The famous composer first saw the light of day in 1770 in the rather plain Beethoven Haus. It’s now the repository of a pretty static array of letters, musical scores, instruments and paintings. The highlights – his last grand piano, the huge ear trumpets he used to combat his growing deafness and a famous portrait – are all on the 2nd floor.

Tickets are also good for the Digitales Beethoven-Haus next door, where you can experience the composer’s genius during a spacey, interactive 3-D multimedia show or deepen your knowledge in the digital archive. You can contemplate his life in a near-hidden garden out back, and stroke your inner-Schroeder (of Peanuts fame) in the Beethoven-bust-filled gift shop.