Salzburg, Austria

Salzburg old town.

Salzburg (German pronunciation: [ˈzalt͡sbʊɐ̯k]; Bavarian: Såizburg; literally: "Salt Fortress") is the fourth-largest city in Austria and the capital of the federal state of Salzburg. This city has been listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1997 for its historical values, including a birthplace of the famous musical composer of 18^th-century Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart.

The old city of Salzberg is surrounded by many beautiful scenes between the Salzach River and the Mönchsberg, overlooked by the Hohensalzburg Fortress (Festung Hohensalzburg). The old and new town is divided by the river.

Old town and the fortress.

Originally was Roman town, but then the first Christian kingdom was established by St. Rupert, in the late seventh century. The name Salzburg means "Salt Castle" (Latin: Salis Burgium). The name derives from the barges carrying salt on the Salzach River, which were subject to a toll in the 8th century and was customary for many communities and cities on European rivers. The Festung Hohensalzburg, the city's fortress, was built in 1077 by Archbishop Gebhard, who made it his residence. It was greatly expanded during the following centuries

Salzburg is famous as the birthplace of Mozart and although the city was not generous towards him during his lifetime it does its level best to make the most of him now. Everywhere you go Mozart’s music is being played, and there are two Mozart museums and even chocolate balls called Mozart Kugeln.

Mozart birthplace.

Among other notable citizens;

*Christian Doppler, an expert on acoustic theory, was born in Salzburg. He is most known for his discovery of the Doppler Effect.

* 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 the United States following the Nazi takeover.

* Herbert von Karajan was a notable musician and conductor. He was born in Salzburg and died in 1989 in neighbouring Anif.

* Theodor Herzl worked in the courts in Salzburg during the year after he earned his law degree in 1884.

* Skydiver and BASE Jumper Felix Baumgartner, who set three world records during the Red Bull Stratos project on the 14 of October 2012

Red Bull Hanger-7 building.

The Hohensalzburg Fortress was built for the prince-archbishops and although it is interesting to see the lavish lifestyle that they led, one of the main reasons to come here is for truly astonishing views over the Alps and the city. The Schloss Mirabell, on the other side of the river, stands in large formal gardens. The palace was built in 1606 by Prince-Archbishop Wolf Dietrich for his mistress and their children. The marble hall is covered with Baroque reliefs and lit by magnificent, Sparkling Chandeliers. The fifteenth-century cathedral (Salzburger Dom) is just one of several wonderful churches to be seen as you stroll or take a horse-drawn carriage through the narrow streets, past ritzy shops and cafes full of elegant, well-heeled locals.

Two main characteristics of architectures that you can see here are; Romanesque and Gothic together with Renaissance and baroque. While there also many other new modern architectures taking place in the city (outside the old town) with futuristic characters such as the Faculty of Science building (Universität Salzburg – Architecture Willhelm Holzbauer), , the blob architecture of Red Bull Hangar‑7 (Architecture: Volkmar Burgstaller) and the Salzburg Airport, home to Dietrich Mateschitz's Flying Bulls and the Europark shopping mall. (Architecture: Massimiliano Fuksas)

Mirabellgarten at night.

City landscape at night. (Photo by: Prosthetic Head)