Everything about Salzburg Austria totally explained
is the
fourth-largest city in
Austria and the
capital of the
federal state of
Salzburg. Salzburg's "Old Town" with its world famous
baroque architecture is one of the best-preserved city centres in the
German-speaking world, and was listed as a
UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1997. The city is noted for its
Alpine setting. It is the birthplace of
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and the setting for parts of the musical and film
The Sound of Music, which features famous landmarks in Austria, but focuses mainly on Salzburg. Salzburg is also a student city, with three universities.
Geography
Salzburg is on the banks of the
Salzach river, at the northern boundary of the
Alps. The mountains to Salzburg's south contrast with the rolling plains to the north. The closest alpine peak – the 1972 m
Untersberg – is only a few kilometres from the city centre. The
Altstadt, or "old town", is dominated by its baroque towers and churches and the massive
Festung Hohensalzburg. This area is surrounded by two smaller mountains, the
Mönchsberg and
Kapuzinerberg as the green lung of the city. Salzburg is approximately 150 km east of
Munich,
Germany, and 300 km west of
Vienna.
Population development
| Year |
Population |
| 1900 |
48,945 |
| 1951 |
102,927 |
| 1961 |
108,114 |
| 1971 |
129,919 |
| 1981 |
139,426 |
| 1991 |
143,978 |
| 2001 |
142,662 |
| 2007 |
150,269 |
Source: Statistik Austria
(External Link
), City of Salzburg Website
(External Link)
History
Ancient times and Middle Ages
Traces of human settlements have been found in the area, dating to the
Neolithic Age. The first settlements at Salzburg were apparently begun by the Celts. Around 15 BC the separate settlements were merged into one city by the
Romans. At this time the city was called Juvavum and was awarded the status of a Roman
municipium in 45
AD.
Juvavum developed into an important town of the Roman province of
Noricum. Juvavum declined sharply after the collapse of the Norican frontier, such that by the late 7th century it had become a "near ruin".
The Life of
Saint Rupert credits the saint with the city's rebirth. When
Theodo of Bavaria asked Rupert to become bishop c. 700, Rupert reconnoitered the river for the site of his basilica. Rupert chose Juvavum, ordained priests, and annexed the manor Piding. Rupert named the city "Salzburg", and then left to evangelize among the pagans.
The name Salzburg literally means "Salt Castle", and derives its name from the barges carrying salt on the Salzach river, which were subject to a toll in the 8th century, as was customary for many communities and cities on European rivers.
The
Festung Hohensalzburg, the city's
fortress, was built in 1077 and expanded during the following centuries.
Independence from
Bavaria was secured in the late 14th century.
Expulsion of the Protestants
On
October 31 1731, the 214th anniversary of
Martin Luther's nailing of his
95 Theses to the
Wittenberg School door,
Roman Catholic Archbishop Count Leopold Anton von Firmian signed his Edict of Expulsion (not to be confused with many similar
edicts of expulsion issued against the
Jews in various cities in
Europe), the
Emigrationspatent, declaring that all
Protestants recant their non-Catholic beliefs or be banished.
Archbishop von Swires declared that it was to be read publicly
November 11 1731, the 248th anniversary of Luther's
baptism. Believing that his edict would drive away a few hundred troublesome infidels in the hills around the town, Firmian was surprised when 21,475 citizens professed on a public list their Protestant beliefs.
Landowners were given two days to sell their lands and leave. Cattle, sheep, furniture and land all had to be dumped on the market, and the Salzburgers received little money from the well-to-do Catholic allies of Von Firmian. Von Firmian himself confiscated much of their land for his own family, and ordered all Protestant books and
Bibles
burned. Many children aged 12 and under were seized to be raised as Roman Catholics. Yet those who owned land benefited from one key advantage: the three-month deadline delayed their departure until after the worst of winter.
Non-owner farmers, tradesmen, laborers and miners were given only eight days to sell what they could and leave. The first refugees marched north in desperately cold temperatures and snow storms, seeking shelter in the few cities of Germany controlled by Protestant princes, while their children walked or rode on wooden wagons loaded with baggage.
As they went, the exiles' savings were quickly drained as they were set upon by
highwaymen, who seized taxes, tolls and payment for protection by soldiers from robbers.
The story of their plight spread quickly as their columns marched north.
Goethe wrote the poem
Hermann and Dorothea about the Salzburg exiles' march. Protestants and even some Catholics were horrified at the cruelty of their expulsion in winter, and the courage they'd shown by not renouncing their faith. Slowly at first, they came upon towns that welcomed them and offered them aid. But there was no place where so many refugees could settle.
Finally, in
1732 Lutheran King
Frederick William I of Prussia accepted 12,000 Salzburger Protestant emigrants, who settled in areas of
East Prussia that had been devastated by the
plague twenty years before. Their new homelands were located in what today is northeastern
Poland, the
Kaliningrad Oblast, and
Lithuania. Other smaller groups made their way to the
Banat region of modern
Romania, to what is now
Slovakia, to areas near
Berlin and
Hannover in Germany, and to the
Netherlands. Another small group made its way to
Debrecen (
Hungary).
