The town is on the site of the Roman settlement of Iuvavum. Salzburg was founded as an episcopal see in 696 and became a seat of the archbishop in 798. Its main sources of income were salt extraction, trade, as well as gold mining. The fortress of Hohensalzburg, one of the largest medieval fortresses in Europe, dates from the 11th century. In the 17th century, Salzburg became a center of the Counter-Reformation, with monasteries and numerous Baroque churches built.
The name "Salzburg" was first recorded in the late 8th century.[b] It is composed of two parts; the first being "Salz-" German for "salt" and the second being "-burg" from Proto-West-Germanic: *burg conveying the same meaning as Latin: oppidum, lit. 'fortified settlement, city' and not that of the New High German: Burg, lit. 'fortress'.[9]
In the 8th century the Benedictine monastery of Nonnberg was founded for Erentrudis, who was later canonized.
The area of the city has been inhabited continuously since the Neolithic Age until the present. In the La Tène period it was an administrative centre of the CelticAlums in the Kingdom of Noricum.
After the Roman invasion in 15 BC, the various settlements on the Salzburg hills were abandoned, following the construction of the Roman city in the area of the old town. The recently created Municipium Claudium Juvavum was awarded the status of a Roman municipium in 45 CE and has become one of the most important cities of the now Roman province of Noricum.
Middle Ages
When the province of Noricum collapsed in 488 at the beginning of the migration period, part of the Romano-Celtic population remained in the country. In the 6th century they came under the rule of the Baiuvarii. The Life of Saint Rupert credits the 8th-century saint with the city's rebirth, when around 696 CE, Bishop Rupert of Salzburg received the remains of the Roman town from Duke Theodo II of Bavaria as well as a castrum superius (upper castle) on the Nonnberg Terrace as a gift.[10] In return he was to evangelize the east and south-east of the country of Bavaria.
Rupert reconnoitred the river for the site of his basilica and chose Juvavum. He ordained priests and annexed the manor of Piding. Rupert built a church at St. Peter on the site of today's cathedral and probably also founded the associated monastery and the Benedictine nunnery on Nonnberg for his relative Erentrude.[11] Salzburg has been the seat of a diocesan bishop since 739 CE[12] and an archbishopric since 798 CE. The first cathedral was built under Archbishop Virgil. The Franciscan Church existed since the beginning of the 9th century at the latest.[13] The Marienkirche dates from 1139.
The Romanesque Palace, Hohensalzburg Fortress, with a ring wall enclosing the hilltop, built on the site of a Roman fort.
The first use of the German name Salzburg, meaning Salt-Castle, can be traced back to 739 CE when the name was used in Willibald's report on the organization of the Bavarian dioceses by Saint Boniface.[14] The name derives from the barges carrying salt on the River Salzach, which were subject to a toll in the 8th century as was customary for many communities and cities on European rivers. Hohensalzburg Fortress, the city's fortress was built on the site of a Roman fort[15] in 1077 by Archbishop Gebhard, who made it his residence.[16] It was greatly expanded during the following centuries. This site is not the site of the Roman castrum superius, which was located on the Nonnberg nearby.
The state of Salzburg and its counties soon gained more and more influence and power within Bavaria due to the flourishing salt mining and the wide-ranging missionary activities.[17] In 996 Otto III, Holy Roman Emperor rented Archbishop Hartwig the market rights and minting rights (probably also the toll law). The first part of Hohensalzburg Fortress was built in 1077. A city judge was first mentioned in a document in 1120/30. On the left bank of the Salzach an extensive spiritual district was created with the cathedral, the bishop's residence north-west of the cathedral, the cathedral monastery on its south side, St Peter's monastery and the Frauengarten (probably after a former women's convent that was dissolved in 1583). Only during the 12th century did the civil settlement begin to spread into the Getreidegasse, the Abtsgasse (Sigmund Haffner-Gasse) and along the quay. Around 1280 the first city fortifications were created.[18] The oldest known city law document dates from the year 1287.[19]
Independence from Bavaria was secured in the late 14th century. Salzburg was the seat of the Archbishopric of Salzburg, a prince-bishopric of the Holy Roman Empire. As the Reformation movement gained steam, riots broke out among peasants in the areas in and around Salzburg. The city was occupied during the German Peasants' War, and the Archbishop had to flee to the safety of the fortress.[16] It was besieged for three months in 1525.
