Salzburg

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This page is for the city of Salzburg. For the surrounding state of Salzburg, see: Salzburg (state)

Flag of Salzburg

Salzburg (population 150,000 in 2006) is a city in western Austria and the capital of the federal state of Salzburg (population 520,000 in 2003). The geographic coordinates of Salzburg are [47°48′00″N, 13°02′36″E].

The city is noted for its baroque architecture and Alpine setting. It was the birthplace of Mozart and the setting for the musical and film The Sound of Music.

Setting

View of the old town of Salzburg over the River Salzach as viewed from the Festung or Hohensalzburg Fortress.

View of fortress.

Located 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 kilometers from the city center. The Altstadt, or "old town", is dominated by its baroque towers and many churches. This area is surrounded by two smaller mountains, the Mönchsberg and Kapuzinerberg. The city is approximately 150 km east of Munich, and 300 km west of Vienna.

History

Ancient times and Middle Ages

Around Definitive independence from Bavaria was obtained inthe late 14th century.

Expulsion of the Protestants

Mozart's birthplace.

Archbishop von Firmian 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 three months 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 gained 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 8 days to sell what they could and leave. The first refugees marched north through the Alps 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 away 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 had 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 such a large number of 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, about twenty five miles north of the city of Savannah. Other German speaking families – mostly Swiss Germans, Palatines and Swabians – also joined the Salzburgers at Ebenezer. In time, all of these Germanic people became known as "Salzburgers".

In 1772-1803, under archbishop Hieronymus von Colloredo, Salburg was a centre of late Illuminism. In 1803, the archbishopric was secularized and handed over to Ferdinand III of Tuscany, former Grand Duke of Tuscany, and, two years later, it was annexed to Austria togther with Berchtesgaden. In 1810, it was returned to Bavaria but, after the Congress of Vienna (1816), again restored to Austria. In 1850, it became an independent territory of the Austrian crown.

20th century

During World War II, 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 is one of the few remaining examples of a town of its style. American troops entered in 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, New Palestine. Salzburg was the centre of the American occupied area in Austria.

As of 2006, Salzburg’s Jewish Community consists of little more than 100 people. The synagogue at Lasserstrasse 8 is still the religous center.

Main sights

• 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.
• The baroque architecture, including the Salzburg Cathedral, and the Mirabell Garden.
• The Salzkammergut is an area of lakes in the Salzburg state, east of the city and furtheron 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.
• Tour companies operate tours of locations used in the film The Sound of Music.
• Eagle's Nest, Hitler's retreat, is in nearby Berchtesgaden.

Untersberg mountain.

Mozart Monument.

Fountain in the Residenzplatz.

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 popular 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 renowned 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 his departure in 1934.
• 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.
• Gerardo Reichel-Dolmatoff, born here

Events

View of the old town and fortress, as seen from Kapuzinerberg.

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• The Salzburg Festival is a world-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.
• Salzburg was a candidate city for the 2006 and 2010 Olympic Winter Games. It was a favourite in its 2010 bid, but lost to Vancouver, Canada. On January 24th, 2005, despite low popular support expressed in a local referendum, it 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, and will compete against Sochi, Russia and Pyeongchang, South Korea. The IOC will vote on a final candidate on July 4, 2007 in Guatemala City, Guatemala.
• 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 twice-daily high-speed ICE services. The city also acts as a hub for south-bound trains through the Alps into Italy.

The Salzburg Airport has scheduled flights to European cities such as Frankfurt, Vienna, London, Amsterdam and Zürich. The majority of flights, however, are charter flights.

Popular culture

External links

World Heritage Sites in Austria