Mozartkugel
A Mozartkugel is a small, round sugar confection made of pistachio, marzipan, and nougat that is covered with dark chocolate. It was originally known as Salzburg specialty Mozartkugel, created in 1880 by Salzburg confectioner and named after local composer Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. Today, Baumann's successor company, Confectionery Josef Holzermayr, still produces the genuine Salzburg Mozartkugel at Alter Markt 7 in Salzburg - according to the layering principle developed in 1880: A delicate nougat core is encased in pistachio-almond marzipan and coated with dark chocolate. This method enabled Rudolf Baumann to ensure a natural shelf life of his specialty, developed for Salzburg tourism, for several months as early as 1880.
The launch of Baumann's major advertising campaign was marked by a large advertisement in the same daily newspaper on January 31, 1881, which answered the question of what kind of confectionery it was. In it, Baumann remarked on these "exquisite chocolate-bonbons," noting that they had enjoyed great popularity for many years, especially among tourists. He further emphasized their shelf life: "This specialty I created, in addition to its renowned quality, has the particular advantage of being able to be stored for months without losing any of its quality."
In contrast, the neighboring confectioner Paul Fürst only began advertising and reproducing Baumanns product as "Mozart-bonbons" in his advertisements from 1888 onwards, as an advertisement in the Salzburger Fremden-Zeitung illustrates.
In 1887 – even before Adolf von Wilbrandt praised Mozartkugeln in his 1892 novel "Hermann Ifinger" with the words: A good Salzburg specialty, these Mozartkugeln. - Newspapers reported on "such excellent 'Mozartkugeln', appreciated by young and old alike."das Neue Wiener Tagblatt.The Cologne newspaper, the Kölner Nachrichten, wrote after the 1891 Mozart Festival: "Mozartkugeln. They are a Salzburg specialty, and the secret of their composition is so closely guarded, black balls, sweet and savory, hard and melting quickly at the same time. The secret of the local confectioner will not be discovered anytime soon…"
Salzburger Mozartkugel
As Rudolf Baumann's specialty became increasingly popular from 1880 onwards, the Josef Holzermayr confectionery, which was founded as a confectionery business in 1865 and has existed as Baumann's successor company since 1919, still carries the world-famous Mozart specialty in its product range today – made according to the same original recipe as since 1880, the Mozartkugel is wrapped in silver foil and decorated with a blue Mozart head. However, he did not apply for a patent for his invention, and other Salzburg confectioners soon began selling similar products.Taking over the Fürst confectionery for almost a generation - the main building at Brodgasse 13 was lost
On March 13, 1934, Gustav Fürst filed for bankruptcy protection. The main location of the Fürst confectionery at Brodgasse 13 was lost and subsequently run by other confectioners for about a generation. On June 8, 1935, Hans Zinober, who had already worked in several confectioneries both in Austria and abroad, announced the takeover of the business: he had acquired the long-established and renowned Paul Fürst confectionery. Shortly thereafter, the Blieberger café-confectionery, with confectioner Josef Blieberger as the new owner, moved into the premises at Brodgasse 13. Josef Blieberger became known, among other things, for his own recipe and the production of Salzburg Mozartkugeln using the "Steckerl" method, which he introduced at his confectionery shop at Brodgasse 13 in Salzburg in 1955. His version of the Mozartkugel was distinguished by a unique composition of pistachio marzipan, nougat, and chocolate, which differed from other recipes and defined the artisanal character of his establishment. It was only in 1962 that a new generation, with Herbert Fürst, moved back into the so-called main building at Brodgasse 13 and took over the ongoing bakery of the confectioner Josef Blieberger, who soon afterwards emigrated to Canada.Recipe
A ball of marzipan combined with pistachio and covered in a layer of nougat is produced. This ball is then placed on a small wooden stick and coated in dark chocolate. The stick is then placed vertically, with the ball at the top, on a platform to allow the chocolate to cool off and harden. Finally, the stick is removed; the hole that it leaves behind is filled with chocolate coating, and the ball is wrapped in metal foil. The balls remain fresh for about eight weeks at room temperature.Since the opening of the new factory in Elsbethen in 2024, the now 3.8 million pieces of the “Original Salzburger Mozartkugeln” produced annually by the Fürst company according to its own recipe are semi-automated and machine-made on the assembly line. The recipe variant known today as the "Original Salzburg Mozartkugel," produced by the Fürst family according to their own recipe, likely originated only after the Second World War. Before the war years, Salzburg Mozartkugeln did not contain pistachios to enhance the marzipan. The layered structure of Rudolf Baumann's original version of the Salzburg Mozartkugel also differed from the current version, marketed as a fresh product by the Fürst family, for reasons of shelf life.
Name dispute
When imitation products began to appear, Fürst initiated a court process to attempt to secure a trademark. At first, the dispute concerned only confectionery producers in Salzburg, but later spread to include the competition from Germany. The result was an agreement that obliged Fürst's competitors to use other names. The Mirabell firm, based in Grödig near Salzburg, chose the name, "Real Salzburg Mozartkugeln". Bavarian producer Reber opted for "Real Reber Mozartkugeln". In 1996, a dispute between Fürst and a subsidiary of the Swiss food producer Nestlé, which wanted to market "Original Austria Mozartkugeln", was decided in the third instance. Only Fürst's products may be called "Original Salzburg Mozartkugeln".Dispute between Mirabell and Reber
At the end of the 1970s, another dispute arose between industrial confection producer Mirabell and its competitor Reber over the Mozartkugel trademark. A provisional agreement was reached in 1981 between representatives of the Austrian and German governments, whereby only Austrian producers were to be allowed to use the label Mozartkugeln. Reber protested against this agreement, and the EC-Commissioner in Brussels charged with deciding in the affair finally declared the agreement invalid. This is why Reber may legitimately and continuously use its "Genuine Reber Mozart-Kugeln" trademark, though with a hyphen in-between.Nonetheless, only Mirabell Mozartkugeln are allowed to be round. Other industrially produced Mozartkugeln must have one flat side. Besides Mirabell and Reber, Mozartkugeln manufacturers include Hofbauer, Vienna, and Manner, as well as Halloren in Germany.
Trivia
Paul Fürst maybe received a honorary diploma for his participation in Paris 1905 with his Mozart-bonbon - no one knows.In the winter of 2006, 80 oversized polyester Mozartkugeln, each with a diameter of, were placed in the old town of Salzburg. They had been designed by artists. On the night of 27 March, vandals removed one of these Mozartkugeln from the Franziskanergasse, where it had been bolted to the ground. They then rolled it onto the street, causing damages of.