Eventually, tensions were quelled, and the city's independence led to an increase in wealth and prosperity, culminating in the late 16th to 18th centuries under the Prince Archbishops Wolf Dietrich von Raitenau, Markus Sittikus, and Paris Lodron. It was in the 17th century that Italian architects (and Austrians who had studied the Baroque style) rebuilt the city center as it is today along with many palaces.[20]
On 31 October 1731, the 214th anniversary of the 95 Theses, Archbishop Count Leopold Anton von Firmian signed an Edict of Expulsion, the Emigrationspatent, directing all Protestant citizens to recant their non-Catholic beliefs. 21,475 citizens refused to recant their beliefs and were expelled from Salzburg. Most of them accepted an offer by King Friedrich Wilhelm I of Prussia, travelling the length and breadth of Germany to their new homes in East Prussia.[21] The rest settled in other Protestant states in Europe and the British colonies in America.
Illuminism
In 1772–1803, under archbishop Hieronymus Graf von Colloredo, Salzburg was a center of late Illuminism. Colloredo is known for being one of the main employers of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. Colloredo often had arguments with Mozart and he dismissed him by saying, Soll er doch gehen, ich brauche ihn nicht! (He should go; I don't need him!). Mozart left Salzburg for Vienna in 1781 with his family, although his father Leopold stayed back, as he had a close relationship with Colloredo.
In 1805, Salzburg was annexed to the Austrian Empire, along with the Berchtesgaden Provostry. In 1809, the territory of Salzburg was transferred to the Kingdom of Bavaria after Austria's defeat at Wagram. After the Congress of Vienna with the Treaty of Munich (1816), Salzburg was definitively returned to Austria, but without Rupertigau and Berchtesgaden, which remained with Bavaria. Salzburg was integrated into the Province of Salzach and Salzburgerland was ruled from Linz.[22]
Young Austrians at celebrations just after the Anschluss, March 1938
The Anschluss (the occupation and annexation of Austria, including Salzburg, into Nazi Germany) took place on 12 March 1938, one day before a scheduled referendum on Austria's independence. German troops moved into the city. Political opponents, Jewish citizens and other minorities were subsequently arrested and deported to concentration camps. The synagogue was destroyed.
World War II
After Germany invaded the Soviet Union, several POW camps for prisoners from the Soviet Union and other enemy nations were arranged in the city.
During the Nazi occupation, a Romani camp was built in Salzburg-Maxglan. It was an Arbeitserziehungslager (work 'education' camp), which provided slave labor to local industry. It also operated as a Zwischenlager (transit camp), holding Roma before their deportation to German camps or ghettos in German-occupied territories in eastern Europe.[24]
Allied bombing destroyed 7,600 houses and killed 550 inhabitants. Fifteen air strikes destroyed 46 percent of the city's buildings, especially those around Salzburg railway station. Although the town's bridges and the dome of the cathedral were destroyed, much of its Baroque architecture remained intact. As a result, Salzburg is one of the few remaining examples of a town of its style. American troops entered the city on 5 May 1945 and it became the centre of the American-occupied area in Austria. Several displaced persons camps were established in Salzburg—among them Riedenburg, Camp Herzl (Franz-Josefs-Kaserne), Camp Mülln, Bet Bialik, Bet Trumpeldor, and New Palestine.
As of 2017 Salzburg had a GDP per capita of €46,100, which was greater than the average for Austria and most European countries.[26]
Geography
Eastern view of the Salzburg Basin with the city of Salzburg in the centre
Salzburg is on the banks of the River Salzach, at the northern boundary of the Alps. The mountains to Salzburg's south contrast with the rolling plains to the north. The closest alpine peak, the 1,972‑metre-high Untersberg, is less than 16 km (10 mi) from the city center. The Altstadt, or "old town", is dominated by its baroque towers and churches and the massive Hohensalzburg Fortress. This area is flanked by two smaller hills, the Mönchsberg and Kapuzinerberg, which offer green relief within the city. Salzburg is approximately 150 km (93 mi) east of Munich, 281 km (175 mi) northwest of Ljubljana, Slovenia, and 300 km (186 mi) west of Vienna. Salzburg has about the same latitude as Seattle.
Due to its proximity to the Austrian-German border, the greater Salzburg urban area has sometimes (unoffcially) been thought of as if it included contiguous parts of Germany: Freilassing (until 1923 known as Salzburghofen), Ainring and Piding. Public transport planning and multiple public transport lines stretch across the border.
Climate
The Köppen climate classification specifies Salzburg's climate as a humid continental climate (Dfb). However, with the −3 °C (27 °F) isotherm for the coldest month, Salzburg can be classified as having a four-season oceanic climate (Cfb) with significant temperature differences between seasons. Due to the location at the northern rim of the Alps, the amount of precipitation is comparatively high, mainly in the summer months. The specific drizzle is called Schnürlregen in the local dialect. In winter and spring, pronounced foehn winds regularly occur.
