Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
this mighty 900-year-old clifftop fortress, one of the biggest and best preserved in Europe.
It's easy to spend half a day up here, roaming the ramparts for far-reaching views over the
Altstadt's spires and squares to the Salzach River and wooded mountains beyond. The
fortress is a steep 15-minute jaunt from the centre or a speedy ride in the glass
Festungs-
bahn funicular
(Festungsgasse 4)
.
The fortress began life as a humble bailey, built in 1077 by Gebhard von Helffenstein at
a time when the Holy Roman Empire was at loggerheads with the papacy. The present
structure, however, owes its grandeur to spendthrift Leonard von Keutschach, prince-arch-
bishop of Salzburg from 1495 to 1519 and the city's last feudal ruler. Highlights of a visit
include the
Golden Hall
where lavish banquets were once held, with a gold-studded ceil-
ing imitating a starry night sky. Your ticket also gets you into the
Marionette Museum
,
where skeleton-in-a-box Archbishop Wolf Dietrich steals the (puppet) show, as well as the
Fortress Museum
showcasing a 1612 model of Salzburg, medieval instruments, armour
and some pretty gruesome torture instruments.
The Golden Hall is the backdrop for year-round
Festungskonzerte
(Fortress Concerts),
which often focus on Mozart's works. See
www.mozartfestival.at
for times and prices.
Salzburg Museum
(
www.salzburgmuseum.at
;
Mozartplatz 1; adult/concession/family €7/6/14; 9am-5pm
Tue-Sun, to 8pm Thu)
Housed in the baroque Neue Residenz palace, this flagship museum
takes you on a fascinating romp through Salzburg's past. A visit starts beneath the court-
yard in the strikingly illuminated
Kunsthalle
, presenting rotating exhibitions of art, such
as one spotlighting Hohe Tauern landscape paintings. On the 1st floor,
Ars Sacra
zooms
in on medieval art treasures, from altarpieces and embroidery to monstrances, chalices,
Latin manuscripts and a Romanesque crucifix.
Upstairs, prince-archbishops glower down from the walls at
Mythos Salzburg
, which
celebrates the city as a source of artistic and poetic inspiration. Showstoppers include Carl
Spitzweg's renowned
Sonntagsspaziergang
(Sunday Stroll; 1841) painting, the portrait-
lined prince-archbishop's room and the Ständesaal (Sovereign Chamber), an opulent vis-
ion of polychrome stucco curling around frescoes depicting the History of Rome accord-
ing to Titus Livius. The early 16th-century
Milleflori
tapestry, Archbishop Wolf Dietrich's
gold-embroidered pontifical shoe and Flemish tapestries are among other attention-grab-
bers.
Salzburg's famous 35-bell
glockenspiel
, which chimes daily at 7am, 11am and 6pm, is
on the western flank of the Neue Residenz. You can ascend the tower on a behind-the-
scenes
tour
. Tickets are sold at the Panorama Museum.
MUSEUM
