The origins of the Mozart Family
The ancestors of Wolfgang Amadé Mozart originate from the Bavarian region of Swabia, the area between the rivers Lech and Danube and the Allgäu region. In numerous documents from this region there are entries for the name Mozart with a number of different spellings such as “Motzhart”, “Mutzhart”, “Mutzert” or “Motzard”. All of these however, are connected with the term “Motz”, which means moor.
The earliest known holder of the name is Heinrich Motzhart from Fischach, who is mentioned on 7th December 1331 in the register of the nearby Cloister of Oberschoenenfeld. The oldest provable ancestor of Leopold and Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart is Andris Motzhart from Aretsried. The latter received an estate at Heimberg near Fischach on 13th February 1486 from the Abbot of Kaisheim.
From the 15th century onward, in more than 30 villages in the densely wooded areas around Fischach, to the south west of Augsburg, now known as “Mozart Corner”, 600 families bore this name. These Mozarts were farmers, watchmakers, artists & painters, printers of books, bookbinders, builders & masons and teachers.
Today the Augsburg telephone directory has seven entries under Mozart. The last direct relative, Caroline Jakobine Grau, maiden name Mozart, died in 1965.
In Heimberg there is a farmhouse which is the oldest property in existence which once belonged to the Mozart ancestors. There are other buildings in the “Mozart Corner” which remind us of this famous family, especially Hans Georg Mozart (1647-1719), Leopold’s great-uncle. This successful master mason of the baroque supervised the conversion work to the Parish Church of St. Adelgundis in Anhausen. The chancel (1708), the upper tower (1711) and probably also the nave were originally erected under his management. In addition, he provided the plans for the conversion work to the Parish Church of St. Blasius in the village of Hirblingen.