Climate data for Salzburg-Flughafen (LOWS) 1991–2020, extremes 1874–present
Salzburg's official population significantly increased in 1935 when the city absorbed adjacent municipalities. After World War II, numerous refugees found a new home in the city. New residential space was constructed for American soldiers of the postwar occupation and could be used for refugees when they left. Around 1950, Salzburg passed the mark of 100,000 citizens, and in 2016, it reached the mark of 150000 citizens.
Migrant communities
Salzburg is home to large German, Bosnian, Serbian, and Romanian communities.
Inspired by Vincenzo Scamozzi, Prince-Archbishop Wolf Dietrich von Raitenau began to transform the medieval town to the architectural ideals of the late Renaissance. Plans for a massive cathedral by Scamozzi failed to materialize upon the fall of the archbishop. A second cathedral planned by Santino Solari rose as the first early Baroque church in Salzburg. It served as an example for many other churches in Southern Germany and Austria. Markus Sittikus and Paris von Lodron continued to rebuild the city with major projects such as Hellbrunn Palace, the prince archbishop's residence, the university buildings, fortifications, and many other buildings. Giovanni Antonio Daria managed by order of Prince Archbishop Guido von Thun the construction of the residential well. Giovanni Gaspare Zuccalli, by order of the same archbishop, created the Erhard and the Kajetan church in the south of the town. The city's redesign was completed with buildings designed by Johann Bernhard Fischer von Erlach, donated by Prince Archbishop Johann Ernst von Thun.
After the era of Ernst von Thun, the city's expansion came to a halt, which is the reason why there are no churches built in the Rococo style. Sigismund von Schrattenbach continued with the construction of "Sigmundstor" and the statue of holy Maria on the cathedral square. With the fall and division of the former "Fürsterzbistum Salzburg" (Archbishopric) to Upper Austria, Bavaria (Rupertigau) and Tyrol (Zillertal Matrei) began a long period of urban stagnancy. This era didn't end before the period of promoterism (Gründerzeit) brought new life into urban development. The builder dynasty Jakob Ceconi and Carl Freiherr von Schwarz filled major positions in shaping the city in this era.[34]
Classical modernism and post-war modernism
Buildings of classical modernism and in particular, post-war modernism is frequently encountered in Salzburg. Examples are the Zahnwurzen house (a house in the Linzergasse 22 in the right center of the old town), the "Lepi" (public baths in Leopoldskron) (built 1964), and the original 1957 constructed congress-center of Salzburg, which was replaced by a new building in 2001. An important and famous example of the architecture of this era is the 1960 opening of the Großes Festspielhaus by Clemens Holzmeister.
Contemporary architecture
Adding contemporary architecture to Salzburg's old town without risking its UNESCO World Heritage status is problematic. Nevertheless, some new structures have been added: the Mozarteum at the Baroque Mirabell Garden (Architecture Robert Rechenauer),[35] the 2001 Congress House (Architecture: Freemasons), the 2011 Unipark Nonntal (Architecture: Storch Ehlers Partners), the 2001 "Makartsteg" bridge (Architecture: HALLE1), and the "Residential and Studio House" of the architects Christine and Horst Lechner in the middle of Salzburg's old town (winner of the architecture award of Salzburg 2010).[36][37] Other examples of contemporary architecture lie outside the old town: the Faculty of Science building (Universität Salzburg – Architecture Willhelm Holzbauer) built on the edge of free green space, the blob architecture of Red Bull Hangar-7 (Architecture: Volkmar Burgstaller[38]) at Salzburg Airport, home to Dietrich Mateschitz's Flying Bulls and the Europark Shopping Centre. (Architecture: Massimiliano Fuksas)
Districts
Districts of Salzburg
Salzburg has twenty-four urban districts and three extra-urban populations.
Urban districts (Stadtteile):
Salzburg is a tourist favorite, with the number of visitors outnumbering locals by a large margin in peak times. In addition to Mozart's birthplace noted above, other notable places include:
Skiing is an attraction during winter. Salzburg has no skiing facilities, but it is a gateway to skiing areas to the south. During the winter, its airport receives charter flights from around Europe.
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756–1791), the composer, was born and raised in Salzburg when it was part of the Prince-Archbishopric of Salzburg within the Holy Roman Empire; he was employed as a musician at the archbishopal court from 1773 to 1781. His house of birth and residence are tourist attractions. His family is buried in a small church graveyard in the old town, and there are many monuments to "Wolferl" in the city.[43]
Ignaz Assmayer (1790–1862), an Austrian composer of liturgical music.[44]
Joseph Mohr (1792–1848), a Roman Catholic priest and writer, born in Salzburg. He wrote the text to "Silent Night", music by Franz Xaver Gruber, and they performed it for the first time on Christmas Eve 1818.[45]
King Otto of Greece (1815–1867), was born Prince Otto Friedrich Ludwig of Bavaria at Mirabell Palace, a few days before the city reverted from Bavarian to Austrian rule.[46]
Hans Makart (1840–1884), the influential Austrian painter-decorator was born locally. Makartplatz (Makart Square) is named in his honour.[47]
Irma von Troll-Borostyani (1847–1912), an Austrian writer, journalist, and campaigner for women's rights
Ludwig Hans Fischer (1848-1915), a landscape painter, copper engraver, etcher and ethnologist.[48]
Theodor Herzl (1860–1904), an Austro-Hungarian Jewish journalist and political activist who was the father of modern political Zionism. He worked in the courts in Salzburg after he earned his law degree in 1884.[49]
Georg Trakl (1887–1914), an important voice in German Expressionism literature was born 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.
