Salzburg gets its name from the main industry it was built on, the mining of salt. It literally means Fortress of Salt. It began as a Celtic settlement and then later a Roman trading post called Juvavum. In the late 8th Century, St. Rupert started a bishopric in the town. It was subsequently raised to an archbishopric with authority over all of Bavaria. By the 13th Century, the Archbishops of Salzburg were named Princes of the Holy Roman Empire. In the late 16th and early 17th Centuries, the town was virtually rebuilt in the baroque style we see today. Salzburg managed to stay neutral during both the Thirty Years War of 1618 to 1648 and the War of the Austrian Succession a century later. Salzburg was conquered by Napoleon in the early 19th Century and then subsequently fell under the rule of Bavaria. In 1814, Austria took control. The town suffered heavily from bombing in World War II and many old buildings had to be restored after the war. It is now a tourist Mecca, mainly because it is the birth place of one Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, one of the greatest composers of all time.

Festung Hohensalzburg

The Hohensalzburg Fortress was built by Prince Gebhard I of Helffenstein in 1077 and has been expanded by his successors ever since. The Fortress' Romanesque walls surround the Great Hall, the living quarters still comprising the main part of the "Hoher Stock" or castle keep. Numerous secondary buildings and a private chapel are part of the fortifications. The funicular fare includes entry to the castle grounds from where one can enjoy the view, but it is worth paying an extra fee for the complete tour of the interior. Be sure to make your way around gruesome torture chambers, the lookout tower and impressive State Rooms, as well as two small museums, the Marionette Museum and the Rainer Regiment Museum. Below the castle on the eastern side, you can see the 1300 year-old Benedictine convent, Stift Nonnberg, the oldest convent in German-speaking lands. The real Maria, of The Sound of Music fame, was a teacher in the convent school. She was married to Captain von Trapp in its ancient church. A good way to top off a visit is to the fortress restaurant. Reservations are required for either a royal dining experience or a medieval feast.