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Culture & Music in Salzburg

Salzburg - a world class city

 

Salt, the "white gold", originally gave the city its name. Situated on the northern edge of the Alps at the junction of ancient European trade routes, Salzburg is a city steeped in tradition that presents itself in the 21st century as a modern cultural center in the heart of Europe.

 

The facts and figures are as attractive as they are impressive. With a population of only some 147,000, Salzburg has more than 4,000 cultural events per year and some 20 baroque churches. The city's silhouette is unparalleled: Hohensalzburg Fortress, the baroque Cathedral, the Franciscan and Collegiate Church at the foot of the Mönchsberg and the mighty, legendary Untersberg in the distance. A few of the many "musts“on a visit to Salzburg are described below.

 

City history

 

Salzburg was already a significant administrative city during the Roman Age, strategically located at the junction between a major military road and the route connecting north and south. Established at the end of the 7th century, the city was ruled by independent Catholic prince archbishops vested with political power up to the early 19th century. Wealth and affluence can be traced to centuries of trading with salt. Its proceeds allowed Salzburg's rulers to build a city whose Italian flair often caused it to be referred to as the "Rome of the North".

 

Salzburg's most famous son still attracts music fans from around the world to the city. Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, whose birthplace in Getreidegasse is one of the most often photographed buildings, was born in Salzburg on January 27, 1756. Over 350 of his most beautiful pieces were written here, laying the cornerstone for a unique career that made Mozart what he is today: undisputedly the world's most significant and most often played composer, whose music was to open a new chapter in music history. The entire city has celebrated Mozart's 250th birthday in due style last year.

 

Salzburg owes its international fame to the beauty of its picturesque surroundings and the unique charm of its cityscape, prompting UNESCO to list Salzburg's Old City as a World Heritage Site. Today, the city of Salzburg is the seat of a number of secular and ecclesiastical authorities.

 

Salzburg Festival

 

"Each square, each road here seems to have been designed as the stage for a play.

 

The atmosphere in Salzburg is permeated with beauty, drama and art …“, exclaimed Max Reinhard, theater director and principal founder of the Salzburg Festival.

 

Max Reinhard's dream of turning the entire city into a stage came true in 1920, just after the end of World War I. He founded the Salzburg Festival together with a number of local Salzburg artists and intellectuals including Richard Strauss, Hermann Bahr, Franz Schalk and the poet Hugo von Hofmannsthal, giving the city of Salzburg a decisive boost towards internationalization that has lasted to this day. Jedermann (Everyman) – the first play performed at the Festival – is still a vital part of one of Europe's most sophisticated music festivals.

 

The world-famous conductor, Herbert von Karajan, born April 5, 1908 in Salzburg, founded the Easter Festival in 1967 and the Whitsun Festival in 1973, drawing thousands of art and culture aficionados to the high-caliber events year after year.

 

Culture, economy and science

 

Salzburg offers a cultural program with over 4,000 events all year round. Mozart Week rings in the year of music in January, followed by the Easter, Whitsun and Summer Festivals. Culture Days are offered during the month of October. A jazz festival has been held at the beginning of November for several years and the romantic end of the year is accompanied by Advent Singing at the Large Festival Hall and a number of other traditional concerts and events.

 

With some 12,000 students in the city, Salzburg is also a university city (Paris Lodron University, Mozarteum University) as well as a health spa and conference city. The new Congress Center in the heart of the city was opened in 2001, offering state-of-the-art congress facilities stretching over 15,000 m2.

 

Salzburg's international standing is shown by the fact that Salzburg has the second most consular agencies – after the capital of Vienna. The cooperation between the government and the consular agencies is very close, handling official business as well as providing mutual assistance for scientific, economic and tourist activities.

 

The city's central location and convenient traffic connections make it a popular tourist destination. Last year as many as 6.8 million visitors were counted. The overall economic impact adds up to more than 450 million euros and comprises roughly 25 % of the gross national product. The tourist branch accounts for approx. 7,500 jobs in the city. Salzburg is the seat of the European Academy of Science. The famous painter, Oskar Kokoschka, founded the "School of Vision“in Salzburg, also known as the "International Summer Academy“. Humanist Talks have been held in Salzburg for decades and are renowned far beyond its borders.