The Natural History Museum is the perfect pastime for rainy days. You will find interesting exhibits covering all areas of natural science including an aquarium and a reptile zoo.

Because of the great variety of its exhibits the Natural History Museum is of interest to all the family. Take your time and spend the whole day at the museum or, if you only have a few hours to spare, you can make a short visit and simply visit the exhibitions that interest you. Because of its popularity it is always better to make sure that you get there early in the morning, later queues start to build up at the entrance and the museum gets quite full although visitors disperse into the 80 different exhibition halls making a visit, even on a busy day, a worthwhile experience.

In the entry hall you are greeted by a moving model of an Allosaurus, numerous dioramas (life-sized landscape models) show animals in their natural habitat, the colourful underwater world of fish is presented in the elaborate aquarium, in the outer space hall you can see a model of the Space Shuttle, of rockets and the first moon landing, but also living snakes, lizards and alligators can be observed at close range.

On show in the Rocks and Minerals section you can see the biggest alpine rock crystal ever found, which was discovered in the Hohen Tauern massifs in Austria in 1965. It has a circumference of 220cm and weighs 618 kg.

All the exhibitions in the Natural History Museum have one thing in common; they have all been lovingly arranged which means that getting to know more about nature really is great fun.

The Mozartplatz is Salzburg’s most famous square and home to the Mozart statue from Ludwig von Schwanthaler (1842) and came into being after Salzburg’s Archbishop Wolf Dietrich tore down several houses. The statue was unveiled on September 5th 1842 in the presence of Mozart’s sons. Mozart’s wife Constanze did not live to see the celebratory act. She died on March 6th in house number 8 on Mozart Square. Today a commemorative plaque hangs on house number 8.

Mozart Square was formerly known as Michael’s Square, and the fountain with the baroque statue of St. Michael had to make way for the Mozart statue. The Bavarian king Ludwig I was an important patron. He personally contributed a large sum of money and donated the marble block for the statue. Today the statue is owned by the Carolino Augusteum Museum.

Today house number 4 on the Mozart Square, known as the “Antretter House”, accommodates the Institute of Musicology of the University of Salzburg. The County Chancellor and Chancellor of War Johann Ernst von Antretter and his wife Maria Anna Elisabeth bought the house in September 1765. The Antretter family had very close ties with the Mozart family for example; Cajetan, one of Antretter’s sons, was Mozarts comrade in the bolt-shooting brigade and one of their daughters was one of Nannerl Mozart’s students. In addition Family Antretter commissioned Mozart to compose the “Antretter Serenade” KV 185. Numerous letters and diary entries confirm the friendly relationship between the two families. This beautiful building, built between the 16th and 18th Century, is definitely worth a visit.

In the “Schaffner House” on the neighbouring “Waagplatz” the Salzburg poet Georg Trakl was born.

Mozartplatz

Mozartplatz und Mozart-Statue

Mozartstatue

Salzburg’s cathedral or “Dom” is the most monumental early Baroque building this side of the Alps. The first building dated back to the year 774 and was built under St. Virgil. Between 1181 and 1200 the late Romanesque Minster was further developed. After a fire in 1598 the site was cleared. In 1614 work began under Prince-archbishop Markus Sittikus according to plans by Santino Solari and in 1628 consecrated by Prince-archbishop Paris Lodron.

Salzburg Cathedral boasts particularly interesting arts with treasures from the archdiocese of Salzburg from the middle ages up to the 19th Century and in the Prince-archbishop art and wonder chamber from the 17th and 18th Century.

In the Carolina Augusteum Museum Salzburg medieval excavations of the cathedral and roman relics of the building are on show. The statues that adorn the cathedrals façade bring together global and local church history: The apostils Peter and Paul side-by-side with Salzburg’s saints Rupert and Virgil. Above them the 4 evangelists, in the gables Moses with the Ten Commandments and Elias flanking a “Christus Salvaor” are depicted. In the centre of Cathedral Square you will see the Immaculate Column which was sculptured by Wolfgang und Johann Baptist Hagenauer between 1766 and 1771 and erected under the Archbishop Sigismund Graf Schrattenbach.

Everyman on Cathedral Square – A play about the death of a rich man from Hugo von Hofmannsthal - Jedermann

Since 1920 the Cathedral Square has been the unequalled setting for the traditional play “Everyman”.

How does a person react to death? How does he cope with the last moments of his life which he can no longer plan, calculate or control, a moment in which he is helpless, defenceless and which is inescapable? The End catches us by surprise, leaves us feeling lost and afraid; we try to suppress thoughts of death, we can’t believe it can happen, and when it does it hits us doubly hard. Just like Everyman.
Cast of characters, Death: Jens Harzer, Everyman: Peter Simonischek, Everyman’s mother: Jennifer Minetti, Everyman’s good companion: Tobias Moretti, the serf’s wife: Susanne Schäfer, paramour: Veronica Ferres.
The Everyman performances are part of the Salzburg Festival each year.

