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AUSTRIA | Salzburg, Austria Travel Guide
Tuesday, May 14, 2024
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A Brief History of Salzburg
A Brief History of Salzburg
Although in ancient times Celtic and Roman settlers inhabited the valley, Salzburg’s modern history begins with the Bishop St. Rupert, a crusading Franconian who in the late seventh century founded the Abbey of St. Peter, today the oldest Benedictine cloister north of Italy. By the eighth century, Salzburg was promoted to an archbishopric, and its political and economic rise was underway, eventually affording the archbishops the title of Princes of the Holy Roman Empire. By mining and selling salt from the Salzkammergut, and through their expansive realm, the prince-archbishops amassed the wealth reflected in the grand architecture that marks the altstadt today.
The height of Salzburg’s development came in the 16th and 17th centuries, when Archbishop Wolf Dietrich von Raitenau employed his power, his Medici connections, and his Renaissance passion for all things Italian to set in motion a century-long building spree that transformed Salzburg into an oddly Italianate city, complete with grand cathedrals, palace courtyards, and large squares. The city became part of Austria in 1816, and today it is the seat of government for the Austrian province that shares its name.
Last updated February 29, 2012
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