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.

Mozart Wohnhaus (Mozart's Residence)

Of course no visitor to Salzburg can miss the home of the Mozart between 1773 and 1787. Tours include commentary and musical excerpts from handheld devices activated by infrared signals. The house also contains musical instruments, including Mozart’s clavichord, sheet music and other memorabilia of the musical genius. One can rest a little afterward with some coffee at the Mozart Café on the sidewalk.

Old Town

A tour of the baroque old town is a fine way to acquaint oneself with the city. The area is filled with plazas, courtyards, fountains, churches and open-air markets. In Domplatz , the huge Dom or Cathedral was the first Italian baroque-style building constructed north of the Alps. Check out the font where baby Mozart was baptized. Salzburg Cathedral is flanked by two squares, the Residenzplatz, a good place to see open-air concerts during the summer, and the Kapitelplatz, also used for concerts and theatre performances.

The nearby Residenz, the New Residenz, the Fransiscan-Church and the collegiate church of Saint Ruprecht are only a stone's throw away from each other. The fountain in the middle of the Residenzplatz tries to be Italian with a Triton as the centerpiece. Across from the Residenz is the New Residenz with the famous Glockenspiel that plays a changing tune three times a day.

The Residenz was the residence of Salzburg's spiritual and worldly rulers and where Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart once played the piano. It was used by the princes for entertainment purposes for centuries, was built by Prince Archbishop Wolf Dietrich von Raitenau in the 16th century. Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart played for the prince regularly in the State Rooms of the Residenz. His violin concerto, K. 219 in A Minor, for example, was first performed in the Conference Room on December 20, 1775. Today, Salzburg Residenz is one of the most significant buildings in Salzburg's historic city center. Of the more than 180 rooms and halls, the 15 State Rooms on the second floor are used by the state government on formal occasions and can be rented for all kinds of elegant events. The Residenz Gallery, an art collection in the royal tradition, is also located on the 2nd floor.

In the western part of the Old Town, lays the 'Kollegienkirche' (a church), the house in which Mozart was born, and the two famous festival halls or Festspielhäuser. The Getreidegasse, which is one of the most expensive streets in Salzburg, is also situated here, with the Church of St. Blasius at to be found on its west end. Mozart’s birthplace, like the Mozart Wohnhaus, is a museum to the great composer.

Schloss Mirabell

This palace in Mirabellgarten was built in 1606 by the Prince-Archbishop Wolf Dietrich for his mistress Salome Alt, who supposedly bore him 15 children. In her honor he named it Altenau palace. However his successor, Markus Sittikus von Hohenems, renamed the palace Mirabell six years later. Baroque architect Johann Lukas von Hildebrandt remodeled the palace in 1727 but it was the film director Robert Wise who fully realized its potential when he featured its attractive gardens, resplendent with statuary, flowers and fountains, in his 1964 film The Sound of Music. The square in front of the palace is best known for its market, the so-called 'Schranne'. Farmers from all over the province meet here once a week to sell their high quality produces.

Visiting Salzburg

Salzburg Airport handles international flights from most European cities as well as other destinations inside Austria. Besides that, the trains, which are well kept and efficient inside Austria, are to be preferred to busses, which are mainly used to get to out of the way places. The Salzburg Card, sold in most hotels and tourist offices, is a great deal as it provides free admittance to many of the city’s museums and sites as well as the efficient bus system.