Willkommen in Salzburg

Close your eyes (have someone read this to you) and imagine this.  You walk through a stone tunnel, under a fortress mountain from which the city of Salzburg was literally carved.  You enter the old city - the whole place an UNESCO World Heritage site.  Steeples and domes rise above you, cobblestones at your feet, medieval signs hanging  from above the businesses on Getreidegasse, the most famous street in the city.  The streets are nearly empty, for it is Christmas Eve.

You arrive at the Dom zu Salzburg, or Salzburg Cathedral, first constructed in 774 (that is not a typo), the Bishop's church.  The lights are dim, a choir is singing, the pews are full and quiet.  High Mass begins.  It doesn't matter that it is delivered in German, if you are Catholic the lilt and format is recognizable in any language, and the beauty of the music, of the Baroque around you is breathtaking.  The sermon ends, the Bishop and his attendants start down the center of the church, and the lights dim again.  From a balcony above a lone singer and guitarist emerge and sing the six stanzas of Stille Nacht, Heilige Nacht.  The lights return and everyone exits.  Outside, the Christmas markets darkened, bells ring out from over 40 churches in the city of 150,000 residents filling hearts with joy and love.  It is Christmas Day.

This was our introduction to Salzburg, Austria - a place with a history so long it is almost hard to comprehend.  The history of the Dom is tied into this.  Three gates lead into the Dom, the first dated 774, the year the cathedral was first constructed, the second dated 1668 and the third dated 1959 - but we will get to that.

Salzburg was a church state from 800 to 1800, which is why there are so many Catholic churches in the old town, according to our local tour guide, Kristina. In 1815, Salzburg officially became part of Austria.  In 1816, the poem Stille Nacht was written in Salzburg (also a county).  This was during one of the poorest times in Salzburg's history.

Back to 774 - this is when the first church was built, a wooden one, on the same spot the Dom sits today.   It burned down several times until 1668 with the inauguration of the current High Baroque style church.


The first definition of Baroque in Merriam-Webster's online dictionary is "of, relating to, or having the characteristics of a style of artistic expression prevalent, especially in the 17th century, that is marked generally by use of complex forms, bold ornamentation, and the juxtaposition of contrasting elements often conveying a sense of drama, movement, and tension."  Our guide explained Baroque was designed to impress, that money was not an object (Salzburg literally means Salt Fortress, and back then salt was called the white gold).  Walking into the Dom is walking from dark to light.  In a time before electricity, walking into the Dom, with windows dominating the walls behind the High Altar, this was literally the case. The whole story of the Passion and Resurrection of Jesus Christ is depicted in panels of beautiful art covering the ceiling.  Every Archbishop of the church since 1668 is buried at the Cathedral. It is a wonder.

Getreidegasse on  Christmas Day

Mozart's parents were married in the Dom.  Mozart was born in Salzburg, in an apartment on Getreidegasse, and was baptized at the cathedral on 28 January 1756.  People went to church every day in those times, and Mozart became the Archbishop's organist in Salzburg at a young age.  He also began traveling, with the Archbishop's permission, unbelievable distances, to Munich, Brussels, London - He spent over 3,720 days of his 35 years traveling.  But he had a falling out with the next Archbishop, who decided he wasn't paying Mozart to travel so Mozart left Salzburg for Vienna where he would spend the next 10 years allegedly happier than he had been in his hometown.

Salzburg was spared war for most of its existence, until October 16, 1944 when bombs fell on the Dom, destroying much of the building.   Many people died that day.  Having been lulled into a sense of security due to rumors that the city could not be bombed because of its location in the mountains.  Air raid signals were ignored.  After, people would flee into the tunnels, safe from the bombs.  By 1959, repairs to the Dom were completed, including the third gate, bearing the new date of significance.  Pictures on display at the back of the Cathedral show the dome completely destroyed and the rubble that remained inside.  A powerful reminder of the physical damage done all over Europe during World War II.

Our tour continued outside where Salzburg's fortress, Hohensalzburg, dominates the view.  Building of the fortress started in 1077 and was completed 600 years later.  But it was never needed.  One archbishop hid there in 1525, but the enemy was not foreign powers but local farmers angry about imposed taxes.  The prince archbishop just waited them out until they had to return home to their farms.  He also still imposed the taxes ...  Today you can ride a tram to the top and enjoy a meal in the restaurant (we hear from the Knightlys the burgers are pretty good).

Susie @ Mirabel Gardens

Oh there is so much more, but how much space?  We visited the outside of the Felsenreitschule, literally the Rock Riding School, which since 1926 has been a Festival Hall (and the backdrop for the final singing scene in "The Sound of Music").  The Salzburg Festival sells over 260,000 tickets each summer as people pour in to hear classical music in the most acoustically perfect venues in the world.  We also saw the Mirabell Gardens, where you can see the children singing the "Do-Re-Mi" song in "The Sound of Music", we learned about Mozart's sister, known familiarly as Nannerl, who may have been more talented  than her more famous brother (times being what they were her touring and performing were cut short so she could stay home doing domestic things).   

Elisabeth & Trixie sing Austrian carols

So much to see and so little time.  Our evening concluded  at Haus Wartenberg where we had tremendous Austrian fare in a traditional  pension and restaurant, and enjoyed beautiful music and fellowship together with Elisabeth von Trapp.  Our hosts were so gracious with their time, wine and space and joined us in a final and most beautiful singing of Stille Nacht.  There are no pictures or video that could truly encapsulate what this evening meant to each of us.  A truly spectacular ending to a spectacular trip.

Tomorrow we will tell you about our Viennese Waltzing lesson and the tradition of waltzing in Vienna that continues to this day.  Danke für das Lesen (thank you for reading)!