Salzburg
A RARE JEWEL IN THE HEART OF EUROPE
Salzburg is the capital of the Austrian province of the same name and is situated on the northern edge of the Alps in the center of Austria. The Austrian poet and co-founder of the Salzburg Festival, Hugo von Hofmannsthal, called Salzburg "the heart of Europe's heart." Thanks to its outstanding location at the junction of old European trade routes, it is easily accessed from all directions by train, car and plane. The city has around 146,000 inhabitants and is the seat of numerous national and international agencies and institutions.
Situated on an important military route connecting the north and south, Salzburg was a notable administrative seat as far back as the Roman Era. Founded at the end of the 7th century, the city was ruled by independent Catholic prince-archbishops who also had political powers until the beginning of the 19th century. Salzburg owes its international fame to the incomparable splendor of its cityscape, the beauty of the surrounding landscape and the fact that Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart was born here in 1756. Its prosperity and wealth can be traced back to centuries of international trade with the salt, the "white gold", whose revenues allowed the prince-archbishops to build a city which was often referred to as the "Rome of the North" due to its southern character, its multitude of sacred buildings and its very special atmosphere.
The foundation of the Salzburg Festival in 1920 was doubtlessly a major impulse for the city's flourishing. Fervorously convinced of their idea, Max Reinhardt, Hugo von Hofmannsthal, Franz Schalk and Richard Strauss fought undauntedly against a number of obstacles and created Europe's most significant music festival, opening 1920 with the "Everyman" premiere on Cathedral Square. The conductor Herbert von Karajan, born in Salzburg, founded the Easter Festival in 1967 and the Whitsuntide Festival (with its focus on baroque) in 1973, drawing thousands of art and culture lovers to the metropolis on the Salzach River year after year.
Salzburg offers a cultural program featuring a total of 4,000 events the year round. Mozart Week rings in the new musical year in January, followed by the Easter Festival, the Whitsuntide Festival/Baroque and the Summer Festival. The SzeneSalzburg offers exciting contemporary dance acts. The Salzburg Culture Days are held during the month of October, a Jazz Festival at the beginning of November has established itself very well. The most quiet and contemplative time of the year, the time before Christmas, is accompanied by the famous Advent Singing at the Large Festival Hall and many other atmospheric performances in the beautifully decorated Christmas city.
The year round Salzburg’s Marionette Theatre offers charming productions of Mozart’s operas, magnificent palaces provide the settings for chamber music and orchestral concerts, pop and rock music is offered as well as interesting art exhibitions and exciting performances in numerous museums and galleries.
Salzburg is not only a traditional academic city for some 12,000 students (Paris-Lodron-University, Mozarteum University of Music and Dramatic Arts) but also a center for state-of-the-art technology. The Techno-Z is the largest technology center in Central Europe and contributes significantly to making Salzburg an attractive commercial site. The city’s international standing is also due to the fact that Salzburg is the city with the most consular agencies next to Vienna.
With the opening of the Salzburg Congress Center in 2001 a venue for all kinds of events has been installed in one of the most beautiful destinations in the world! The convincing architecture of the building – situated right in the heart of the city bordering the famous Mirabell Gardens - state-of-the-art equipment, the latest in stage technology and future-oriented communications systems provide the ideal setting for congress organizers from around the world. The rooms have a variable layout and can be divided into up to 15 conference rooms – as required – accommodating from 20 to 1,350 people.
The city's unique silhouette, its consistent architecture and the harmonious symbiosis of culture and nature have fascinated visitors for many centuries, causing UNESCO to designate Salzburg's Old City as a “ World Cultural Heritage Site” that is particularly worthy of protection. This nomination is both a mark of distinction and a commitment for the city of Salzburg. It substantiates that suitable and consistent government policies were employed for the preservation of the historic city center.
Text and photographs with kind permission
©Tourismus Salzburg GmbH 2008
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Mozart and Salzburg
It seems to be impossible to talk of Salzburg without mentioning Mozart in the same breath.
