What do I know and find interesting about this city?
So a little about Salzburg itself, The name means Salt Castle. The name Salzburg refers to both the Province and the city. There are nine Provinces in total, I live directly in the city of Salzburg and I have to say it is a beautiful and quiet city. I believe it’s a perfect place if you love art, music and nature and it has lots of churches and this is my observation. For most people, if you mention Salzburg, the first thing that comes to mind is Mozart and that is normal for many because this is the birthplace of the man himself, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and if you have interest in him then you might wanna check out Mozarts Geburtshaus site for all the information you need.
Back to all about Salzburg, I got carried away with Mr Mozart for a moment. It has a population of a little over 151 000, comes in Second after Vienna in terms of popularity. Surrounded by big beautiful mountains at all corners. It’s also located in the middle of the lake region, which means you could drive an hour in any given direction and you will find a lake.
It’s quite an old place rich with history and culture, founded by the Celtics and at some point became an independent church-state, and this is where one of the oldest cathedrals in Salzburg comes in, known as the Salzburger-dom, Salzburg cathedral founded in c. 774 by Saint Rupert.
There is Stiegl Brauwelt, this is one of the oldest and largest private breweries in Salzburg, maybe even Austria but don’t quote me on that, in my opinion, they have the tastiest Grapefruit Radler I’ve ever tasted and the longer I stay in Salzburg, it seems I’m slowly growing a preference to the Radler than my usual G&T. This place has a nice atmosphere with some of the nicest waiters and have a great selection on beers and let’s not forget the great food. You can try out some Austrian dishes, My favourite and go-to meal is Schweinsbraten vom Bauch und Schopf mit Semmelknödel, Speckkrautsalat & Stiegl-Weisse Saftl. Doesn’t it look absolutely mouth-watering?
The best thing I love about this place is that the airport is pretty much in the centre of the city. I have a favourite skate park that I visit often with my son and there we get to watch aeroplanes take off and land and that for me is the coolest thing, just because I don’t get to see this often when I’m in South Africa. I also love that they have somehow managed to find a way to integrate the mountains into modern city life. You could be taking a short hike on what seems to be a natural route and look down to see everyday city life buzzing on. I think that has to be the coolest thing ever and that is an unusual thing for me to be so into nature and walks.
Here’s a fun fact for you: Salzburg has some of the purest water you can find in the world, in some instances one might say it’s purer than bottled water in some countries. Water comes directly from the spring in the mountains. How amazing is that?
I have visited a few places and still have a lot more to check out but so far these are the places I have enjoyed visiting, I plan to make the list longer and do a “typical tourist” outing. I am just excited about what else I will discover.
- Mirabell Palace and its Gardens, they are to die for. Schloss-Mirabell.
- Take a stroll through history at the Festung HohenSalzburg Fortress.
- Nature, science, history, interactive games, This place has it all Hausdernatur.
- Beautiful views of Salzburg from up top, I had an amazing experience on Gaisberg. The mountains here are majestic.
That’s all for now, I will update you more as time goes by. As the locals say, Aufwiderschauen!
