Salzburg is Austria’s fourth-largest city, but it feels more like a large town—an impression that continues when viewed from the mountains that surround it. I almost always try to find a high viewpoint for pictures. Salzburg offers two, each with a view of the other.
One the houses in that row of pastel-painted 16th-century buildings on Gstättengasse above is now actually a false front; it hides the entrance to a short tunnel and a tall elevator that carry visitors up through the Mönchsberg, or Monk’s Mountain, to Salzburg’s museum of modern art, and a cafe and terrace with views over the town and river.
I was there on a misty morning, but even so it was easy to see that Salzburg is a sea of churches, reflecting its centuries-long role as capital of a state ruled by a prince-bishop. Above the old town, the Hohensalzburg Fortress, built starting in 1077 by the Archbishop of Salzburg. It is one of the largest medieval castles in Europe.
The views were clearer in the afternoon by the time I arrived at the fortress itself for another view down. There are several ways to walk up to the fortress, but like most visitors, I took the funicular. The last time I took it, more than 60 years ago, it wasn’t electrified; it was a counterweight system in which enough water was added under the car at the top to pull the weight of the passengers in the lower car to the top.
From the fortress, a view of the Museum der Moderne and Gstättengasse. The tower behind the museum isn’t the medieval fortification you might think; it’s a former water tower built in 1892 and now housing museum offices, education spaces and an artist’s studio.
From the fortress, there’s a clear view of both the Old Town on the near side of the Salzach river, including the massive Baroque cathedral and the newer area on the other side.
The cathedral faces a closed square of church buildings; the square is entered through arches next to the towers. Almost back to back with the cathedral is the unusually-proportioned Franziskanerkirche, or Franciscan Church.
It’s such a beautiful city. I was there during the holidays and the Christmas markets.