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.