Salzburg

Panoramic view of Salzburg. Photo by the author, 2004.

"All Salzburg is a stage.
Its beauty, its tradition, its history... its round of music...
all combine to lift you out of everyday life,
to make you forget that somewhere far off, life hides another,
drearier, harder, and more unpleasant reality."
-- Count Ferdinand Czernin, This Salzburg, 1937

Salzburg is a beautiful city and popular tourist destination in western Austria, lying on both sides of the Salzach River between two mountains (Kapuzinerberg and Mönchsberg), with views of more Alpine peaks in the distance.

Salzburg welcomes more than 8 million visitors a year, many of whom come to see the world-famous Salzburger Festspiele (Salzburg Festival) featuring performances of Mozart by some of the world's greatest musicians. Salzburg is overflowing with beautiful and historic buildings - including many important churches, profiled in this section - but many visitors to Salzburg also come to see the sites (and festival) associated with Mozart, who was born here in 1756, and the locations featured in the movie The Sound of Music, which was filmed here in 1964.

Salzburg was settled by the Romans, who called it Juvavum, and a monastery was established here around 700 AD, but the city as we know it today began with the powerful Prince-Archbishop Wolf Dietrich in the late 16th century. So powerful were the Archbishops of Salzburg at that time - and so splendid was their gleaming Baroque city - that Salzburg was dubbed the "German Rome." Formerly a part of the Holy Roman Empire, the Salzburg area became part of Austria after the Congress of Vienna in 1816.

City Guide & Trip Planning

Salzburg Map
Our interactive aerial map of Salzburg, plus more of the best online Salzburg maps.

Salzburg Tours & Excursions
Sightseeing tours in Salzburg - including Sound of Music tours - and day trips to nearby sights.

Salzburg Hotel Reviews
Unbiased reviews, ratings and price comparisons on hotels in Salzburg.

Salzburg Travel Forum
Travel advice and insider tips on Salzburg from fellow travelers.

Sacred Sites & Religious Places

	Cathedral (Dom) Hailed by some as the most perfect Renaissance building in the Germanic countries, Salzburg's cathedral has a marble facade and twin symmetrical towers. Inside is the font in which Mozart was baptized.
	Collegiate Church (Kollegienkirche) This is Fischer von Erlach's greatest and largest Salzburg church and one of the most celebrated Baroque churches in Austria. It was built between 1694 and 1707 for the local Benedictine university.
	Holy Trinity Church (Dreifaltigkeitskirche) Constructed in 1694 by the famous Baroque master builder Fischer von Erlach, Holy Trinity Church has a sweeping facade that is among the most excellent examples of the unexaggerated Baroque style.
	Franciscan Church (Franziskanerkirche) Built in the 13th century over an earlier church, this small edifice next to the cathedral is interesting for its venerable age and mixture of styles. The semicircular choir features elaborate vaults and nine chapels.
	Loreto Convent Church (Loreto Kirche) This small 17th-century church near Mirabell Gardens contains a sacred ivory statue of the Christ Child known for its miraculous healing powers.
	Nonnberg Convent ("Maria's Convent") Primarily famous as the convent of Maria, both in real life and in The Sound of Music, Nonnberg is also one of the oldest nunneries in the world and boasts 10th-century Romanesque frescoes.
	St. Michael's Church (Michaelskirche) This tiny pink church on the Residenzplatz is the oldest church in Salzburg, dating from around 800 AD or earlier.
	St. Peter's Church (Stiftkirche St. Peter) The most sumptuous church in Salzburg, the Abbey Church of St. Peter was founded in 696 AD by St. Rupert, whose tomb is here. Here Mozart's famed Mass in C Minor premiered in 1783.
	St. Peter's Cemetery and Catacombs Dating back to 1627, the old cemetery is a worthy attraction in itself and it's also where the Von Trapp family hid out in The Sound of Music. Above are interesting monastic catacombs carved in the cliff.