OVERVIEW:
Salzburg is a city in central Austria, near the German/Bavarian border with a population of some 148,000 in 2005. 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 is the fourth-largest city in Austria and the capital of the federal state of Salzburg. It's "Old Town" with its world famous baroque architecture is one of the best-preserved city centers in the German-speaking world, and was listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1997.
The name Salzburg literally means "Salt Castle", and derives its name from the barges carrying salt on the Salzach river, which were subject to a toll in the 8th century.
Salzburg is on the banks of the Salzach river, at the northern boundary of the Alps. The mountains to Salzburg's south contrast with the rolling plains to the north. The closest alpine peak – the 1972 m Untersberg – is only a few kilometers from the city center. The Altstadt, or "old town", is dominated by its baroque towers and churches and the massive Festung Hohensalzburg. This area is surrounded by two smaller mountains, the Mönchsberg and Kapuzinerberg as the green lung of the city. Salzburg is approximately 150 km east of Munich, Germany, and 300 km west of Vienna.
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