Smithsonian Institution The William Steinway Diary: 1861-1896
Steinway & Sons Records and Family Papers, Archives Center, National Museum of American History
Holiday excursions
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Holiday excursions.
Trip to Copenhagen (Denmark) and Sweden
From June 28 to July 6 William took a nine-day holiday excursion to Copenhagen (Denmark) and Sweden with his wife Ellie and his wife's sister Martha Ranft. William was noncommittal about Copenhagen, just noting they toured various places in the city including "the world renowned Tivoli," and that the ladies went shopping. He did observe that there was little to be seen in the piano line, but then he carefully noted and named three piano manufacturers in the area.(Diary, 1888-06-29) William was more impressed by Stockholm ("that most beautiful city") and by an excursion across Swedish lakes, rivers, and countryside that he variously described as beautiful, picturesque, and "dangerous and interesting."(Diary, 1888-07-04, 07-05) At one point he commented wryly about overnight accommodations on a steamer when he shared a cabin with a gentleman while his wife and sister-in-law were in another cabin.(Diary, 1888-07-03) With an eye toward business matters, William visited a Steinway agent in Stockholm, Mrs. Nana Hoffmann, and showed "her and her son some piano making points."(Diary, 1888-07-02)
Trip to Munich and Hohenschwangau
Immediately after completing his medical treatments at the health spas, William arranged a special holiday trip to Munich(Diary, 1888-08-11 to 08-16) for just himself and his wife Ellie to enjoy six days of pleasure and sightseeing, ending with a celebration of their 8th wedding anniversary on August 16. They attended various entertainments -- an exhibition of painting, a trade show, and an opera -- took cruises on Starnberger Lake and Chiemsee, and viewed castles and lovely scenery in Hohenschwangau which William described as "indescribably grand and beautiful."(Diary, 1888-08-16) Unfortunately, this was also the time when emotional stress emerged between William and his wife Ellie.
A family trip to Coblenz, the Rhine Valley and Cassel
From August 22 through August 28, William and his wife and boys enjoyed an eight day family holiday. Coblenz, situated at the confluence of the Rhine and Moselle (or Mosel) Rivers, served as a base for daily excursions. The family spent two days on river excursions and another two days on carriage and rail trips. Their first Rhine steamer excursion was a six hour trip upriver through a particularly notable segment of the Rhine Valley to the town of Rudesheim where they enjoyed a ride up to a scenic overview by cog-railway and a visit to some wine cellars and then returned home by rail.(Diary, 1888-08-23) This section of the Rhine, called the Upper Middle Rhine Valley, was designated a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 2002 because of its natural beauty, castles, historic towns, and vineyards.(1) On another day, a three hour boat ride down the Rhine to Konigswinter led to another cog-railway ride, up Drachenfels mountain, which provided a "magnificant view up and down the Rhine."(Diary, 1888-08-25) A day sightseeing in Coblenz by carriage included views of the Moselle River, a drive across the old Moselle bridge (built in the 14th century), and was highlighted by a trip to the historic Ehrenbreitstein fortress high above the Rhine, which gave a great view of Coblenz and the Deutsches Eck, the point where the Rhine and Moselle met.(Diary, 1888-08-24)
From Coblenz, the Steinway family traveled six hours by rail to Cassel. There they "at once take carriage and view Wilhelmshohe and Hercules."(Diary, 1888-08-27) These were places William and his wife had visited six years earlier.(Diary, 1882-09-08) Wilhelmshohe, a mountainside landscape park also known as "Bergpark Wilhelmshohe," was begun in 1689 and was further developed during the next 200 years. It had various monumental structures of water displays in a designed landscape and was towered over by a massive statue of Hercules set on top of an octagon building. The park was designated a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 2013 and is described as "a testimony to the wealth and power of the 18th and 19th century European ruling class."(2)
Short sightseeing trips
Occasionally, William Steinway took time to do a little sightseeing on his own. These excursions did not usually take more than a day, sometimes only a few hours.
While in London, William took a short trip to Oxford and noted in his diary a detailed description of his very full day which included attending "divine service" something William rarely did. He wrote: "Today with 9 am train to Oxford, 53 miles distant. ... take lunch with John Farmer’s family drive all over Oxford and examine 4 or 5 out of the 26 Colleges at Oxford, attend divine service and take supper with the dons and master of Balliol College, and attend Concert in evening, where a Steinway Grand is used. Miss Mary P. Farmer sings quite nicely."(Diary, 1888-05-27) It is also true that William wanted to meet with some people, including John Farmer, about arranging a concert.
On his way from London to Germany, William stopped in Amsterdam for a day and spent a good part of an afternoon as a tourist. Upon arrival at his hotel he writes "take a guide Van Gelder visit Kettner and drive around with him, the city is simply beautiful and marvelously clean and prosperous, the Jewish quarter is specially interesting."(Diary, 1888-06-08)
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Sources:
1. UNESCO World Heritage Website: whc.unesco.org/en/list/1066.
2. UNESCO World Heritage Website: whc.unesco.org/en/list/1413.
