Salzburg – The City of Mozart
Besides being the fourth largest city of Austria, Salzburg Austria is also the capital of the federal state of Salzburg. Lying on the German border, it faces the Eastern Alps. It’s known as the birthplace of Mozart and setting for the film “The Sound of Music.” The city has three universities and a large population of students. Tourists also frequent the city to tour the city’s historic center and the scenic Alpine surroundings. Its serene beauty besides these factors make it a desirable place to live in.
1. History of Salzburg
Earlier known as Juvavum, the city was awarded the status of a Roman municipium. Juvavum soon declined but took its rebirth in the name of Salzburg. The name Salzburg means “Salt Castle”. The name derives from the barges carrying salt on the Salzach River, which were subject to a toll in the 8th century and was customary for many communities and cities on European rivers. In 1805, Salzburg was annexed to the Austrian Empire, along with the Berchtesgaden Provostry. In 1809, the territory of this city was transferred to the Kingdom of Bavaria after Austria’s defeat at Wagram. At the Congress of Vienna in 1815, Salzburg was definitively returned to Austria. In 1850, Salzburg’s status was once more restored as the capital of the Duchy of Salzburg, a crownland of the Austrian Empire.
2. Night Life in Salzburg
It is a great place for young people and its nightlife has plenty of things to offer. The nightlife in Salzburg is lame and unexciting by international clubbing standards though. There is a night city bus called NachtStern and a night bus called Bus Taxi that depart from various spots in the city centre. The nightlife is an extravaganza of traditional bars and pubs and pseudo bars that look like fancy clubs. The Rudolfskai and Giselakai areas (noisy mainstream bars galore) and Gstättengasse with nearby side-alleys are great places. See the northern part of the Steingasse and the Linzergasse, again with the side-alleys until you get to the so-called Andräviertel and the Bruderhof Court (next to St. Sebastian).
3. Safety in Salzburg
It is a very safe city that you can feel safe walking around in anytime but you could be approached by strings of beggars so be aware. This city, like any other major European City popular with tourists, has its share of pickpockets and vagrants. You can see the vagrants along the historic center of Salzburg. Don’t walk alone at night in an unknown and abandoned area.
4. Living Expenses in Salzburg
The living expenses in this city are pretty expensive. However, the average wage earned by the residents is also more compared to other cities in Austria.
Renting a 3-bedroom apartment in the city centre costs around 1,375.00 € (USD 1503) and nearly 966.67 € (USD 1057) outside the city centre. Hotel tariff can vary. Kolpinghaus offers an overnight room rent of 63.394 € (USD 69) while Alderhof at 73.459 € (USD 80) and so on.
For one who is seeking a luxurious stay in the city you can check out Hotel Schloss Monchstein (267.976 € or USD 292.95), Hotel Goldener Hirsch (174.427 € or USD 191), Bristol Hotel Salzburg (224.140 € or USD 245), Hotel Sacher Salzburg (208.943 € or USD 228) and several others.
5. Cuisines of Salzburg
Breakfast is of the “continental” type, usually consisting of bread rolls with either jam or cold meats and cheese, accompanied by coffee, tea or juice. A mid-morning or mid-afternoon snack of a slice of bread topped with cheese or ham is referred to as a Jause, and a more substantial version akin to a British “Ploughman’s Lunch” is called a Brettljause after the wooden board on which it is traditionally served.
Kasnocken (cheese dumplings) are a popular meal, as are freshwater fish, particularly trout, served in various ways. Salzburger Nockerl (a meringue-like dish) is a well-known local dessert.
6. Statistics of Salzburg
It has a population of approximately 150,000 people that makes it the fourth-biggest city of Austria. The population of this city is 149,478, while that of Province including City is 522,500.
Other numerically significant ethnic groups include Slovenes, Croats, and Czechs. Austrian German and Austro Bavarian are the most spoken languages.
7. Public Transport in Salzburg
The city is served by comprehensive rail connections, with frequent east-west trains serving Vienna, Munich, Innsbruck, and Zurich, including daily high-speed ICE services. The city acts as a hub for south-bound trains through the Alps into Italy.
Salzburg Airport has scheduled flights to European cities such as Frankfurt, Vienna, London and so on.
In the main city, there is the Salzburg trolleybus system. It has an S-Bahn system with four Lines and trains depart every 30 minutes from the station.
