Salzburg
From Wikipedia,
the free encyclopedia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Salzburg.
This page provides information about the city of Salzburg.
For the surrounding state of Salzburg, see:
Salzburg (state)
Salzburg (population 145,000 in 2003) is a city
in western
Austria and the capital of the federal state of
Salzburg (population 520,000 in 2003). The geographic coordinates of
Salzburg are 47.81 degrees north, 13.04 degrees east.
The
city is well-known for its
baroque
architecture, extensive history, and as a gateway to the
Alps.
Setting
The
city is located on the banks of the
Salzach
river, at the northern boundary of the
Alps
.The backdrop of
mountains to the south contrasts with the rolling plains to the north. The
closest alpine peak - the 1972m
Untersberg -
is only a few kilometers from the city center. The inner city, or old town,
is dominated by its baroque towers and many churches. This area is
surrounded by two smaller mountains, the
Mönchsberg and
Kapuzinerberg.
The city is approximately 150km east of
Munich,
and 300km west of
Vienna.
The first settlements
at Salzburg were apparently begun by the
Celts.
Around
700,
the
Roman
Empire founded
Juvavum on the
site of modern-day Salzburg. Juvavum was an important town of the Roman
province of Noricum. A
Roman
Catholic
diocese was
formed in the town, which later became an archdiocese responsible for
Bavaria.
The economic wealth
of the town during this time was based on
salt-mining.
The salz in the town's name is the German word for salt. The town's river
was a main artery for transporting salt mined in nearby mountains.
Successive archbishop
princes moulded the town, with the most influential being
Wolf
Dietrich who
was largely responsible for the shape of the city today. His influence saw
the creation of the towering Salzburg cathedral, the
Mirabell
Garden, and
other landmarks.
During
World
War II, the
city was lucky not to sustain heavy damage from Allied bombing runs. The
towns bridges and the dome of the cathedral were
demolished, however much of the town's baroque architecture remained intact.
As a result, it is one of the few remaining examples of a town of its style.
In
1965,
the movie
The
Sound of Music
was filmed in Salzburg and
the
state of Salzburg.
The movie was based on the true story of
Maria
von Trapp, a
Salzburg-based nun who took up with an aristocratic family and fled German
occupation. Although the film is relatively unknown to Austrians, the town
draws a large percentage of visitors who wish to relive the movie by
visiting the filming locations.
Salzburg is
considered a tourist favourite, with the number of tourists outnumbering
locals by a large margin in peak times.
The city is serviced
by comprehensive rail connections, with frequent east-west trains servicing
Vienna,
Munich,
Innsbruck, and
Zürich;
including twice-daily high-speed
ICE
services. The city also acts as a hub for south-bound trains through the
Alps into
Italy.
The
Salzburg
Airport has
scheduled flights to key European cities such as
Frankfurt,
Vienna,
London,
Amsterdam and
Zürich.
The
majority of flights, however, are charter flights.
