The heart of classical music in the 19th century was Europe, and the heart of Europe was Vienna, Austria, where innovative composers like Beethoven, Haydn and Mozart made their marks on culture. They were helped out tremendously by a newly-built concert hall commissioned by the Austrian Emperor Franz Joseph.

On this day, January 6h, in 1870, the Weiner Musikverein opened for its inaugural concert. The name, literally translated as Viennese Music Association, refers to not only the building, but the organization of musicians that now owns it.

Vienna remains one of the centers of classical music, and the Musikverein is widely renowned for its acoustics. On the first day of every new year, the Vienna Philarmonic plays from the Muskverein a New Year’s Concert broadcast to a worldwide audience of tens of millions.