Sightseeing in Salzburg

Salzburg unfolds along both banks of the Salzach River – the old town, or altstadt, on the left bank to the west; the new town, or neustadt, on the right bank to the east. (What’s confusing about all this, however, is that the center of town lies along an east-west running bend of the Salzach – so that the old town is actually on the southern bank of the river.) Better landmarks, perhaps, are the center’s two hills: the cliff-like Mönchsberg stretches to the west, running the length of old town and providing an elevated plot for the Höhensalzburg Fortress on its southern end; and, across the river to the east swells the Kapuzinerberg, a prominent hill topped off with the Kupuzinkloster monastery.

A good place to begin your tour of Salzburg is the old town, where the action revolves around the cathedral and its surrounding squares, which lie 120 meters below the cliff-top Festung Höhensalzburg. Picturesque, medieval alleys wind between the altstadt’s palaces and squares; the most famous of these, the Getreidegasse shopping street, runs roughly parallel to the river from Alter Markt to St. Blasius church. To the north, bridges across the Salzach River lead to the neustadt on the northern edge of the Kapuzinerberg hill. Schloss Mirabell and its expansive gardens spread out near the riverbank, and Rainerstrasse leads farther north to the main train station.

Dominating the city from the southern end of the Mönchberg, the Höhensalzburg Fortress, or festung, should rank at the top of any visitor’s must-see list. The site first saw construction in 11th century, and that original castle underwent 600 years of reconstruction and expansion thereafter. The complex I tour today dates from 17th century, when local archbishops lost interest and began building palaces in the town below instead. Approach the imposing fortress from the trails atop the Mönchberg, from the steep Festungasse alley leading up from the altstadt, or via the Festungsbahn funicular, which depart from near the cathedral’s Kapitelplatz. (The train runs on electricity now, but an ingenious operation employing pumps, water-weight, and gravity did the trick when it first opened in 1892.) Funicular ride with fortress entrance costs i6.

At the foot of the Höhensalzburg Fortress, a cluster of churches, squares, and palaces give the altstadt its distinctive skyline. Of greatest interest here are the enormous Dom cathedral, a 17th-century monument built after the site’s original church finally succumbed to its eighth catastrophic fire. The squares surrounding the church are venues for many town festivals, markets, and performances; and the Glockenspiel here atop the New Residence sounds its 35 bells three times each day: at 7 am, 11 am, and 6 pm. Nearby, St. Peter’s Cemetery must rank among the world’s most beautiful – and haunting, as I witnessed one Halloween night, with candles flickering and an enormous full moon behind the fortress. Its cliff-side catacombs are open Tuesday through Sunday in summer, Wednesday through Sunday in winter; i1.

Winding through the center’s alleys, visitors are bound to discover the Getreidegasse, a charming market street decked out with those gilt wrought-iron shop signs that figure prominently in any tourist guide. Fashion, food, and souvenirs – it’s all here. Midway down this shopping street, at Getreidegasse 9, stands Mozart’s Geburtshaus, or birthplace. The yellow house is recognizable for its tourist throngs, all awaiting their turns to visit the museum inside; open 9 am-5 pm, till 6 pmin July and August, €5.50. Across the river, the Linzergasse makes an interesting shopping excursion – it’s less expensive than the Getreidegasse, too. Just north sits Schloss Mirabell, built in 1606 by the Archbishop Wolf Dietrich for Salome Alt and their children. Today, the palace serves government offices, but the garden and its Mozarteum and Marionettentheater are open to the public.

Several attractions draw tourists outside of the center. Most popular are day-trips out to Schloss Hellbrunn, a Renaissance palace famed for its aquatic gardens, which feature trick fountains, or wasserspiele. The fountains were installed by the humor-loving Markus Sittikus, a 17th-century archbishop who’d jovially startle his guests with water fun. (The picnic table’s bench-mounted jets must have brought forth particular surprise.)

West of the city, the Salzburg Freilicht Museum, or outdoor museum, displays 60 original farm building, some of them 500 years old. Farmyards, handicraft demonstrations, and a great playground entertain.

Farther north, Oberndorf’s Silent Night Chapel – in German, the Stille Nacht Kapelle – and its museum pay homage to the site where the international Christmas carol of the same name was penned in 1818. Particularly popular for its Advent festivities, Oberndorf sits on the border of Germany, in a hilly region approximately 30 minutes from Salzburg.