Since the release of the heart-warming blockbuster musical, The Sound of Music in 1965, the city of Salzburg in Austria has been indelibly linked to the story of the von Trapp family and their daring escape from occupied Austria before WWII, and rightly so. However, after tracking down all the popular sites from the movie around the city, and even sneaking a peek of the original Trapp family villa, the beautiful city of Salzburg offers an almost endless treasure trove of activities for music lovers and history buffs alike. When considering a tour in the heart of Europe, it is essential to pay Salzburg a visit!
The city straddling the Salzach was added as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1996 and is widely known as the “Rome of the North” due to its strong catholic heritage and many church spires built throughout the centuries. Founded in 696 on the site of the Benedictine monastery of St. Peters and becoming the Seat of the Archbishop in 798, Salzburg is now the 4th largest city in Austria and serves as capital of the state which bears the same name. Salzburg translates to “salt fortress”, which aptly describes the economic heritage and geographic dominance of the city in this area.
Salzburg owes much of its historic wealth and power to the salt trade, a commodity widely used as a preserving agent for food before the days of refrigeration. The salt was mined from the nearby hills and shipped down the Salzach past the city of Salzburg, continuing on to the Inn and Danube Rivers. High prices for the “white gold” and taxes along the route enabled cities and tradesmen to expand their wealth and power. Today, most visitors to Salzburg are fascinated by the metallic green appearance of the Salzach river, which is due to the high mineral content of the water.
Towering above the emerald green ribbon of the Salzach and impossible to miss approaching the city from the south or west is the imposing and formidable medieval fortress of Hohensalzburg, a hallmark of the city and one which offers absolutely stunning photo opportunities from the opposite side of the river. Begun in 1077 as a protective and representative fortress by the archbishops of Salzburg, and built or expanded upon over a period spanning 500 years, Hohensalzburg is now a major tourist attraction and ranks as one of the best preserved and largest medieval fortresses in Europe. The location atop the Festungsberg or “fortress mountain” offers a commanding view of the city below as well as the surrounding countryside and can be visited by taking a steep walk up the hill or riding the funicular railway to the inner courtyard.
For those adventurers who walk up the steep path for a fortress visit, a delightful surprise awaits tucked around the side of the hill along the way. The Abbey of Nonnenberg, where a young novice named Maria was studying to enter the catholic order, but who eventually married Georg von Trapp in the Abbey church instead, is a gem of romanesque and baroque architecture. The Abbey is the oldest continuously running convent in the German-speaking world and the church is open to visitors for a quiet and respectful stroll inside where one can imagine centuries of reverent steps moving softly over the flagstones. Although the wedding scene in The Sound of Music was filmed elsewhere, the Abbey made an exception to serve as the wedding chapel for Maria and George von Trapp for their marriage in 1927.
Descending the path to the city once again, other scenes from the movie are easily discovered nearby such as the horse bath fountain; the Residenzplatz square with the fabulously carved residence fountain; the catacombs and cemetery of St. Peter’s backed up against the rock walls of the Mönchberg; and the famed “Felsenreitschule” or Rock Riding School, scene of the Trapp family singing contest during the Salzburg Music Festival. The steep rock walls, which actually originated as the result of a stone quarry in the mountainside for construction of the cathedral, have served as a dramatic backdrop for performances since 1926. Although the von Trapps did not escape Austria in conjunction with a performance at the festival, Salzburg has a long tradition of music composition and appreciation, as evidenced by the establishment of the Salzburg Music Festival in 1920 and thanks in part to the birth of its native son Amadeus Wolfgang Mozart in 1756.
In the Getreidegasse, the narrow medieval street which embodies the heart of Salzburg old town just several steps away, the birth house of Mozart can be visited. Tours are offered of the third floor apartment where the Mozarts made their home and the crowds paying him homage in the street outside never seem to diminish. Mozart is honored by a statue erected in 1842 on the Mozartplatz and the Mozartkugel, the “Mozart Ball”, a very popular chocolate with marzipan truffle, is sold by numerous shops around the square. Mozart’s widow Constanze founded the first Mozarteum in appreciation of his genius and music composition shortly after his death, an institution which has continued and developed into a large-scale musical conservatory today; the University Mozarteum Salzburg, housed just beyond the front gates of Mirabelle Gardens. From these gates on the north side of the city and across the Salzach river, one has an absolutely stunning view back over the baroque spires of the skyline to the Hohensalzburg fortress beyond.
Salzburg is a city with a fascinating past and vibrant culture that is an absolute must see for all travel lovers to central Europe, young and old!
Olde Ipswich Tours offers luxury travel to Germany and Austria on our upcoming tour to Bavaria, Germany and Salzburg, Austria in September 2023 along with visiting several other sensational cities in Southern Germany such as Rothenburg, Regensburg, and Nuremberg.
To learn more about our upcoming luxury tour that travels to Germany and Austria, click here
This post was written by: Elizabeth Jones
Travel Sales & Marketing Assistant at Olde Ipswich Tours