The Salzburg Christmas Market on Cathedral Square is one of the most beautiful and well-known Christmas Markets in Salzburg. In addition to local handicrafts there are of course all sorts of traditional Christmas specialities on sale such as punch, biscuits and mulled-wine. The Salzburg Christmas Market never ceases to attract and fascinate visitors and definitely shouldn’t be missed.

Christmas Market on Cathedral Square
open from 18th November – 24th December

Mon-Sat 10 am. – 8:30 pm.
Sundays & Holidays 9 am. – 9 pm.
24th Dec. 9 am. – 1 pm.

The Hohensalzburg Fortress is Salzburg’s most famous landmark.

250 metres long and 150 metres wide it is the biggest preserved fortified castle in Central Europe. It can be reached on foot or by means of the funicular railway (starts in the “Festungsgasse” just off the Kapitalplatz).

The Hohensalzburg Fortress was built in 1077, and was comprehensively extended under Archbishop Leonhard von Keutschach in around 1500. The building was completed under Prince-archbishop Max Gandolf Kuenburg in 1681. In 1861 Hohensalzburg Fortress was abandoned and since then has served as a tourist attraction.

In around 1900 a funicular railway was built to provide better access to the fortress. Of particular interest are the late Gothic state rooms, the Fortress Museum which documents the history of the fortress, includes an exhibition on Salzburg’s weapon history, guild system and torture instruments.

The site of the Hohensalzburg Fortress can be viewed without a guided tour, to view the inner rooms a guided tour is required. In addition to the tours regular concerts are held in the state rooms and in the chapel. Also the Archbishop Rainer Regiment Museum in the Fortress can be visited.

The Collegiate Church in Salzburg is the largest and most beautiful of Fischer von Erlach churches (1696-1707) and was built for the University at the time. The altarpieces from J. M. Rottmayr complete this outstanding 18th Century house of worship. Fascinating are the convex facades with diadem-like tower elements.

The Collegiate Church is located on university Square ("Universitätsplatz") that is full of colourful market stalls throughout the week – here fresh produce from the region can be bought.

The Collegiate Church is a magnificent Baroque religious building and is considered Johann Bernhard Fischer von Erlach’s masterpiece.

The extended cruciform church with dome was built directly adjoining the university building and the “Furtwängler” park between 1996 and 1707. The north-facing ornamental façade of Salzburg’s Collegiate Church impresses with innumerable details. The belfries of the tower are free-standing, boarded with balustrades and crowned by four tapering statues.

On the ground floor of the midsections three arched arcades separate the porch from the nave. Delicate decorative elements surround the large windows, and the coat of arms of Archbishop Johann Ernst Thun is depicted in the gable area.

Above this figures of angels rise and the Immaculate Virgin, framed by statues of the four evangelists on the left tower and of the four church patrons on the right, by Michael Bernhard Mandl.

Passing the beautifully ornate porch you enter the light-filled Collegiate Church. From the stoup, carried on both sides by angels, the rest of this stunning church opens up before you. In place of a high altar a high stone tabernacle originally stood in the chancel.
The existing altar dates back to 1735. Seven red marble columns arranged in a half circle are crowned by angles, and in the centre the Archangel Michael.The figures around the tabernacle depict various aspects of the human spirit and above allegorical figures of faith watch over the scene in thrones. Above the angels a stucco aureole appears from a cloud, circled by rays of light and cherubs floating around the Virgin Mary. The design by Fischer von Erlach was realised by Diego Francesco Carlone and Paolo d’allio. The High altar is by Josef Anton Pfaffinger.

Salzburg’s Festival Halls are at the foot of the Mönchsberg Mountain in Salzburg’s so called Festival Quarter.

The Small Festival Hall was built from 1924 to 1926, the Large Festival Hall was built by the architect Clemens Holzmeister between 1956 and 1960.
The Felsenreitschule (former riding school built into the rock face of the Mönchsberg) was built according to plans by Fischer von Erlach in 1693. The Festival Halls are the main venues for performances that are part of the annual Salzburg Festival.
The nearby horsepond was built in 1695 as decoration to cover up a former quarry and was designed by Michael Bernhard Mandl.

