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Interesting Facts
- Salzburg is for tourists! As the home of a preserved old town, beautiful gardens, baroque churches and Europe's largest intact medieval castle, it's no wonder that eight million tourists visit Salzburg each year!
- Salzburg is the fourth largest city in Austria and home to 150,000 people. One of its most famous citizens was Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. The famous composer is buried in Salzburg's St. Sebastian's Cemetery.
- An Austrian city with an Italian flair? The Prince-Archbishop who ruled from 1587-1612, Wolf Dietrich, was raised in Rome and had illustrious Renaissance ambitions for Salzburg. It was only too convenient that immediately after a fire destroyed much of the old town, Dietrich began building the "Rome of the North."
- The Salzburg Cathedral was built in the 17th century and claims to be the first baroque building north of the Alps. The dates on the iron gate refer to significant dates in the church's history. A statue of Mary, built in 1771, stands outside of the church in the square. At first glance, it looks as though Mary is looking away from the church. However, anyone standing under the middle arch in the back of the square will see that Mary is positioned to be crowned by the two angels on the church's façade.
- You can't lie around here for long without pulling your load. The graves in St. Peter's Cemetery are cared for by the relatives of those buried here. Anyone buried in the cemetery for more than thirty years without living kin gets dug up. This place might even look familiar – it was in this cemetery that the von Trapp family hid out in the movie, "The Sound of Music."
- The Hills are Alive! Despite the fact that the Austrians just don't understand what all the fuss is about, the Sound of Music tour is one worth taking – especially if you're a fan of the movie. Stops along the way include a peek at the beautiful von Trapp home, gazebo and wedding church.
- Salzburg is always busy during the year with 2,000 classical performances being held in its palaces and churches. Each summer, however, is the grand event: the famous Salzburger Festspiele was founded in 1920 as a way to employ Vienna's musicians for the summer!
- The Christmas carol, Silent Night, Holy Night, was first performed at the St. Nikolaus Church in the village of Oberndorf, just down the Salzach River from Salzburg. The carol and artifacts pertaining to the carol are the main attractions of the local history museum in Oberndorf.
- The Hohensalzburg Fortress, built in 1077, is the largest fully preserved fortress in central Europe. In the seventeenth and sixteenth centuries, the archbishops used the fortress as a place of refuge while Salzburg was involved in the Hungarian and Peasant's Wars. Throughout its long history, the fortress has always remained unconquered by enemy troops. Today, the fortress is open to the public year round.
- Since the Middle Ages, the quantity of salt to be mined and its market price were set by the Archbishop of Salzburg. Without the salt from Durrnberg, the developed culture and luxury of Salzburg would have been inconceivable.