Pollution in Salzburg: Transit of cars and lorries has increased tremendously in the past decades. In Salzburg some of the most important North-South routes between Italy and the North of Europe run. The increased mobility of Europeans and the opening of the formerly communist countries in the East has contributed to transport related pollution. Industrial pollution has been a problem ever since. Besides skiing and agriculture causes heavy damage to the Alps. But “Green” parties are being formed to conserve the environment. With a PM 2.5 Level of 32 ppm the city is safe from hazards of air pollution
8. Weather of Salzburg
It is at the Northern edge of the Alps and has a typical Central European climate with hot summers (up to almost 40 degrees Celsius) and cold winters (down to minus 20 degrees Celsius). However, most of the year, it has moderate weather conditions and should not keep you from planning your trip at pretty much anytime. The weather in Salzburg is famously bad – in fact, the so-called “Salzburger Schnürlregen” or “rain in strings” has entered the German language to become something like a proverb. An Austrian proverb that goes well with the weather in Salzburg says that
there is no bad weather – only inappropriate clothing!
Summer: April to June/July. Average Low: 12.3°C. Average High: 23°C
Monsoon: June to August. Average Low: 13°C. Average High: 22°C
Autumn: September/October. Average Low: 5°C. Average High: 14°C
Winter: December to March. Average Low: -5°C. Average High: 3°C
9. Culture of Salzburg
It may surprise some to find out that this city gets more tourists than places like Venice or Florence – it’s been said that there are more tourists in this city than actual residents at any given time.
Every year, the Salzburg Festival draws fans of Mozart and music in droves to this city to listen to beautiful music. It’s hard not to fall in love with this city.
It prides itself on being a destination for culture – the city has even been named a World Heritage Site – probably due in part to the over 4,000 cultural events that take place within its boundaries.
10. Places to visit in Salzburg
Things to do in Salzburg: Eat a Mozartkugel available everywhere in Austria or drink a litre of beer in the Mullner Brau beer garden. Enjoy the music of, not only the Salzburg festival, but also stop by the music university Mozarteum. If you wish to discover the “Salzburg beyond Mozart”, talk to the locals! If you wish to ramble on the hills, attack Mönchsberg and Festungs berg. Listen to the Glockenspiels on Residenz Square. Go to a farm market. Grünmarkt in front of the Kollegienkirche is one of them.
Things to do for Kids in Salzburg: There are many exciting things for kids to do in Salzburg. Salzburg Castle, where real knights lived, is one such exciting place. 
The fortress is the biggest castle in central Europe and the affiliated museum full with all sorts of swords, helmets and other armour. Haus Der Natur is a museum of natural history and Salzburg Museum are other such places which children might just fall in love with! Mirabell gardens and Zwergerl Garten are some fascination guaranteed places to visit. Salzburg Zoo (esp. free-flying griffon vultures), Hellbrunn Trick Fountains and Salzach Cruise are some other exciting ventures.
Museums and Galleries: Many of the museums in Salzburg offer guided tours or special audio tours for children. Some of them even have special children’s programs especially during the summer time. This applies for example to the Museum der Moderne, the Residenzgalerie, the Barock museum, Mozart′s living place and the Dommuseum (Cathedral Museum). The Toy Museum (Spielzeugmuseum) is less kids-friendly than the name would make you expect (more for collectors and friends of old toys), but also does tours and events for kids.
Places Nearby: Anif Castle, located south of the city in Anif, Shrine of Our Lady of Maria Plain, a late Baroque church on the northern edge of Salzburg, Schloss Klessheim, a palace and casino, formerly used by Adolf Hitler, Salzkammergut, an area of lakes east of the city and Salzburg Zoo, located south of the city in Anif are some such places.
Offbeat Places: Mirabell Palace, with its wide gardens full of flowers, St. Sebastian’s cemetery, Schloss Leopoldskron, a rococo palace and national historic monument in Leopoldskron-Moos, a southern district of Salzburg, Hellbrunn with its parks and castles, The Sound of Music tour companies who operate tours of film locations, Hangar-7, a multifunctional building owned by Red Bull, with a collection of historical airplanes, helicopters and Formula One racing cars are some such places located near the old town.
Author’s Conclusion: Salzburg is a tourist favorite, with the number of tourists outnumbering locals by a large margin during peak times. It is one of those quintessential European towns that make you go down the memory lane to the Classic Times and is indeed a city that you ought to visit once!
| Country | Austria |
| City | Salzburg |
| Area | 65.68 sq. km |
| Population | 145,871 (2013) |
| Demonym | Austrian |
| Language | Austrian German, Austro-Bavarian |
| Currency | Euro (1 Euro = USD 1.09) as on 27-02-2016 |
| Time Zone | Central European Time Zone (UTC+01:00) |
| Driving | Left Hand Drive, Right Hand Traffic |
| Helpline | Ambulance-144, Police-133, Mountain Rescue-140, Personal Services-710, 730, 740 |
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