With an incredibly beautiful Old Town setting against the backdrop of the majestic Alps, Salzburg is a perfect stage for any show. By a twist of fate, the legendary composer Mozart was also born in this heartland of Europe and thus making Salzburg a city of music and theatrical performance.
Salzburg has been inhabited through the last two millennials. The city on the bank of Salzach River has witnessed the rise and fall of many regimes, including the Romans, the Habsburgs, Napoleon and the Third Reich. Today, it is Austria’s fourth-largest city and the capital city of the federal state Salzburg. The name Salzburg (literally: Salt Castle or City of Salt) derives from the barges carrying salt on the Salzach river, which were subject to a toll in the 8th century. The city spans on both side of the river, with Hohensalzburg Fortress and the Old Town on the western bank, facing the 19th-century New Town on the eastern bank.
1. Hohensalzburg Fortress
Stepping into the Old Town, the first thing you will notice is Festung Hohensalzburg – a formidable cliff-top fortress overlooking the city. The fortress was erected in 1077 for the Prince-Archbishop Gebhard of Salzburg and further expanded in the following centuries by his successors. Today, it is the largest intact medieval fortress in Central Europe and the emblem of this ancient city.
At an altitude of 542 m, the fortress offers a sweeping view of the Old Town along with the surrounding mountain. Inside, history lovers set out on a journey into the past by visiting the fortress museums and opulent chambers once frequented by the wealthy-arch bishops.
Practical Information
- Hohensalzburg Fortress can be reached either by funicular or by foot. However, it is worth buying the all-inclusive ticket (15.70€) which includes the funicular, the entrance to the fortress and all related exhibitions.
2. Old Town & Mirabell Palace
Among very few survivors of the Second World War, Salzburg is perhaps the best-preserved cities in Central Europe. As a result of the swift occupation, the city and much of its Baroque architecture miraculously escaped the devastation. Since 1997, the historic centre has been put under protection as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Strongly influenced by the Italian culture, Salzburg’s Old Town is dominated by churches, courtyards, and palaces in Baroque style. The most prominent attraction is, without a doubt, the Salzburger Dom (Salzburg Cathedral) with its graceful spires and imposing facade. The Old Town is also the birthplace of the genial composer Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, and you can find his home on Getreidegasse – Salzburg’s most attractive shopping street.
Across the river, the beautiful Mirabell Palace with its splendid Marble Hall is equally worth visiting. Its name actually comes from Italy, a compilation of two words: Mirabile (admirable) and Bella (beautiful). The palace was built at the beginning of the 17th century by the master Baroque builder Lukas von Hildebrandt for Salome Alt – the beloved concubine of the Prince-Archbishop Wolf Dietrich von Reiternau. The Prince-Archbishop wanted to be as close as possible to his family so he built a palace that is directly opposite to his office in the Hohensalzburg Fortress. Outside, you will find yourself meandering pleasantly in a masterpiece of garden art – the Mirabell Garden. The garden was completely redesigned under Archbishop Johann Ernst von Thun in 1690. However, the underlying geometric form, which is typical for the Baroque, is still visible.
Practical Information
- Salzburg’s centre is relatively small and can be explored by foot. Between Old Town and New Town, there is an intensive network of buses and trams. Most of them pass by or stop around Mirabellplatz (just outside the Mirabell Palace).
3. Salzburger Norckel
Although the Mozartskugel (Mozart Ball) – a small, round sugar confection made of pistachio marzipan, and nougat, covered with dark chocolate – is Salzburg’s typical sweet treat, it is not the only cuisine speciality in the region. Salzburg is also known for its Salzburger Norckel – a sweet soufflé made of egg yolk, flour, and vanilla. They are always freshly prepared and served with sugar powder or raspberry sauce and its form represented three hills surrounding the city centre.
Practical Information
A good address to try this speciality is Hotel Elefant. As its name implies, elephants are omnipresent in this boutique hotel. The soufflé requires a minimum waiting time of 25 minutes and a portion is enough to satisfy two or three persons.
