Salzburg: a city between Baroque and Mozart

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Salzburg, capital of the homonymous region, is the fourth largest city in Austria. The city has almost one hundred and fifty thousand inhabitants and is located on the banks of the Salzach River, on the northern borders of the Alpine chain.

The name of the city which means “Salt Castle” refers to the importance that salt has had over the centuries. Salt was in fact the main economic resource of the Salzburg area especially in medieval times. Salzburg called at the time Juvavum was, starting from 45 AD, a Roman municipality in the province of Noricum. In the Christian era a monastery was founded there, then starting from the 8th century the town, thanks to a donation from the Duke of Bavaria, became the property of the bishops. it was therefore an archdiocese with jurisdiction over Bavaria and much of today’s Austria.

Salzburg has managed to preserve an extraordinary urban fabric, developed during the period between the Middle Ages and the nineteenth century during which it was a city-state governed by a prince-archbishop. His Gothic-Flamboyant art attracted many craftsmen and artists. Even before being transformed, through the work of Italian architects Vincenzo Scamozzi and Santino Solari, into the jewel of Baroque architecture that we can still admire today. Salzburg has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1996.

Salzburg is best known worldwide for the beauty of its Baroque architecture. But also thanks to the scenic layout of the city along the Salzach River, and to the fact that Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart was born in this city in 1756. In 1996, UNESCO declared the entire historic center on the two banks of the Salzach River “World Cultural Heritage of Humanity”.

HOW TO GET TO SALZBURG

Car: Salzburg is located in central-northern Austria and can be easily reached from Italy via the Brenner or Tarvisio motorways. The city is located a few kilometers from the German border and is easily accessible from Munich, which is about 150 km away.

Salzburg Airport (Salzburg Airport W. A. Mozart) is the second largest airport in Austria. This airport is located about 3 km from the city center. To reach Salzburg it is also possible to fly to Vienna or Munich, whose airports are well served by flights with several European cities, and well connected by trains to Salzburg. From Vienna there are also flights to Salzburg.

Bus: Eurolines and Flixbus have direct connections from several European cities to Innsbruck (Eisstadion) and Salzburg (Lastenstrasse).

Train: Salzburg is located on the Westbahn railway line that connects it with Vienna, other railway connections (Eurocity, Intercity and Interregional) are those with Innsbruck, Klagenfurt, Zurich and Munich. There are numerous railway connections with Italy and Germany. The central station is only a 15-minute walk from the city center, and is served by numerous public transport buses.

GETTING AROUND: URBAN TRANSPORT OF SALZBURG

Salzburg has an excellent urban transport network consisting of buses and trolley buses with over 20 lines and a frequency of one ride every 10 minutes. In the city there is also a suburban system called S-Bahn with 4 lines (S1, S2, S3, S11), trains leave from the main station every 30 minutes.

Very useful for tourists is the Salzburg Card which allows free use of city buses for 24, 48 or 72 hours, as well as entry to many museums and attractions in the city.

Park + Ride: For those arriving by car in the city the Park + Ride formula is interesting: park your car in one of the Park + Ride car parks and use the public transport at special rates to get to the city center. There are two Park + Ride car parks: Messezentrum (3,400 parking spaces), north of the city, at exit 291 of the A1 “Messezentrum” highway. Salzburg Süd, south of the city, at the Süd exit (8) of the motorway.

The central area of the city is easily explored on foot.

Tourist attractions: what to see.

The climate: when to go.

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