June 16, 2023 - Austria
Saltzburg Town

"In about 700 AD, a Bavarian duke summoned Bishop Rupert (later St. Rupert) to help Christianize the area, and it was Rupert who founded Salzburg and its first church/monastery.  For centuries, Salzburg remained an independent city-state, ruled by prince-archbishops -- a cross between a king and a pope, but less powerful than either one.  Salzburg's mighty fortress -- looming protectively over the city -- helped deter invaders.  At its peak, Salzburg controlled a sizable autonomous state.  Its power was funded by salt -- the "white gold" of the day.  Napoleon finally put an end to Salzburg's independence in 1803 (they handed him the keys to the fortress without putting up a fight).  Then, after the fall of Napoleon, Salzburg became part of Austria and was ruled by Vienna." -- Rick Steves

Our hotel was on the northeast side of the Salzach River, but a short walk to the Old Town which is on the southwest side of the river.  To get to Old Town, we could walk through pretty Mirabell Gardens.
   
Looking south.  Fortress Hohensalzburg is visible on the hill in the distance.
   
 
   
The gardens were made accessible to the public under Emperor Franz Joseph I of Austria. Up to today, it is one of the most popular tourist attractions in Salzburg. Several scenes from The Sound of Music were filmed here. Maria and the children sing 'Do-Re-Mi' while dancing around the Pegasus fountain and using the steps as a musical scale.
   

That's Mirabell Palace on the left.
   
Lynnette re-enacting a scene from Sound of Music.
   
Lynnette likes the arbor.
   
 
   

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A good look at one side of the square Mirabell Palace.  The palace was built about 1606 on the shore of the Salzach river north of the medieval city walls , at the behest of Prince-Archbishop Wolf Dietrich Raitenau.

The palace was rebuilt in a lavish Baroque style from 1721 to 1727.
   
The southern entrance to the park.
   
 
   
Notice Hohensalzburg Fortress is perfectly centered up high in the distance.
   
 
   

Salzburg is the fourth-largest city in Austria. In 2020, it had a population of 156,872.

This is the Saltzburg Congress building.   Basically it's a conference center.
   
Looking southeast as we cross the Salzach River into the Old City.
 
"The Salzach is called "salt river" not because it's salty, but because of the precious cargo it once carried.  The salt mines of Hallein are 12 miles upstream.  For 2,000 years, barges carried salt from here to the wider world -- to the Danube, the Black Sea, and on to the Mediterranean.  As barges passed through, they had to pay a toll on their salt."  -- Rick Steves
   
The old city in the background with the fortress towering overhead.
   
Looking northwest down the Salzach.
   
We did the Rick Steves walking tour,  starting off with the Mozartplatz courtyard, best known for its memorial statue of composer Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, who was born in Saltzburg in 1756 and spent most of his first 25 years here.
   

Mozart showed prodigious ability from his earliest childhood. Already competent on keyboard and violin, he composed from the age of five and performed before European royalty.    Despite his short life -- he died at age 35 of an unknown illness -- his rapid pace of composition resulted in more than 800 works of virtually every Western classical genre of his time. Many of these compositions are acknowledged as pinnacles of the symphonic, concertante, chamber, operatic, and choral repertoire. Mozart is widely regarded as among the greatest composers in the history of Western music, with his music admired for its "melodic beauty, its formal elegance and its richness of harmony and texture".

The statue's likeness is considered poor.
   

Next we hit the Residenzplatz or Square, a 16th-century square centering on a baroque fountain, used for music & sporting events.

That's the Saltzburg Cathedral on the left and the Residenz straight ahead.

The Residenz was the palace of Salzburg's powerful ruler, the prince-archbishop.  Notice how the Residenz and Cathedral are connected so the prince-archbishop had an easy walk. 
 
   
Side view of the Cathedral.
   
Closeup of the fountain in the Residenzplatz.
   

An archbishop stands guard at the Cathedral entrance.

The first church was built here in 774 and destroyed by fire in 1167.  It was rebuilt then burned again in 1598.  It was replaced in 1628 by the Cathedral pictured here.
   
Next we came to Kapitelplatz with its giant chessboard and a modern sculpture of a man atop a golden orb.
   
The Fortress really looms over the Old Town.
   
ZZZ
   
Waterwheels like this once pounded grain into flour to make bread.  We bought warm and freshly-baked rolls in a bakery next to the waterwheel.
   
Entering the colorful grounds of St. Peter's Cemetery.
   
One of three churches in close proximity to the cemetery.
   
In The Sound of Music, remember the scene where the von Trapp family hid in the cemetery from the Germans?  Although the scene was not filmed here -- it was filmed on a Hollywood set -- this area right here did inspire the movie.
   
Here, gravesites are rented, not owned.  Rent bills are sent out every 10 years.  Don't pay your rent, your tombstone is removed.  Family members keep the grave sites so pretty.
   
A sheer rock cliff of the Monchsberg -- Salzburg's mountain -- overlooks the cemetery.
   
 
   
We checked out Getreidgasse, the Old Town's main drag.  It's been a center of trade since Roman times.  Mozart was born on this street, in a house similar to the yellow one.  
   
Lots of stores and places to eat and drink.
   
Oh look, there's even an American Embassy.
   
A Catholic Church sits at the end of the Getreidgasse.
   
A close-up of the St. Blaise's church. Its roots go back to the 12th century.
   
Looking north at the Salzach River from the Old Town side.
   
Now looking south.
   
Locks attached to bridge railings.  It's a thing in Europe.
   
 
   
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