On
March 12 1734, a small group of about sixty exiles from Salzburg who had traveled to
London arrived in the British American colony of
Georgia seeking religious freedom. Later in that year, they were joined by a second group, and, by 1741, a total of approximately 150 of the Salzburg exiles had founded the town of
Ebenezer on the
Savannah River.
In 1772-1803, under archbishop
Hieronymus Graf von Colloredo, Salzburg was a centre of late
Illuminism. In 1803, the archbishopric was secularized by Emperor
Napoleon and handed over to
Ferdinand III of Tuscany, former
Grand Duke of Tuscany, and, two years later it was annexed to
Austria together with
Berchtesgaden. However, in 1809 it was transferred to the Confederation of the Rhine after Austria's defeat at
Wagram. At the Congress of Vienna in 1815, it was definitively returned to Austria, but without Berchtesgaden, which passed to Bavaria. In 1850 Salzburg became an independent territory of the Austrian crown.
20th century
In 1921, in an unofficial poll, 99% of citizens voted for annexation to Germany. On
March 13 1938, during the
Anschluss,
German troops occupied Salzburg; political opponents and
Jewish citizens were subsequently arrested, and the synagogue was destroyed. Several
POW camps for prisoners from the
Soviet Union and other nations were organized in the area.
During
World War II, the KZ Salzburg-Maxglan
concentration camp was located here. It was a Roma camp and provided
slave labour to local industry.
Allied bombing destroyed 7,600 houses and killed 550 inhabitants. Although the town's bridges and the dome of the
cathedral were demolished, much of its Baroque architecture remained intact. As a result, it's one of the few remaining examples of a town of its style.
American troops entered Salzburg on
May 5 1945.
In the city of Salzburg there were several
DP Camps following World War II. Among these were
Riedenburg,
Camp Herzl (Franz-Josefs-Kaserne),
Camp Mülln,
Bet Bialik,
Bet Trumpeldor, and
New Palestine. Salzburg was the centre of the American-occupied area in Austria.
21st century
As of 2006, Salzburg's
Jewish community consists of little more than 100 people. The synagogue at Lasserstraße 8 is still the religious centre.
On
January 27,
2006, the 250th anniversary of the birth of
Wolfgang Mozart, all 35 churches of Salzburg rang their bells a little after 8PM (local time) to celebrate the occasion.
Major celebrations took place throughout the year.
Main sights
Salzburg is a
tourist favourite, with the number of tourists outnumbering locals by a large margin in peak times. In addition to Mozart's birthplace noted above, other notable places include:
Old Town
- The whole Old Town of Salzburg was nominated as a World Heritage Site in 1996.
- The baroque architecture including the many churches are world famous.
- The Salzburg Cathedral
- The fortress Hohensalzburg on a hill dominating the old town is one of the largest castles in Europe, with views over Salzburg.
- The Franziskanerchurch
- The St.Peter cemetery
- The Nonnberg Abbey a Benedictine monastery
- The "Residenz" Palace (the magnificent former Prince-Archbishop's residence)
- Mozart's Birthplace
- Mozart's Residence
- The University Church
- The Siegmundstor (or Neutor)
- The Getreidegasse
Outside the Inner Old Town
Palace of Mirabell with its wide gardens full of flowers
The palace of Leopoldskron is a rococo palace and a national historic monument in Leopoldskron-Moos, a southern district of the city of Salzburg.
Hellbrunn with its parks and castles
Tour companies operate tours of locations used in the film The Sound of Music.
Within the greater Salzburg area
Anif Castle
The Basilika Maria Plain on the Calvary Hill, a late Baroque church, on the northern edge of Salzburg.
Salzburger Freilichtmuseum Großgmain, an open-air museum containing old farmhouses/farm buildings from all over the state assembled in historic setting.
The Schloss Klessheim Palace (today a Casino) was formerly used by Adolf Hitler
The Berghof, Hitler's mountain retreat of which only the Eagle's Nest remains, was in nearby Berchtesgaden
The Salzkammergut is an area of lakes in the Salzburg state, east of the city and further on into the provinces of Upper Austria and Styria.
The Untersberg mountain is next to the city, straddling the German-Austrian border, and on a clear day provides panoramic views of the city and the Alps.
Skiing is a key attraction during winter. Salzburg itself has no skiing facilities, but it acts as a gateway to skiing areas to the south. During the winter months its airport receives a large number of charter flights from around Europe.
Notable citizens
The composer Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart was born and raised in Salzburg, for whose archbishops he worked from 1769 to 1781. His house of birth and residence are tourist attractions. His family is buried in a small church graveyard in the old town, and there are many monuments to "Wolferl" in the city.
