Capital of the province of Salzburgerland, nestling at the edge of the Eastern Alps, this city is a real gem. A principality for six centuries and ruled by the Prince Archbishops of the Catholic Church, Salzburg became part of Austria in 1815. Much of what we see today in Salzburg is down to those Prince Archbishops, who wanted to create an Italian style city with wide open squares, Palaces and above all churches and a huge Cathedral. They wanted to create a “Rome of the North”
The Fortress
Built in 1077 and situated on the Moenchberg Mountain above the city, this huge fortress is like a town within a town. A funicular runs up there every few minutes and the entrance to the Fortress is included on the same ticket. It is also possible to walk up. In summer after 7pm, it is much cheaper to take the funicular.
Cathedral
The Prince Archbishop Wolf Dietrich von Raitenau really wanted to build a Cathedral that would rival St Peters in Rome. He didn’t complete the Cathedral – infact it took 3 Archbishops to complete it. The Cathedral was bombed in the Second World War and rebuilt. See the photos inside the cathedral.
Mozart’s Birthplace
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart was born in 1756 on Getreidegasse, Slazburg. His birthplace is now a museum and on the pedestrianised shopping street in the old town. Worth a visit.
Mozart Museum
Across the river in the house where the Mozart family lived. I found it more interesting than Mozart’s Birthplace, especially with the Audiovisula which guides you through the rooms and plays the music of Mozart at the same time.
Hellbrunn Palace and the Trick Fountains
Former summer residence of the Prince Archbishop. The highlight here is defintiely the tour of the water gardens. Entrance to the Palace is on the same ticket. The grounds of the palace are beautiful and the gazebo from the Sound of Music is here too.
Travel Guides