Beethoven's Height

[baddog]

I am working on a project and I need to know Beethoven's height. Does anyone have that information?

thanks

[Peter]

He was rather short and stocky, around 5'2" I think.

------------------
'Man know thyself'

[Andrea]

According to Schindler he was short, about 1.68 meters (approx. 5 feet 5 inches). The report of the exhumation of 1863 shows that Schindler's guess wasn't that far off.

[Joy]

Acording to the Beethoven Encyclopedia "he was 5'4", had a rather short and stocky body with broad shoulders. By the time he moved to Vienna he had become more slender." Wasn't that an average height for those days?

Joy

[PDG]

Yes, Joy, I've also always assumed 5'4". Thus making him precisely the same height as Mr Mozart.

[Peter]

Originally posted by Joy:
Acording to the Beethoven Encyclopedia "he was 5'4", had a rather short and stocky body with broad shoulders. By the time he moved to Vienna he had become more slender." Wasn't that an average height for those days?

Joy

I'm not sure that it was average - Beethoven seems to have been regarded as short even by the standards of the day. I'm no expert on this, but I remember asking about it on a visit to Nelson's ship 'Victory' - they weren't as short as the floor heights suggest - I believe Hardy (obviously an exception) was over 6' which must have meant a lot of backache or headaches!

------------------
'Man know thyself'

[Joy]

Originally posted by Peter:
I'm not sure that it was average - Beethoven seems to have been regarded as short even by the standards of the day. I'm no expert on this, but I remember asking about it on a visit to Nelson's ship 'Victory' - they weren't as short as the floor heights suggest - I believe Hardy (obviously an exception) was over 6' which must have meant a lot of backache or headaches!

I know what you mean. When I visit historical houses of old the doorways are always lower than usual suggesting everyone was much shorter than they are today. On a trip to Mount Vernon I noticed that about the doorways and President George Washington (who lived there) was over 6'. An exception too I'm sure.

Joy