Salzburg is Austria’s 4th biggest city. Only Vienna, Graz and Linz have more citizens. It is one of the smaller provinces but it is one of the most important for the tourism industry. The old town of Salzburg is an UNESCO World Cultural Heritage Site. Hundreds and thousands of visitors from all over the world visit the ”Small Paradise” of Salzburg throughout the year. Salzburg as a holiday destination is equally popular in winter and summer.
Salzburg lies on both banks of the
Salzach River, at the point where it is pinched between two mountains, the Kapuzinerberg on one side, the Monchsberg on the other. In broader view are many
beautiful Alpine peaks. If you’ve seen the movie The Sound of Music, you may think you know all there is to see in Salzburg. Admittedly, it’s tough not to burst into song when you’re walking along the Salzach River, or climbing up to the Hohensalzburg fortress which looms over the city. But there’s a lot more to this compact, courtly city than Julie Andrews and
Mozart’s birthplace…
Salzburg’s Altstadt (old town), on the south bank of the river, is a Baroque fiesta of churches, plazas, courtyards and fountains, oozing the waves of charm that you would expect from this Mozart Mecca.
Museums, houses, squares, chocolate bars and liqueurs are all part of one giant homage to Wolfgang.
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, the city’s most famous son, represents the high point of the classical musical tradition. This tradition is still fostered nowadays - Salzburg Festival, which, since it was founded in 1920, annually attracts thousands of art and culture lovers from all over the world to Salzburg. One of the most important annual attractions is of course the performance on the Cathedral Square of the mystery play
“Jedermann” (Everyman) against the overwhelming background of
Salzburg Cathedral.The city will be one of the eight host cities in the
2008 European Football Championships.