Stefan Zweig (1881–1942), writer, lived in Salzburg for about 15 years, until 1934.
Hilda Crozzoli (1900-1972), Austria's first female architect and civil engineer
Herbert von Karajan (1908–1989), notable orchestral conductor was born in Salzburg and died locally in Anif.
Franz Krieger (1914–1993), businessman and photographer, born in Salzburg
Thomas Bernhard (1931–1989), novelist, playwright and poet was raised in Salzburg, spent part of his life there.
The Salzburg Festival is a famous music and theatre festival that attracts visitors during July and August each year. A smaller Salzburg Easter Festival is held around Easter each year.
The Europrix multimedia award takes place in Salzburg.
Salzburg Hauptbahnhof is served by comprehensive rail connections, with frequent east–west trains serving Vienna, Munich, Innsbruck, and Zürich, including daily high-speed ICE services. North–south rail connections also serve popular destinations such as Venice and Prague. The city acts as a hub for southbound trains through the Alps into Italy.
In the main city, there is the Salzburg trolleybus system and bus system with a total of more than 20 lines, and service every 10 minutes. Salzburg has an S-Bahn system with four Lines (S1, S2, S3, S11), trains depart from the main station every 30 minutes, and they are part of the ÖBB network. Suburb line number S1 reaches the world-famous Silent Night chapel in Oberndorf in about 25 minutes.
Salzburg is the setting for the Austrian crime series Stockinger and an Austrian-German television crime drama series Der Pass.
In the 2010 film Knight & Day, Salzburg serves as the backdrop for a large portion of the film.
Language
Austrian German is widely written and differs from Germany's standard variation only in some vocabulary and a few grammar points. Salzburg belongs to the region of Austro-Bavarian dialects, in particular Central Bavarian.[50] It is widely spoken by young and old alike although professors of linguistics from the Universität Salzburg, Irmgard Kaiser, and Hannes Scheutz, have seen over the past few years a reduction in the number of dialect speakers in the city.[51][52] Although more and more school children are speaking standard German, Scheutz feels it has less to do with parental influence and more to do with media consumption.[53]
After Red Bull had bought the SV Austria Salzburg and changed its name and team colors, some supporters of the club decided to leave and form a new club with the old name and old colors, wanting to preserve the traditions of their club. The reformed SV Austria Salzburg was founded in 2005 and at one point played in the Erste Liga, only one tier below the Bundesliga. However, in recent years they have struggled to climb back up to the Austrian second tier and since 2019 they compete in the Regionalliga Salzburg in the Austrian Football third tier.
Ice-hockey
Red Bull also sponsors the local ice hockey team, the EC Salzburg Red Bulls. The team plays in the Erste Bank Eishockey Liga, an Austria-headquartered cross-border league featuring the best teams from Austria, Hungary, Slovenia, Croatia, and Italy, as well as one Czech team.
^Hörburger, Franz (1982). Reiffenstein, Ingo; Ziller, Leopold (eds.). Salzburger Ortsnamenbuch [Toponyms of Salzburg] (in German) (Ingo ed.). Salzburg: Gesellschaft für Salzburger Landeskunde. pp. 32, 55.
^"St. Erentrude, Virgin, of Austria". Englewood, New Jersey: Antiochian Orthodox Christian Archdiocese of North America. Archived from the original on 19 August 2023. Retrieved 19 August 2023.
^Heinz Dopsch; Hans Spatzenegger (1984). Geschichte Salzburgs (in German). Vol. I/1. Salzburg: Universitäts-Verlag Pustet. pp. 437–462. ISBN3-7025-0197-5.
^Megargee, Geoffrey P. (2009). The United States Holocaust Memorial Museum Encyclopedia of Camps and Ghettos 1933–1945. Volume I. Indiana University Press, United States Holocaust Memorial Museum. pp. 538–539. ISBN978-0-253-35328-3.
^"Salzburg Climate Normals for 1961-1990". ncei.noaa.gov (TXT). National Oceanic and Atmosoheric Administration. Retrieved 16 February 2024. WMO Station Number: 11150
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