Salzburg, Austria – A city of culture and music
Austria - Salzburg Fortress
The central Austrian city of Salzburg holds a particular spot in the mind of the general public, most who have heard of it, know of the place from the famous movie “The Sound of Music” while others will know it for being the birth place of Mozart.
The city however offers much more with its straddling of the Salzach river, wonderful background of hills covered in beech trees, as well as the pedestrianized cobbled streets that lead to medieval stone houses and marble palaces in various styles, being just a few of the major things that create the atmosphere of this interesting city.
The city gets its name from the salt trade which also provided it with a great deal of wealth, however the grandeur that can be seen all around comes from the Archbishop Wolf Dietrich von Riatenau who arrived here in 1586 with the vision of creating a Baroque city north of the Alps that would rival Rome‘s splendor. This being the major reason why the overall look of the place is so Italian influenced.
The Archbishop’s dream didn’t come to fruition completely, however what he did manage to build is still very impressive.
The city became truly famous after the birth of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart back in 1756 and nowadays the great composer’s name is attached to pretty much everything. The city has a very well-known relationship with music though, despite its 150,000 population, Salzburg stages over 4,200 concerts a year. These concerts range from summer festivals for symphonic music to jazz festivals, the inhabitants of Salzburg are lovers of all types of music.
The entire city is deeply submerged in culture, of all kinds, with thought-provoking public art installations dotting the city and of course one has to mention the Museum der Moderne which hosts edgy art exhibitions as well.
Going to the airport will not only serve to get you out of the city but you can also visit Hangar 7 which is where Dietrich Mateschitz’s – who is the owner of Red Bull – collection of fast cars and aeroplanes can be seen; this is also where you’ll find the Ikarus Restaurant, a Michelin-starred establishment that he also owns.
This has been a look at just a few characteristics that Salzburg has to offer, rest assured that the place is much more complex and will surely interest a large majority of travelers.
