By Patrick Griffin.
If you didn’t know that the Austrian city of Salzburg was the birthplace of 18th Century composer Mozart then you soon will as soon as you get there.
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart was born at 9 Getreidegasse on January 27, 1756 and as this just so happens to be the number one commercial and tourist street in the whole of the city it is impossible to miss Mozart’s old family home which now houses the Mozart Museum.
In fact he is impossible to miss full stop. His name, his picture and his music is used extensively throughout Salzburg as promotional materials.
Mozart's birth house
Get your Mozart balls here
You can buy Mozart confectionary – including the best-selling Mozart chocolate balls (I kid you not) – Mozart perfume, Mozart stationery, assorted Mozart-themed souvenirs, eat in the Cafe Mozart, shop for discount Mozart antiques (whatever they may be) and carry all your purchases home in a brightly coloured Mozart shopping bag.
Don’t forget to wear buy your souvenir Mozart t-shirt, listen to your new-found favourite Mozart CD and pick up one of the many Mozart books to read when you return home.
There is also Mozart’s residence to see, as well as Mozart Square which features the Mozart Memorial Statue, the Mozart Footbridge…well I could go on but I think you get the idea by now.
On my short day-trip to Salzburg the Getreidegasse was busy enough with shoppers but it was still too early to find too many tourists in the city so it was easy to get around without any queues.
In a world where one city’s main shopping street has come to look much the same as another’s to the point where it is often difficult to tell them apart, Salzburg could not be more different. Just one glimpse of the Getreidegasse and you know you are somewhere unique.
Modern neon lighted shop signs are few and far between here as wrought iron shop signs which originated in the Middle Ages still have pride of place. These partially guilded overhead signs extend far out into the street and feature many elaborate signs and symbols from a time where people were illiterate and relied on these symbols to mark the different shops.
Wrought iron shop signs...a throwback from the Middle Ages.
I am not the greatest fan of window shopping in the world but it is impossible to walk along this street and fail to be impressed. While new visitors to New York often stop without warning to marvel at the tall sky-scrapers, those who are new to Salzburg can also been seen gazing upwards at these wrought iron advertising masterpieces.
If anything they may be just that little bit too eye-catching as I found myself spending more time looking at the ironwork than at the shop windows they were there to advertise.
The Hohensalzburg Fortress even stands out for all to see on a foggy day
There had been recent snow and mounds of snow which had turned to ice but not melted could be seen here and there.
The day was cold and much of the morning foggy but this did not detract from the wonderful sights of this fascinating city with its medieval fortress, courtyards, narrow streets and lush green foothills.
If anything I was a little disappointed that it wasn’t still snowing as Salzburg would look even more stunning than it already does in the snow.
If references to Mozart are hard to miss in Salzburg then the imposing Hohensalzburg Fortress is impossible to miss and you really should not leave before taking a tour of what is the largest fully-preserved fortress anywhere in central Europe.
It was built in 1077 and was extended in the late 15th and early 16th Centuries and boasts the proud record of never being defeated by enemy troops – although many tried and failed to breach its defenses.
If you are planning a visit this month (March 2011) then be prepared for a rather strenuous climb up to this fortress (there is a reason it was never defeated by the enemy) as the funicular cable railway is currently closed for repairs. However it is back open again next month so if you don’t fancy the climb up the hill to the fortress delay your journey until the railway reopens from April.
View of Salzburg from Hohensalzburg Fortress
Climb to Hohensalzburg Fortress...it can be hard going but is worth it (there is also the funicular as well)
To find out more about Salzburg then check out http://www.salzburg.info/en/
PG
