Travel Guide to Salzburg, Austria

Before starting the narration about the sights of Salzburg, I should say that this city was totally rebuilt by the order the archbishop Wolf Dietrich. By nature he was a boastful and extravagant person, so he created there plenty of cloisters, parks, churches and the Salzburg Cathedral. Not only the archbishop, but also his progeny were very rich. Ultimately, all the salt mines of Salzburg belonged to them, more than that, all they were the owners of large farms. And the first place among them, surely, was Wolf Dietrich's. When the number of his children reached 12 and he ordered to build Palace of Mirabell for them, but the Pope decided that that's too much. So the last years of his life Wolf Dietrich spent in the prison of the Hohensalzburg. But I should say that without that generation of rich archbishops Salzburg wouldn't have the outlook, he has now.

The Salzburg Cathedral. As you already know, the Salzburg cathedral was constructed instead of the old cathedral by command of Wolf Dietrich. It was to be a magnificent monumental building, but in the end its size was reduce a little. Despite that, it still remains very huge and can admit 10 000 people. The cathedral was unveiled in 1628. Nowadays it is one of the most beautiful points of interest in Salzburg. Its inside decoration you can see in the special museum.

St Peter's Church and the cemetery. Being in Salzburg, you should visit St Peter's Church and its cemetery. In due time the church was completely rebuilt and luxuriously decorated, but if to compare it with the Salzburg Cathedral – it is just a small and cozy church. It used to belong to the Benedictine abbey of St Rupert. St Rupert was buried at the church cemetery, were you can also find the tomb of Haydn's younger brother. Not far away takes place the oldest cemetery of Salzburg that quite often became the decoration for various films. You'll have an opportunity to look at the hewed out catacombs, opened for visitors.

Getreidegasse – Pferdeschwemme. If to go by City Bridge to the other bank of the river, you'll get to Getreidegasse. This very attractive and narrow street with lots of shops is famous for the house, where Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart was born. Go in the direction of the Mönchsberg and near the tunnel of the same name you'll see the amazing fountain. Long ago Pferdeschwemme was the place for washing 120 horses of Wolf Dietrich, who ordered to build there his new horse barns (nowadays they call it Festspiellhaus).

Residenzplatz – Mozartplatz – Kapittelplatz. These squares are connected with each other and can puzzle any tourists walking along them. At Kapittelplatz you'll find a marvelous fountain, at Residenplatz – there is another fountain, located in the very center. Some time ago there used to be a cemetery and residence area, but by the order of Archbishop Wolf Dietrich this place was turned into a magnificent square with a luxurious Residence Palace. You can visit the palace and create your own impression of how sumptuous life of archbishops was. In the Residence there is also an interesting museum. At the very center of Mozartplatz the statue of Mozart is situated. There your attention would first of all dragged by St Michael's Church and the Glockenspiel Café.

The Franziskaner Church and the Collegium Church. Both the churches are located not far from each other and really worth looking at. The Collegium Church is a university church, that's why its main motifs are sciences. It's a very beautiful baroque-styled building with lots of harmony in its construction. While the Franziskaner Church, built in the 13th century and quite often rebuilt then, doesn't look absolutely entire. During the building works of the Cathedral, the Franziskaner Church served for the Catholics. The Hohensalzburg. You can get to the Hohensalzburg Fortress by two ways: either by the funicular that goes in the Old City along Festungsgasse, or go upwards the same street on foot. The fortress was created in the 11th century and served first of all as the shelter for archbishops. Its modern look is a result of numerous reconstructions. The fortress used to have lots of functions and finally it turned into a small village. Nowadays on the territory of the Hohensalzburg you can have a pleasant walk and to visit the museum. If you want, you can ask a guide to help you to learn more about the history of this place.

The Nature House. The Nature House is a local history museum, situated in the suburbs of Old City – at Museumplatz. It is a very large museum, which in a pleasant manner tells us about the nature of Salzburg and its outskirts. The exposition is very variegated, covers a lot of topics and will be interesting both for children and adults.

Read more about Salzburg:
Restaurants and cuisine in Salzburg
Local traditions and lifestyle
'Must visit' places in Salzburg
Nightlife and attractions in Salzburg
Preparing for Salzburg: Advices
Salzburg photogallery