arriving extra early in Salzburg
by xxsentiaxx
We arrived in Salzburg by train from Venice at approximately 330am. We knew that there was no way that we'd be able to check into our hotel so early and we had a miserable nights sleep on the train so we claimed benches in the train station and slept for several more hours until the sun came up and the commuters started to arrive. When we arrived there were a few people already sleeping on the benches, so I assume that this is very common. My only complaint was that it was an open building so it was cold and I was freezing. If you find yourself in the same predicament needing a place to chill out for a couple hours, this is the spot. It was pretty clean too, so if the benches were occupied I would have had no qualms about curling up in the corner on the floor. When you wake up and need some coffee there's a McDonalds that opens early, like 5 or 6am which is warm and they let you sit in there for as long as you want as long as you buy something.
see the Salzburg Cathedral -...
by Fam_Stoica
see the Salzburg Cathedral - the city's most significant piece of church architecture. With its magnificent façade and mighty dome it represents the most impressive early Baroque edifice north of the Alps. Its origin is closely connected to the ecclesiastical principality's demeanour and growth. Destroyed by fire and rebuilt, enlarged and expanded, it bears witness to the power and independence of Salzburg's archbishops.
The first cathedral was built on this site by Bishop Virgil The first cathedral was built on this site by Bishop Virgil who came to Salzburg in 767 and built a cathedral on the site of the former Roman Juvavum. On September 24, 774 the cathedral was consecrated to St. Virgil and St. Rupert.
The city was set on fire in 1167 by the Counts of Plain, followers of the emperor Friedrick Barbarossa, also destroying the cathedral. The cathedral was rebuilt ten years later under the rule of Archbishop Conrad III of Wittelsbach and became more beautiful, more magnificent and more impressive than ever, making it the mightiest Romaneque cathedral north of the Alps, its size even surpassing the emperor's cathedral in Speyer.
400 years later another fire raged and destroyed large sections of the cathedral on December 11, 1598. This afforded Archbishop Wolf Dietrich the opportunity to tear down the damaged cathedral and to make plans for its reconstruction. The Salzburg residents were extremely outraged at the archbishop's ruthless actions. Not only were valuable sculptures and gravestones of the archbishops destroyed but the cathedral cemetery plowed under and the bones of the dead dumped on the debris. His quarrel with Bavaria over salt mining rights led to his arrest and imprisonment in the Hohensalzburg Fortress by his nephew and successor, Markus Sittikus von Hohenems, which put a bitter end to the various construction projects Wolf Dietrich had planned. After Wolf Dietrich's death the architect Santino Solari was commissioned by Archbishop Markus Sittikus to rebuild the Cathedral, which became the first early Baroque church north of the Alps. Markus Sittikus did not live to see the festive consecration of the Cathedral by Archbishop Paris Lodron during the chaos of the Thirty Years' War on September 25, 1628. Through Paris Lodron's clever diplomacy, the heavily fortified city escaped most of the hardships of the Thirty Years' War so that the consecration of the Cathedral became the largest and most pompous festival that Salzburg ever experienced.
The centuries of sovereign rule by the Salzburg prince bishops was ended by the Napoleonic Wars. With the dethroning of the last prince bishop, Hieronymus von Colloredo, the first Habsburg, Ferdinand III, Grand Duke of Tuscany, brought Salzburg under his rule.
In 1944 the dome and part of the chancel were destroyed during a bomb attack. The necessary renovations were carried out and the Cathedral consecrated in its former magnificence in 1959. The three years found in the gates to the Cathedral are in memory of the three consecrations: '774', '1628' and '1959'. Four statues are located in front of the main façade: the apostles Peter and Paul with keys and sword as well as the two patron saints Rupert and Virgil with a salt box and a model of the church. The two escutcheons on the gable ornament refer to the two church builders, Markus Sittikus and Paris Lodron.
Among the precious objects to be found in Salzburg's Cathedral are the baptismal font in which Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart was baptised, the majestic main organ, surrounded by angels playing instruments and crowned by Rupert and Virgil, as well as the magnificent Cathedral portals made by Scheider-Manzell, Mataré and Manzú. In his capacity as the court organist and concert master, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart composed numerous undying works of sacred music for Salzburg.
Hellbrun Palace
by Bregman
Visit Hellbrun Palace. In the palace gardens you will find several trick fountains, operated by gravitation only. The tour guide would time the trick fountains so each and every visitor will get at least one unexpected splash of water. You can click here for some 360° panoramic views of the palace and fountains.
The Atmosphere of Mozart
by keeweechic
Being a lover of Mozart's music, this was a superb city to visit as well as being such a pretty one. The old charm through the streets with all the Austrian crafts and clothing was just wonderful. Everything was seen in such a hurry and I would like to go back and spend more time really taking in the city and atmosphere, not to mention attending a concert.
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Credit Suisse Art Project
by nicolaitan
Scattered throughout Salzburg are large outdoor modern art objects placed one per year since 2003 and sponsored by Credit Suisse and the City of Salzburg Art Foundation. Each year a renowned artist is selected to create a masterpiece, however incongrous to its proposed setting. Others included on this page are at the Residenz for which no information could be obtained and at the Kapitalplatz, a piece named Spaera. This bronze abomination is named Caldera and was created by Anthony Cragg in 2008. The location is Makartplatz in a small park opposite the Mozart Museum. The location was selected specifically to "juxtapose the practical and functional design of the historic site with purpose free pure art". As with the other two above, it fits about as well as a porcupine in an avocado.
From available literature, we learn that the sculpture "confronts" the traffic laden busy square with "intellectual rigour, openness of thought, an orginal language of form with sophisticated materiality". The British born resident of Germany since 1970 describes " projections and recesses which collide like tectonic plates " with human outlines that appear and vanish depending on projection.
My first thought was of Bob Marley kissing a gigantic Mozartkugel.
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Salzach River and Hohensalzburg Castle, Salzburg
Kollegien Kirche
a view from the Salzach
the portal
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