Salzburg – Sân Khấu trên dòng Salzach
Gần như không bị chiến tranh tàn phá, Salzburg – thành phố nằm bên bờ sông Salzach, miền Tây nước Áo – thực sự đẹp như một bức tranh. Với một khu phố cổ đậm phong cách Baroque tựa mình vào dải An-pơ hùng vĩ, Salzburg ắt hẳn dễ dàng trở thành một sân khấu cho bất kì vở kịch nào. Từ năm 1997, thành phố lớn thứ 4 của Áo này đã được công nhận là Di Sản Văn Hóa Thế Giới. Thành phố được chia cách bởi sông Salzach, với pháo đài Hohensalzburg và khu phố cổ Altstadt nằm ở bờ Tây, và thànhphố mới Neustadt nằm ở bờ Đông.
1. Pháo đài Hohensalzburg
Tôi không thể nào quên được cảm giác choáng ngợp khi lần đầu tiên ngước nhìn pháo đài Hohensalzburg. Nằm trên ngọn núi Festungsberg ở độ cao 542m, pháo đài được xây dựng vào khoảng gần cuối thế kỉ 11 cho Tổng Giám Mục Gebhard của Salzburg. Pháo đài tiếp tục được cơi nới và mở rộng trong những thế kỉ tiếp theo yêu cầu của các Tổng Giám Mục kế nhiệm. Ngày nay, Hohensalzburg là một trong những pháo đài lớn nhất và được bảo tồn tốt nhất ở châu Âu. Nó đã trở thành một địa điểm du lịch nổi tiếng và là biểu tượng của thành phố Salzburg.
Một số thông tin cần biết:
- Bạn có thể đi bộ hoặc đi cáp treo lên pháo đài Hohensalzburg. Nếu bạn mua vé all-inclusive (15.70€) thì sẽ bao gồm cả vé cáp treo lẫn vé tham quan lâu đài.
2. Khu phố cổ và cung điện Mirabell
Bên dưới của pháo đài Hohensalzburg là khu phố cổ Alstadt. Chịu ảnh hưởng của nền văn hóa Ý, phần lớn kiến trúc trong khu vực này đều mang đậm phong cách Baroque với những phù điêu trạm trổ tinh xảo. Nổi bật nhất có lẽ là thánh đường Salzburg được xây vào khoảng thế kỉ 17 dưới thời kì của Tổng Giám Mục Wolf Dietrich von Raiternau.
Khu phố cổ này cũng là nơi sinh ra và lớn lên của nhà soạn nhạc tài ba Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. Bạn có thể tìm thấy nhà cũ của ông (nay là viện bảo tàng) trên Getreidegasse – phố đi bộ sầm uất nhất Salzburg.
Bên bờ Đông, cung điện và khu vườn Mirabell cũng là một điểm đến không nên bỏ qua. Cũng được xây dựng vào thế kỉ 17, công trình này là một tuyệt tác của kiến trúc sư Lukas von Hilderbrandt. Nó được xây theo yêu cầu của Tổng Giám Mục bấy giờ là Wolf Dietrich von Raiternau cho Salome Alt – người vợ yêu quí của ông. Vì lúc nào cũng muốn được nhìn thấy Salome Alt, ông đã cho xây dựng cung điện và vườn Mirabell đối diện với văn phòng của mình trên pháo đài Hohensalzburg.
Một số thông tin cần biết
- Khu phố cổ khá nhỏ và bạn có thể đi bộ để khám phá. Giữa khu phố cổ và thành phố mới, bạn có thể đi bus hoặc tram. Phần lớn bus và tram đều đi ngang qua Mirabellplatz (trước cửa cung điện Mirabell)
3. Salzburger Norckel
Mặc dù loại kẹo Mozartkugel – chocolate bọc hạnh nhân và hạt dẻ là một đặc sản của Salzburg, nó không phải là món tráng miệng duy nhất ở thành phố này. Salzburg còn nổi tiếng về loại bánh Salzburger Norckel – bánh soufflé được làm từ lòng trắng trứng, vanilla và bột. Bánh mang hình dáng ba quả đồi, tượng trưng cho 3 ngọn núi bao bọc Salzburg và thường được phục vụ lúc nóng, ăn kèm với đường rây và sốt quả mâm xôi.