The Large Festival Hall in Salzburg was built according to plans by Clemens Holzmeister and was opened in 1960 by Herbert von Karajan. The façade of the Baroque horse stables, designed by Fischer von Erlach, were preserved and the foyers remind visitors of their former use.
The hall boasts 2,177 seats with excellent views of the stage and is used primarily for operas and large concerts. The band shell was created by the stage designer Richard Peduzzi. The entrance to the main stage can be widened from 14 to 30 metres.

The Small Festival Hall in Salzburg, which has 1,324 seats and standing room for 60 people, is a deceptive name. It was provisionally built in1924 and subsequently altered several times – for the last time in 1963 by the architects Hans Hoffmann and Erich Engels. A famous fresco from Anton Faistauer from 1926 adorns the entrance hall.

Festival house

Hellbrunn Palace Salzburg – early Baroque summer residence, unique architectural masterpiece, full of surprises ...

Hellbrunn Palace was always a place of entertainment, venue for many a celebration, opulent spectacles and a showcase for the unusual then as it is today.
DThe palace building at Hellbrunn and the world famous Water Games have hardly been changed in the 400 years since their construction. The Salzburg Prince-archbishop Markus Sittikus (1574-1619) had his “villa suburbia” built between 1613 and 1615 modelled on Italian examples.

The attractive palace grounds, which cover an area of more than 60 ha and is situated 4 km south of the county capital of Salzburg, is considered a perfect example of exquisite garden architecture and has a long and interesting history.
Hellbrunn Palace is reached from the City of Salzburg via the so-called Hellbrunner Alee lined with 250 year old oak trees. The Park at Hellbrunn is an important recreation area for the citizens of Salzburg. Fresh air and the beautifully laid out gardens combine to make this an excellent place for weekend sporting activities. Hellbrunn is a unique masterpiece with its own very special style and a reputation that is certainly justified.
In June 1613 building work started. The architect was the Italian Santino Solari, who was also commissioned to carry out the rebuilding of Salzburg Cathedral.

The palace set in the middle of the estate covering 60 ha was completed in April 1615. In December 1616 the Little Belvedere Palace, the “stations of the cross” path with chapels, the hermitages and the Stone Theatre on Hellbrunn Hill were also completed.

Hellbrunn has been owned by the Municipal Council of Salzburg since 1922.

The Palace and the Water Games

A tour of the state rooms in the summer residence Hellbrunn and a visit to surprising Water Games remain fascinating experience to this day where the strange and wondrous times of the famous Salzburg Prince-archbishop are relived.

The magical fascination of the world famous Water Games has not diminished over the years. Here you will find the only fully preserved mechanical water fountains in Europe and you will be transformed into a world of mythology and illusion.

For hundreds of years visitors have been taken by surprise by the trick fountains ....

The mechanical Theatre, which was installed in the garden in 1752, is a huge and comprehensive account of life in a provincial town as it was then. More than 100 wooden figures that not only move on turntables but also, with the help of other mechanical tricks, can move arms and legs and can bend.
All this activity is powered by water that sets wooden cogs into motion which in turn activate the numerous levers under the stage. To compensate for the unavoidable creaking the theatre’s creator, Lorenz Rosenegger, added a hydraulic organ. The music comes from a large rotating drum, usually found in a music box, and the jollity of the music suites the hectic scene on stage perfectly.

A path, lined on both sides with water sprays that from an arched tunnel that visitors have to go through, leads to the grotto. On leaving the grotto the guide turns on the water fountains again and visitors, who have remained dry until this point, run under the arched water spurts only to be caught out by additional sprays, which seem to magically change direction, at the end of the tunnel.

JIt’s always fun at Hellbrunn and in the 21st Century the laughter rings out as loudly as it did 400 years before. It is refreshing to discover that something so simple yet enduring can bring so much pleasure. It is surprising that things like this can no longer be found in gardens elsewhere.

Hellbrunn Palace

Approximately 20 km. south of the county capital city of Salzburg the salt and Celtic town of Hallein is located.

In Hallein you will not only find the world famous Silent Night Museum with Franz Xaver Gruber’s burial site (composer of Silent Night) and the renowned Celtic Museum but in Hallein you can also visit the world’s oldest public viewing salt mine. The Salt Mines in Hallein.

A guided tour of the salt mines that are located in the Dürrnberg mountain is great fun for all the family. Dressed in white miner’s overalls you take a small open-train ride through the mining tunnels to the heart of the Dürrnberg mountain.
Two long pitman’s slides will take you quickly into the depths. The tour continues through narrow passages and large halls. After crossing the border to Germany underground you come to the subterranean salt lake which is then crossed on a raft. On the eerie journey across the lake you are accompanied by a light show and mystical music.
Miner guides will then give you information about salt mining and the first inhabitants of Dürrnberg, the Celts. After about an hour it’s back to the surface after an enjoyable insight into the work of a salt miner.