Haydn’s Heads

Famous composer Joseph Haydn from Austria passed away in Vienna in 1809. Given his stature and the support of the Royal House of Esterházy, he unquestionably deserved a sumptuous funeral. However, due to the fact that Austria was at war with France at the time, Haydn was promptly and quietly laid to rest.

Around ten years later, Prince Nikolaus Esterházy II was reminded that Haydn was still buried there, and the wealthy monarch had him dug up and moved to his family seat. Nevertheless, when he did, he saw that Haydn's head was gone.

This is what transpired. Haydn's head was sent to two fans of the composer shortly after his burial so they might use it for phrenology, the disproved quackery that used measurements of the bumps on the skull to forecast certain qualities. They retained the head as a trophy once they were finished. It was also displayed for anybody who came to visit, making it simple for the prince to identify the thief. They complied with his request to return the skull, sort of. They did bring back "a" skull, which was interred next to Haydn's ashes in a tomb.

Although people are unsure of whose skull it was, the cunning pair retained onto Haydn's for their own use. The skull was passed down from generation to generation over the years until it was acquired by the Esterházy family in the early 20th century. After 150 years of being separated, they finally organized a ceremony to join the body and the head. Haydn's grave now has two heads since they decided to leave the other skull there rather than just toss it out because they were unsure of its owner.