Salzburg is one of the most beautiful cities in Europe and is famous for being the home of Mozart as well as providing the setting for the movie Sound of Music. One of the best ways to experience Salzburg is to take the Sound of Music tour. Baroque architecture provides a distinct identity to Salzburg. The city centre of Salzburg as well as the Mirabell Palace are two of the most popular places in Salzburg. In fact during the peak season, tourists in Salzburg outnumber the local residents many time over!
Salzburg Hotel
Der Salzburger Hof is just 3 blocks from the train station and bus terminal. Staff is friendly and the rooms are large. Contact number is +43 662 46970.
Meininger Hotel is a budget option near the city centre. The rooms are clean and the hotel is close to public transport and shopping area. contact number is +43 720 883414.
If you are looking for a charming place with a history, you can try The Gastehause which was originally a monastery. Located near the Old Salzburg and just 1 KM from the railway station the contact number would be +43 662 877 495 10.
Weather in Salzburg
For a weather forecast for Salzburg over the next 10 days visit Weather in Salzburg.
Sound of Music tour, Salzburg
Salzburg provided the location for many of the scenes of the blockbuster musical Sound of Music. There is a customised Sound of Music tour in Salzburg which covers The Von Trapp family home in Leopoldskron palace, Mirabell garden & Pegasus fountain where Mary and the kids sing the ever popular Doremi number. Two other interesting locations are the Nonnberg convent where Marie spends her early years as well as Hellbrun palace where many songs from the movie are shot. You can also see St Gilgen where the opening scene of the movie was shot.
Mozart and Salzburg
The most famous son of Salzburg was the legendary composer Mozart. His house was destroyed during World War II and after reconstruction has been converted into a museum today. For a entry fee of 10 euros you can see the biographies and experience the life the times of Mozart. The museum is open from 9am-530pm. Children can do an exciting activity called Study with Mozart. It is a guided tour for 66 euros which helps children learn about Mozart. English words are provided for all the objects from life of Mozart. It is an interactive tour where children can discuss Mozart with the tour guide. Registration for this tour can be doneby emailing [email protected]
City Square of Salzburg
Goldgasse is a famous narrow passageway in Salzburg that leads to the old market place. It used to be the market place for goldsmiths in the past. Most of he buildings have 5-6 floors and have a smooth facade. It is a great place for shopping for jewelry, traditional clothes, antiques, paintings and wine.
Alter Markt or the old marketplace dates back to the 13th century. It used to be the venue for the weekly market for diary, herbs, cabbage as well as for Whitsun dance, Sword dance by Durrenberg miners and annual dance of the barefoot bakers.
The smallest house of Salzburg is located in the old market place. Spread over a width of only 1.42 metres, it is located next to the famous Tomaselli coffee house.
Salzburg Cathedral
The Salzburg Cathedral is a magnificent peice of art in Baroque style. Built in the 17th century, the Salzburg Cathedral is dedicated to Saint Rupert and Saint Vergilius. The most dominating structure in the Cathedral square is the column of Immaculate Mary made of marble and cast iron. Allegorical figures of Angels, devil, wisdom and church surround the central figure. A plaque in the side of the cathedral notes that the reaction to the mystery of immaculate conception is delight from angels, vanishing human wisdom , growl from the devil and rejoice from the church! Statues of Saint Mathew, Mark, Luke and John occupy the main facade. One of the most precious objects inside the cathedral is the baptismal font which was used to baptize Mozart.
Salzburg Festival
Mozart week is celebrated in January around the birthday of Mozart. Mozart week features orchestra, opera, chamber music and solo. Mozart conductors like Nikolaus Haroncourt, Marc Minkowski and Andras Schiff are usually part of the festival. Some of the famous orchestras whuch pefomr here are the Viena Philaharmonic Orchestra, the Musicens du Louvre Grenoble and Mozarteum Orchestra Salzburg. The music along with snow covered Salzburg privides an eclectic experience for people who are lucky to visit Salzburg at this time.
Salzburg Easter festival was designed to extend the traditional Salzburg festival to July and August. The Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra has been a constant at the Salzburg Easter festival. Christian Thielemann makes his debut as artistic director of the Salzburg Easter festival in 2014. The 2015 edition will feature Italian and Russian works from Tchaikovsky and Shostakovich.
Salzburg festival tickets can be bought online from here.
Salzburg Fort
Hohensalzburg fortress was built in 1077 by Archbishop Gebhard. It is easily accessible today through a funicular railway. This fortress provided refuge for the archbishops i the 15th and 16th centuries during the Peasant war and Hungarian war. In fact the Salzburg fort never fell to any invading army over its long history. Intricate Gothic wood carvings and ornamental painting adorn the interiors of the Golden Hall and Golden Chamber. Music concerts are organised the fort these days by the International Summer Academy. The fort is open 930am-5pm and has a admission fee of 11.3 euros which includes the return journey by the funicular railway.
Salzburg university
The Salzburg University was founded by Prince Archbishop Paris Lodron in 1622 and today has 18000 students. Theology, law, humanities and natural science are the disciplines offered at the Salzburg university. The faculty of medicine was brought by Prince Ferdinand in after the Napoleonic wars which secularized Salzburg. Salzburg university has no campus. It is spread over multiple buildings like Residenz palace, Toskanatrakt and Kapitelgasse. Some of its famous alumini are Tobias Regner the German singer, Andreas Mislinger the Austrian historian, Erich Hacki the novelist and Erwin Krautler the Roman Catholic bishop.
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