Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
AROUND SALZBURG
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Hellbrunn
A prince-archbishop with a wicked sense of humour, Markus Sittikus built
Schloss Hellbrunn
(
www.hellbrunn.at
; Fürstenweg 37; adult/child/family €10.50/5/25; 9am-5.30pm, to 9pm Jul & Aug; )
in the
early 17th century as a summer palace and an escape from his functions at the Residenz.
The Italianate villa became a beloved retreat for rulers of state who flocked here to eat,
drink and make merry. It was a Garden of Eden to all who beheld its exotic fauna, citrus
trees and
Wasserspiele
(trick fountains) - designed to sober up the clergy without dampen-
ing their spirits. Domenico Gisberti, poet to the court of Munich, once gushed: 'I see the
epitome of Venice in these waters, Rome reduced to a brief outline.'
While the whimsical palace interior - especially the oriental-style Chinese Room and
frescoed Festsaal - is worth a peek, the eccentric
Wasserspiele
are the big draw in summer.
Be prepared to get soaked in the mock Roman theatre, the shell-clad Neptune Grotto and
the twittering Bird Grotto. No statue here is quite as it seems, including the emblematic
Germaul mask with its tongue poking out (Sittikus' answer to his critics). The tour rounds
out at the 18th-century water-powered Mechanical Theatre, where 200 limewood figurines
depict life in a baroque city. Tours run every 30 minutes.
Studded with ponds, sculptures and leafy avenues, the palace
gardens
are free and open
until dusk year-round. Here you'll find the pavilion of 'Sixteen Going on Seventeen' fame
from
The Sound of Music
.
Hellbrunn is 4.5km south of Salzburg, a scenic 20-minute bike ride (mostly along the
Salzach River) or a 12-minute ride on bus 25 (€2.40, every 20 minutes) from Mozartsteg/
Rudolfskai in the Altstadt.
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Hallein & Around
06245 / POP 21,600 / ELEV 460M
