thereafter, with great craftsmanship, he took over the traditional gingerbread house in Werfen, where he first produced and sold his hand-crafted sweet specialties. His diligence and passion for the confectionery trade soon made Josef Holzermayr known beyond the region: With his confectionery delicacies, he was represented at church 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 committed 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 Salzburg Mozartkugel, jams, and dessert pastries. His wife Elisabeth Holzermayr and his sister Maria Holzermayr diligently 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 – above all, high-quality chocolate for further processing. 

The Authentic Mozartkugel – a Salzburg specialty from 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 Salzburg specialty Mozartkugel from the bakery of Rudolf Baumann, who had already passed his business on to 1888 his long-standing and proven employees had handed over. The Salzburg Mozartkugel is a creation of Salzburg confectioner Rudolf Baumann, son-in-law of the Tomaselli dynasty. The historical context suggests that the chocolate 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 with his wife Elisabeth and sister Maria, the genuine Salzburg Mozartkugel was permanently added to the product range. 

A classic with attitude – following the tradition of 1880

Today, the Authentic 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 the production, the use of palm oil is deliberately avoided – out of conviction and with the aim of using 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 sister, is particularly remembered for her dedicated and self-sacrificing management of the business during the difficult years of World War I and the crisis years from 1927 to 1933. For over 60 years, she dedicated herself to the company’s survival and, after World War II, 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 Alter Markt 7 in the widow’s business and the wholesale confectionery business in Kaigasse 10. In 1967, Felix Holzermayr re-established the independent wholesale business for confectionery and delicacies in Kaigasse 10. His son Felix Holzermayr now supplied specialist shops, confectioneries and retailers in the city and province of Salzburg, in Pinzgau and in the Salzkammergut – above all with the company’s flagship product: the specialty of the Authentic 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. Meanwhile, her son Alexander Truschner is also active in a leading position and continues the more than 160-year-old confectionery tradition with great care.