Salzburg Fortress

Salzburg Fortress (Hohensalzburg Fortress) dominates the city and is one of the largest and best preserved medieval castles in Europe. The magnificent edifice you see today started as a simple Bailey with a wooden wall in 1077. Its purpose was to protect the interests of the already powerful archbishops of Salzburg. It was expanded over the following centuries with the main walls and towers built in 1462. The external bastions you can see today were added in the 17th century. You can access the fortress either by a rather steep climb from the centre of the town or take the funicular railway. There has been a railway up into the castle since the early 1500s. This makes it one of the oldest operational railways in the world!

A visit to the fortress is a must and will transport you into a different world. It consists of various wings and courtyards and in addition to the state rooms of the Archbishops. You can also visit the Puppet Museum and see the Salzburg Bull. This is a large aerophon of more than 200 pipes that was built in 1502 and still played every day.

At the front of the fortress you will have magnificent views over the city. At the rear you can see down the Salzach valley right down to the mountains at the Salzach Gap You will have a grandstand view of Salzburg’s own mountain, the Untersberg, which rises to over 6,000 ft.