1893-1896 Hotel Zum Hollengebirge (Composing cottage)

Year 1893. Autumn: A local architect, Jose Losch from Schorfling, was asked by Gustav Mahler to build a simple brick house overlooking the water on the extensive meadow between Gasthof Zum Hollengebirge and the lake. To ensure that Mahler could work completely undisturbed. Cost: 395 florins and 94 kreuzers.
Year 1894. June. ‘The Music Pavilon’ was ready. Gustav Mahler moved in.
Year 1894. Mahler realised here his idea for the final movement of Symphony No. 2 and placed the coping stone on the work.
Year 1895. Here Mahler wrote much of Symphony no. 3, the work representing a response to the surrounding Attersee and Hollengebirge.
Year 1896. Visit by Bruno Walter (1876-1962) who arrived by steamer.
Year 1896. New tenants took over Gasthof Zum Hollengebirge and it proved impossible for Mahler to reach an agreement with them.

Inventory cottage:

The baby grand piano from Gasthof Zum Hollengebirge (placed the year before on loan by a local piano manufacturer).
Table.
Few chairs.
Simple stove that could provide heating if the weather was cold.

The time Mahler spent here had proved to be exceptionally productive, demonstrating once and for all that he could work like this in the future: Cut off from family and friends for whole periods of time.

Daily schedule Gustav Mahler:

Get up at 6 am.
Go for a swim in the lake.
Making his way to the cottage, where breakfast was already laid out for him.
As soon as he had finished eating he would set to work.
At around midday he would be called for lunch.
After which he had a brief rest.
Afternoon walking in the mountains.
Evening meal was taken relatively early.
Followed by a ‘convivial get-together’ involving reading, conversation and piano playing.
Participants would retire for the night at a comparatively early hour.

The cottage was later used as laundry, slaughterhouse and restroom and is restored in its original form in 1984.

Composing cottage Steinbach am Attersee.