When planning my adventure from Germany into Austria, in 2024, I decided to have it centered around Sunday, June 2.
I chose Sunday because I read many businesses in Germany and Austria are closed on Sunday. And, the busy Tourist season starts in the middle of June and weather is usually nice from the middle of May into June.
So: June 2, 2024 the adventure continued into Austria.
Salzburg, Austria: Population 156,872. This city (4th-largest city in Austria.) is the musical mecca for fans of Mozart and The Sound Of Music. Language; Austrian German is widely written and differs from Germany’s standard variation only in some vocabulary and a few grammar points. More and more school children are speaking standard German, which is considered do to media consumption
It’s been over 50 years since the The Sound Of Music movie was made in Salzburg, however everything is the same. The following video shows many scenes, then, 1964 and in 2014! https://youtu.be/VNutlOE0yhQ
Many say; “Salzburg is the most beautiful city in Europe!” Salzburg is surrounded by hills laced with the sound of music and trails, topped by a sky-high fortress and five mountains! In English; Salt Castle translates to Salzburg. Salzburg is a very picturesque town with several winding lanes.
Salzburgs long history can be traced back to the Stone Age. The cultural heritage of this Baroque city has its origins in the lively exchanges with neighboring countries to the south, and in particular, Italy. Only Rome was bigger with more religious buildings of great Baroque beauty.
The town is on the site of the Roman settlement of Iuvavum. Salzburg was founded as an “episcopal see” in 696. Its main sources of income was salt extraction, trade and gold-mining. The fortress of Hohensalzburg, is one of the largest medieval fortresses in Europe, which dates from the 11th century. In the 17th century, Salzburg became a center of the Counter-Reformation, with monasteries and numerous Baroque churches being built.
Salzburg had very little damage from the 15 WWII air strikes, with it’s many historic buildings having been restored several times over the centuries.
The city briefly appears on the map when Indiana Jones travels through the city in the 1989 film Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade.
In the 2010 film Knight & Day, starring Tom Cruise and Cameron Diaz, Salzburg serves as the backdrop for a large portion of the film.
Salzburg is divided by the river Salzach (Along the riverside, there are grand gardens and beer gardens.) into two basic areas:
1. Altstadt (English: Old Town) is located West of river Salzach under the Fortress Hohensalzburg between the Mönchsberg Mountain and river Salzach. Better known as the Historic District. It is renowned for its Baroque architecture and is one of the best-preserved city-centers north of the Alps. The historic center was enlisted as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1996.
2. Neustadt (English: New City) is located between Kapuzinerberg Mountain and the Salzburg Hauptbahnhof Train Station. Lively Neustadt is known for the ornate 17th-century Mirabell Palace, with its lavish Marble Hall, a venue for chamber music performances, and formal baroque gardens featuring elaborate fountains. Long-standing beer gardens serving classic Austrian dishes.
Following the above walkabouts of the Salzburg historic areas, my buddy Hermann brought me to many scenic Alpine Mountain surroundings.
Salzburg Mountains. (First five are the main mountains around Salzburg.)
1. Fiststungsberg, 1,778 feet high above the Linke Altstadt, Old Town District.
● Festung Hohensalzburg (Fortress Hohensalzburg) Means High Salzburg Fortress, not a castle. Built in 1077, sitting on top of the Fiststungsberg mountain. The fortress can take hours to explore.
● Panorama Restaurant, where Hermann and I had a beer.
● Funicular Cable Car (FestungsBahn) since 1892.
2. Kapuzinerberg, (Kapuzinerberg Mountain). The highest of the Salzburg Mountains at 2090 feet. 690 feet above the city. Franziskischloessl. Restaurant on top of mountain. Amazing views of Salzburg. Stations of the Cross walkway.
3. Mönchsberg, (Monk’s Mountain). Elevator to top of M32 Restaurant. Richterhöhe Lookout, is a hidden gem in Salzburg named after surveyor Eduard Richter. This spot offers stunning views of the Alps and a grassy plain without the usual tourist crowds. It is 1,667 feet above sea level.
4. Rainberg, it is a nature reserve and access is prohibited since 1955. It is surrounded by late 19th century villas, which were developed after 1880 in Historicist style.
5. Hellbrunner Berg, is located in the south of the Altstadt (Old Town) and close to the Schloss Hellbrunn, and the stone theater.
6. Untersbergbahn GmbH, (Dr. Ödlweg 2). Cable Car with breathtaking views of the surrounding mountains await you at the 5,825 feet mountain station.
7. Roßfeld, (Robfeld Mountain), (Berchtesgaden, DE) with great views of Germany and Austria.
8. Geisberg, this mountain is located just a few kilometers from Old Town at a height at 5800 feet. Hermann has done some Hang-gliding off this mountain.
9. Hoher Göll (8275 feet) Lies on the border between Germany and Austria.
10. Duürrnberg (3727 feet) The Celts were among the first to mine salt in this mountain. This created the basis for wealth of Salzburg with the profitable salt mining.
11. Hochstaufen (5800 feet) Lead and zinc were mined for this mountain to make brass.
A few notable Salzburg people.
● Johann Michael Haydn (1737 – 1806), composer and younger brother of the composer Joseph Haydn.
● Maria Anna (Nannerl) Mozart (1751 – 1829) She was considered a child piianist prodlgy, like her famoust Wolfgang. She accompanied him on tours through Europe until 1768.
● Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756 – 1791) Birthplace of the 18th-century composer, who is considered one of the greatest composers of all time.
● Joseph Mohr (1792 – 1848) An Austrian who became a priest in 1815 and he wrote the lyrics to “Silent Night” in 1816 while living in Salzburg.
● Georg von Trapp (1880 – 1947), Maria von Trapp (1905 – 1987), and their children made up the Trapp Family and lived in Salzburg until they fled to the United States following the Nazi takeover. Georg was the most successful Austro-Hungarian submarine commander of WW I. He was offered a commission in the German Navy. But, Georg decided to decline the offer out of the hostility to Nazi ideology. He also politely declined a request for the family choir to perform at a Hitler birthday concert at the Eagles Nest.
● Dietrich Mateschitz (1944 – 2022) is a Salzburg residence who founded Red Bull in 1984 and launched it as an energy drink in 1987, with a great Red Bull (Hanger-7) Museum in Salzburg since 2003.
● Hermann is a resident of Pöndorf, (Central Bavarian: Pädoaf) is a municipality in the district of Vöcklabruck in the Austrian state of Upper Austria with a population of 2,339. It is about 25 miles from Salzburg. Hermann is a good friend I’ve known since the 1990’s when he was the Chief Engineer and Safety Manager of the Wrigley Factory in Salzburg. By the way, Hermann’s daughter Safia and son Sebastian were born in this village of Oberndorf, Austria where for the first time Silent Night was heard with music in 1818.
Day two in and around Salzburg.
Uncle Jack’s, Salzburg, Austria. Appendix:
The above is a 36:18 video depicting many places at which The Sound Of Music was filmed. Marktschellenberg, Schloss Frohnburg, Schloss Leopoldskron, Nonnberg, Mirabellgarten, Schloss Hellbrunn, Petersfriedhof, Felsenreitschule…, Werfen, Mondsee, Schafberg and Rossfeld. Then; 1964 and in 2014.
This video is a must if you are a fan of The Sound Of Music visiting Salzburg.
↑Click above to view Austrian cities Uncle Jack visited in 2024.↑
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