Một số thông tin cần biết
Một địa điểm để thử món này là Hotel Elefant nằm trong khu phố cổ. Bánh này cần ít nhất 25 phút để làm và một phần ăn có thể đủ cho 2 đến 3 người.
Oh how I dream of visiting Sazburg. I doubt if i ever will though so THANK YOU for the mini tour and fabulous photos.
My pleasure! I am glad that you like it 🙂
Intriguing details. well written. outstanding photography.
Many thanks!
The afternoon (or morning?) sun light over Hohensalzburg Fortress is really breathtaking! It makes the fortress gleaming over the Salzach River. It’s really heartening to know that the Salzburg’s Old Town survived the World War II, as many places across Europe were not as lucky. Yet another fascinating post with beautiful pictures of old palaces and castles, as well as a delicious image of the norckel! — which I’m now really intrigued with.
Thanks a lot, Bama! The photo was made at dawn, after a heavy rainy day. I seriously thought that I couldn’t make any photo of Salzburg because a storm was directly over the city. But at the end, I had some sunny moments (briefly though) 🙂
Yes Salzburg was a fantastic trip for us. And the Hellbrunn palace too!
We enjoyed potato dumpling too!
I missed the Hellbrunn! 🙁 It was raining so we could not do much outdoor activities. Only had some sunny moments on the last day. Europe does not have summer this year (at least in Northern Germany) 🙁
Oh. Well now you need to go back!
Wow that elephant soufflé looked a bit scary… is it dessert or elephant meat?
Here’s how bad my memory has become, I was there probably about a week ago and now I don’t even remember the places in your post… 😂 Excellent post though, thanks for triggering my memory!
It is a soufflé but one portion is massive enough to feed a baby elephant 😉 I regretted ordering one portion for myself. I almost could not breath after eating it 🙂 Greedy is NEVER good!
Hehe, greed is forgivable when you are on holidays.
Going soon to Salzburg with my family!!! Very interesting to see all this before my trip 😉
Have a lovely time there! 🙂 If you have time, I suggest hiking the Mönchsberg for a better view of the city. I could not make it because it was raining 🙁
Mirabell Palace looks stunning! Thanks for the mini tour. The streets remind me of Prague and Wroclaw in Poland. Mozartskugel sounds delicious!
You welcome! If you like pistachio and marzipan, the Morzartskugel is just right for you 🙂 You can likely find this sweet everywhere in Austria, but only the Café Fürst in Salzburg sell the original one.
Another lovely post! This town is so beautiful. I haven’t been here yet, but it’s very appealing now:)
Julia
It is really beautiful and not far from Munich. In fact, you can go from Munich to Salzburg by a State Ticket (in this case the Bavaria Ticket) 🙂
Impressive!
I wish to travel to Salzburg, one day…
Thank you! 🙂
You brought wonderful memories Len. I loved loved loved Salzburg – so picuresque, quaint and refined at the same time!
Great photogaphs of Salzburg Len 🙂 I have been there twice and played with the huge chess set on the square, although the huge gold ball wasn’t there! 🙂
Thank you, Sonia! I think they set it up just a few years a go. It matches quite good with the surrounding Baroque buildings though 🙂
Beautiful shots and article! Keep up the good work!
Great collection of shot! Looks like a great trip!
Salzburg is such a pretty city. I visited few years ago and would love to explore it again.
It sounds like a peaceful time in Salzburg, Len – and also your way around Europe. Incredible to see the fortress in 1077 is still standing strong and it does look quite formidable, and a good reminder of history and how far the place has come. Didn’t know Old Town was influenced by Italian culture and that is so interesting to know. Mozart is one of the iconic composers in history – and also interesting to know his home is alongside a now-busy shopping strip. Iconic person, iconic location perhaps. I think I would like the Mozartskugel. Never heard of the Salzburger Norckel but it does sound like a sweet treat.
It’s not only a sweet treat but a meal in itself! What you see in my photo is just one portion. I’m glad that it came at the end of the dinner. Or else I couldn’t eat anything at all. The Mozartskugel is a better choice if you don’t want to have sugar-rush 😛 Thanks for visiting, Mabel!
Great photos of Salzburg!! Love the golden hour one, with the castle lit
We have the same taste 😉 That picture is my favourite as well.