Christian Doppler, an expert on acoustic theory, was born in Salzburg. He is most known for his discovery of the Doppler effect.
Josef Mohr was born in Salzburg. Together with Franz Gruber, he composed and wrote the text for "Silent Night". As a priest in neighbouring Oberndorf he performed the song for the first time in 1818.
Noted writer Stefan Zweig lived in Salzburg for about 15 years, until 1934.
Maria Von Trapp (later Maria Trapp) and her family lived in Salzburg until they fled to America following the Nazi takeover.
Salzburg is the birthplace of Hans Makart, a 19th-century Austrian painter-decorator and national celebrity. Makartplatz (Makart Square) is named in his honour.
Writer Thomas Bernhard was raised in Salzburg and spent part of his life there.
Herbert von Karajan was a notable musician and conductor. He was born in Salzburg and died in 1989 in neighbouring Anif.
Anthropologist Udo Ludwig was born here.
Roland Ratzenberger, Formula One driver, was born in Salzburg. He died in the 1994 San Marino Grand Prix.
Joseph Leutgeb, French horn virtuoso
Klaus Ager, the distinguished contemporary composer and Mozarteum professor, was born in Salzburg on 10 May 1946.
Events
The Salzburg Festival is a famous music festival that attracts visitors during the months of July and August each year. A smaller Salzburg Easter Festival is held around Easter each year.
The Europrix multimedia award takes place in Salzburg.
Transportation
The city is serviced by comprehensive rail connections, with frequent east-west trains servicing Vienna, Munich, Innsbruck, and Zürich, including daily high-speed ICE services. The city also acts as a hub for south-bound trains through the Alps into Italy.
Salzburg Airport has scheduled flights to European cities such as Frankfurt, Vienna, London, Amsterdam and Zürich, as well as Dublin and Charleroi. In addition to these, there's an even greater number of charter flights.
In the main city there's a trolleybus and bus system with more than 20 lines, and service every 10 minutes. Salzburg also has an S-Bahn system with four Lines (S1, S2, S3, S11), trains depart from the main station every 30 minutes. Suburb line number S1 reaches the world famous Silent Night chapel in Oberndorf in about 25 minutes.
Popular culture
In the 1960s, the movie The Sound of Music was filmed in Salzburg and the state of Salzburg. The movie was based on the true story of Maria von Trapp, a Salzburg-based nun who took up with an aristocratic family and fled German occupation. Although the film isn't particularly popular among Austrians, the town draws many visitors who wish to visit the filming locations, alone or on tours.
Salzburg is the setting for the Austrian crime series Stockinger.
Sports
The former SV Austria Salzburg reached the UEFA Cup final in 1994. On April 6, 2005 Red Bull bought the club and changed the name into FC Red Bull Salzburg. The clubs future plans are to be among the 10 best Europe football clubs. The home Stadium of Red Bull Salzburg is the Wals Siezenheim Stadium in a suburb in the agglomeration of Salzburg, will be one of the venues for the 2008 European Football Championship.
Salzburg was a candidate city for 2010 Olympic Winter Games. It was a favourite in its 2010 bid, but lost to Vancouver, Canada. On January 24 2005, Salzburg was once again selected by the Austrian Olympic Committee as their applicant city for the 2014 Winter Olympics. It was selected as a candidate city by the IOC on June 22 2006 along with Sochi, Russia and PyeongChang, South Korea but was eliminated in the first round of voting on July 4 2007 in Guatemala City, Guatemala. Sochi was selected as host city of the 2014 Olympic Winter Games. Salzburg is expected to try through at least the 2022 Games in order to win a bid.
Reims, France, since 1964
Atlanta, Georgia, USA, since 1967
Verona, Italy, since 1973
Dresden, Germany, since 1991
Kawasaki, Japan, since 1992
Merano, Italy, since 2000
Shanghai, China, since 2004
Bern, Switzerland, since 2006
São João da Madeira,Portugal, since 2007
Gallery
Image: Untersberg (16).JPG|The Salzburg basin
Image: Salzburg (34).JPG|Salzburg seen on takeoff from Salzburg Airport
Image: Salzburg (16).JPG|The fortress (background), Salzburg Cathedral (middle), River Salzach (foreground)
Image:The_fortress_at_day.JPG| A sunny day on the fortress
Image: Salzburg (4).JPG|Festung Hohensalzburg (background), Kapitel Square with the "Pferdeschwemme", (foreground)
Image:Feb20532.JPG|ÖBB rail connection to Salzburg in Innsbruck
Image:Untersberg_Feb20522.jpg|Untersberg mountain
Image:Feb20516.JPG|Mozart Monument
Image:salzburg.fountain.500pix.jpg|Fountain in the Residenzplatz
Image:P1060482.JPG|Mirabell Gardens.
Image:mozart.birth.500pix.jpg|Mozart's birthplace
Image:SalzburgerAltstadt02.JPG|View of the old town and fortress, seen from Kapuzinerberg
Further Information
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