On our way to Munich, after Hallstatt, we made another short stop in Salzburg. We immersed ourselves in the picturesque Austrian city for about two hours.
We made this a pleasant walk through the historic streets. We admired the masterpieces of baroque architecture, took a look around Mozart’s birthplace, and enjoyed the view from the castle hill.
Although our time was limited, this two-hour walk and lunch were enough to give us an unforgettable taste of Salzburg’s charm.
The city’s history actually began with white gold, or salt. The Celts and Romans had already mined it here, but the real boom began in 696 AD, when St. Rupert founded the Abbey of St. Peter. For centuries, Salzburg was an independent ecclesiastical state ruled by prince-archbishops with vast wealth. They were not only religious leaders, but also tough politicians and patrons of the arts.
What is so impressive about the city today – the vast squares, the cathedral and the Baroque palaces – is largely due to the archbishops of the 16th and 17th centuries. They invited Italian architects who wanted to bring the Roman style to the foothills of the Alps. As we looked up at Hohensalzburg Castle, towering above the city, I remembered that this was one of the largest and best-preserved fortresses in Central Europe, and that it had never been captured by enemy armies.
Of course, the name Salzburg is now inseparable from Mozart. The genius was born here in 1756, and although his relationship with the city and the archbishop of the time was not cloudless, today every street corner tells the story of him. Later, during the Napoleonic Wars, the city lost its independence, and in 1816 it finally became part of Austria, after which its political weight decreased, but its cultural importance only grew even greater.
Today, Salzburg is one of the most important cultural centers in the world, especially thanks to the Salzburg Festival, which began in 1920. It was nice to see how this more than a thousand-year-old past blends into modern Austrian everyday life. Salzburg is not just a set for the film The Sound of Music, but a place where wealth made from salt and a love for music have left their mark on every stone.
