Sightseeing

When planning a ski trip to Europe I always try to include a couple of days for sightseeing. This is not much of a stretch since you usually have to overnight in your departure city in order to make the morning flight back to the United States. Although many of the outside statues and fountains may be covered for the winter and there may be cleaning work being done to the outside of buildings, European cities still have plenty to offer in the winter. For one thing, they are wonderfully uncrowded during the winter months and for the most part its not actually all that cold in the cities at lower elevations. If you do get cold there is always a great museum, a historic church or a nice restaurant to head into.

Salzburg

We drove south from the ski area past the lake at Zell am See, east for a little bit before picking up the autobahn to head north to Salzburg. This freeway winds through the mountains, has many tunnels, and as such requires a toll sticker. I had received excellent directions from the Salzburg tourist office before leaving Texas so in no time we found ourselves at the center of the city. Unfortunately, I did not head the advice of the guidebook about not driving into the old section of the city. After a few turns, we were hopelessly lost. Luckily, two policemen appeared as we were parking in a small square and they were able to direct us to the underground-parking garage I had planned on parking in. Once on foot the city was much easier to explore. Salzburg is called the "Florence of the North" and its treasures are many. It is well known as the birthplace of Mozart and the former home of a young novice named Maria, but this city was also the home for the powerful Archbishop princes of Bavaria and a large merchant community. The largest medieval fortress in Central Europe, the Hohensalzberg, overlooks the city from the atop Monchsberg peak. The Austrian tourist department sells cards for different cities that allow you at a minimum to see the sights, and if you want eat and sleep all for a fixed price. We got one-day cards that included entrance into all of the Salzburg sites and a three-course meal with two beverages (called Salzburg Plus light). As with the ski passes the card if imbedded with a chip or you can buy a commemorative watch and have the information loaded into its chip. The 24 hr card cost about $25 for adults. We started our tour of Salzburg in the Mozartplatz and from there went to the Residenz. The Residenz was a palace for prince-archbishops and was built between 1600 and 1619. The staterooms have been preserved and you can get a peek at how opulently these princes of the church lived. Both the Residenz and the fortress had audio-guides available. These telephone like devices are invaluable if you can read the local language as most labeling will only be in one language. From the Residenz, it's just a short walk to the Dom, the Salzburg's cathedral. The plaza in front of the church is the scene of the annual presentation of Hugo von Hofmannsthal's Everyman. The cathedral is one of the earliest examples of Baroque architecture in Austria. The interior is newer than the original structure and has a simple gray and white theme. Mozart was baptized inside this cathedral and later was the organist here. There are two other large churches in the old center, the Franziskanerkirche with its tall graceful spire and Stift St. Peter where Mozart's Mass in C Minor was first heard. The Franziskanerkirche is notable for the variety of the styles it displays. The nave is Romanesque, the choir Gothic, and the altar Baroque. The interior of St. Peter's church is done in high Baroque. After touring so many beautiful Baroque interiors, I was prepared to go home and learn to work with plaster.

We were lucky, the weather was perfect for our walk around Salzburg, and the views from the Fortress Hohensalzburg were incredible. The Fortress was originally built for Archbishop Gebhard in 1077. The Archbishops who succeeded him gradually enlarged it. The lavish interior rooms are in stark contrast to its forbidding exterior. There's even a torture chamber and a dungeon. A funicular railway, the Festungsbahn, takes you up to the fortress and is included with your Salzburg card or you can take the footpath. From the heights you have a view all of Salzburg, the Salzach river and the mountains. You can also see the Nonnberg Convent where Maria von Trapp once prepared to take her vows. Instead, she married Captain von Trapp at its Gothic church.

Back down in the town we wandered in search of one of the restaurants listed in the guide for the card.

We ate at the Goldener Hirsch on Getreidegasse. The three-course lunch with two glasses of wine was worth the price of the card alone. Getreidegasse is the main shopping street in the Old City and is noted for its wrought-iron shop signs. There is even one for the McDonald's! Also, on this street is the birthplace of Mozart. His family lived here after his birth in January 1756 until 1773 when they moved to a larger home on Hannibal Platz. Many of Mozart's childhood instruments are on display as well as family portraits, letters and manuscripts.

As the sun began to sink lower on the horizon we located the car and headed back to Hinterglemm. On the way we did stop to take photos of another impressive fortress. The Burg Hohenwerfen was never taken in battle. Several fires and reconstructions have altered its appearance since medieval times but it still looks impenetrable. Austria's museum on falconry is housed at the castle and birds of prey glide over the grounds. There are demonstrations during the summer months of falconry. Continued Photos
 

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Last modified: 03/29/05