A baroque city on the banks of the Salzach River, Salzburg is the beautiful capital of Land Salzburg. This former site of the Roman town of Juvavum is set against a pristine mountain backdrop. The city and the river were named after the early residents who earned their living in the region's salt mines.
This "heart of the heart of Europe" is the city of Mozart, who was born here in 1756. The composer's association with the city continues to draw loads of tourist revenue and tourists, who come to visit this favorite son's birthplace, the Geburtshaus, an old burgher's house.
The Old Town lies on the left bank of the river, where a monastery and bishopric were founded in A.D. 700. From that simple start, Salzburg grew in power and prestige, becoming an archbishopric see in 798. At the height of the prince-archbishop's power, the city was known as the "German Rome." On medieval maps, the little province of Land Salzburg was titled "church lands." Long a part of the Holy Roman Empire, Land Salzburg was joined to Austria in 1816 following the Congress of Vienna.
Salzburg, a city of 17th- and 18th-century houses, is internationally known for its architectural grandeur. Much of the work was done by the masters of the baroque, Fischer von Erlach and Johann Lukas von Hildebrandt. The Salzburg Cathedral is the first deliberately Italian-style church to be built north of the Alps. Several beautiful castles and palaces dot the city: Hohensalzburg Fortress, the former stronghold of the prince-archbishops of Salzburg; Residenz, an opulent palace and seat of the Salzburg prince-archbishops after they abandoned the gloomy Hohensalzburg; and Schloss Hellbrunn, 5km (3 miles) south of the city, summer residence of the prince-archbishops. The beautifully baroque Mirabell Gardens were laid out by the famous Fischer von Erlach.
The city is the setting for The Salzburg Festival, a world-renowned annual event that attracts music lovers, especially Mozart fans, from all over the globe. Salzburg was also the setting for The Sound of Music; yes, the hills are alive with music -- and reachable by tour.
Ever since the end of World War II, Salzburg has had a strong American connection. While the Soviets occupied a section of Vienna and Lower Austria, Salzburg was a part of the American zone. The real postwar economy didn't develop in Eastern Austria until 1955 when the Russians pulled out. However, economic development began in Salzburg right at the end of the war, giving the city a 10-year head start and cementing its friendship with the United States.
