Salzburg Cities :: Salzburg Hotels

The birth of the town Salzburg can be set in the year 696 when the missionary St. Rubert arrived and founded the Benedictine Monastery of St. Peters. The town merged into an independent church state, ruled by a sovereign, the Archbishop. He was not only the spiritual leader but possessed also worldly powers. Its organisation was Vatican-like and Salzburg was not called the " Rome of the North" by accident.

Located between the two mountains Kapuzinerberg and Mönchsberg and the River Salzach it is a picturesque city with small alleys, quaint colorful town homes, rich castles and palaces, neat gardens and a high density of churches and monasteries.

The Hellbrunner Monatsschlösschen, which was built in 1615 for Archbishop Markus Sittikus - as its name suggests - within the record time of only a month, today houses the folklore museum of Salzburg 's Carolino Augusteum Museum . The manor, idyllically situated overlooking Hellbrunn Park, houses a collection of regional folklore with objects of popular customs and piety, furnishings, popular medicine and a number of beautiful Trachten (traditional costumes) worn in the Salzburg valley regions. There are annual special exhibition during summer.

Hohensalzburg Fortress towers high above Salzburg 's baroque City. The castle is not baroque but distinctly medieval. Moreover, it is the largest preserved medieval fortification in Europe . A visit is not only rewarding because of the castle's imposing appearance, but also because the Fortress Museum, renovated in 2000 and spreading over an area of 1530 m2, can be found within its walls, in the "Hoher Stock" or castle keep. Medieval equipment and the history of the fortress are on display.  Visitors are given insight into everyday castle life in the days of yore. The "2001 Austrian Museum Prize" was awarded on May 8 of this year by the Austrian government to show its appreciation of the extensive work that went into this permanent exhibition.

Make a journey into the magical world of marionettes! This unique museum is in the cellars of the world famous Hohensalzburg Fortress. Here you can admire many historical marionettes from the well-known Salzburg Marionette Theatre, such as Papageno and Papagena from Mozart's Magic Flute, as well as exhibits from various European and Asian countries. You can also try out the marionettes and pull the strings yourself.