Salzburg is a beautiful small city in Austria that is visited by thousands of people every year who are drawn to its scenery, amazing gardens and all the medieval architecture that sets this city apart from the rest. Salzburg is located north of the Alps and is considered the grand jewel of baroque due to its amazing medieval buildings. Another thing that makes the city of Salzburg so famous is the fact that Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, one of the world’s most famous and influential musical composers of all times, was born and lived here for several years. The city was named as a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1997 due to its museums, churches, cathedrals and traditionally preserved streets.
Image courtesy of Brandon Burns at Flickr.com
Castles and Gardens
Castles surround this colorful city and numerous gardens that make you feel like going out for a stroll. The Mirabell Palace is a popular place filled with amazing gardens and has an amazingly preserved ballroom made out of marble that is a favorite amongst couples wishing to get married at this magical place. Another well-known location is the Hellbrunn Palace, located in the south side of the city. The Hellbrunn Palace is famous for its gardens adorned with beautiful fountains.
Salzburg Zoo
The zoo houses animal species from every corner of the planet, foreign and domestic in especially designed enclosures that ensure the animal’s well being. The park’s mission is to divide their tours so guest feel as they are traveling through different ecosystems, like the “African” experience for example that holds white rhinos, lions and guineafowls; as well as the “Americas” zone with otters, gophers, bears and many other animals form the new continent. Visiting hours are 9:00 AM to 4:30 PM during the months of January and February and from 9:00 AM to 4:30 PM in March. The rest of the year, visitors can enjoy the zoo from 9:00 AM to 9:00 PM. The Salzburg Zoo is open 365 days a year.
Mozart’s birthplace
Located on Getreidegasse Street is the home where Mozart was born. He lived in this residence during the first 17 years of his life. The house is painted bright yellow on the outside and is impossible to miss. In the inside you can find elements that are considered patrimony of Salzburg and that represent a great part of the city and obviously the life of Mozart himself. Some of these objects are replicas while many originals still remain here as well. Examples of these objects are a small violin Mozart used to play as a child and buttons that belong to one of his coats.
The museum is a stop you cannot miss if you visit Salzburg, especially if you love music because you can enjoy one of the many events that take place in this wonderful museum.
The house has been remodeled a few times during the past decades in order to create more space for visitors and due to normal wear of the facilities.
The second floor of the house contains models and dioramas displaying some of the scenarios in which Mozart was present with his music.
Visiting hours are 9:00 AM to 6:00 PM everyday.
Marionette Museum
This is the ideal place for fans of classic marionettes or those wanting to see something completely original and unique and enjoy a show. Historical marionettes are exhibited here, all of them showing different characteristics that set them apart from the rest.
The place is famous for presenting a marionette play every year; paying homage to the opera by Mozart, “The Magic Flute”.
Puppets can also be seen here and the souvenir shop is filled with many great items to remember your trip. Marionettes and other dolls of all sizes can be found here so you can take a wonderful gift back home that you cannot find anywhere else in the world.
Another interesting aspect of the museum that is worth mentioning is the large collection of weapons and war artifacts dating back to the Turk domination of the territory before World War II. Things like medals, uniforms, documents and even devices used for torture can be found in display here.
Millions of visitors that have come and spend time here at Salzburg can’t be wrong, so is your turn to travel and see this small beautiful city that has a higher per-capita ratio of visitors than Venice and Florence. Salzburg is in fact one of the busiest places in all of Europe all year round and most people haven’t even heard of this magical city.
Image courtesy of jaime.silva at Flickr.com – Museum der Moderne
For a great place to stay, check out the CLC Alpine Centre right in the beautiful countryside of Salzburg. A first class recommendation by us here at Royal Holiday Destinations. For more articles about the best locations in all of Europe, check out our blog.