Our apologies: your internet browser is not yet fully supported by our Schmap online guides. If you continue, pages in this guide may display or function incorrectly.

Would you like to continue anyway?continue anyway

Schmap.com supports the following browsers:

PC

MAC Salzburg - Historical Background
Download the Schmap Salzburg Guide
With Schmap 2.0 you can:
Salzburg Home
Schmap Salzburg guide and map
The City's Beginnings

The German Rome or Salzburgian Baroque

Terming Salzburg 'The German Rome' was a concept initially dreamt up by Wolf Dietrich von Raitenau, a late 16th century thinker who initiated a new epoch in Salzburg that lasted 200 years. He tried to realise his concept of an 'ideal city', which was to be marked by five big squares around the cathedral. The Italian Scamazzoi drew up the plans and many buildings in the city centre were pulled down. In retrospect, it can be seen that the original plans did not materialise as they were supposed to. However, the new Residenz and Sebastian churchyard were two of the fruits of this project. The 17th century again saw the generation of new ideas. An Italian named Solari helped to create the Salzburg of the early baroque period and his work is reflected in the Salzburg Dome, Hellbrunn and increased fortifications. After the Italian period, masterpieces such as the Felsenreitschule and Klessheim Castle, both of which sprang from the hand of J.B. Fischer, defined Austrian baroque. Fischer's rival, von Hildebrandt was the brains behind the beautiful Mirabell Palace and in 1622, the main Gymnasium (high school) became a university.

Salzburg and Austria

The Habsburg dynasty annexed Salzburg to '?sterreich ob der Enns' in 1805, but between 1810 and 1815, it once again belonged to Bavaria. After this brief interlude, it was part of Austria once and for all and in 1848, it even became the capital of the crowned lands of Salzburg. Along with a series of economic developments, the opening of the 'Westbahnstrecke' (1860), the main railroad through Austria, ensured that Salzburg saw its fortune improve and it was given its own statute in 1869. In the 19th century, tourism also became a focus of attention, and the famous 'Salzburger Festpiele' (Salzburg Festivals) were founded. The Mozarteum Academy of Music and the University (which had been rebuilt) made for a city with a cultural tradition still celebrated in the contemporary world.

Emperor Franz Josef I ruled that henceforth, the ban that prohibited the building of fortresses in the area be lifted and in keeping with this, sponsored the Hohensalzburg. Indeed, in these years, Salzburg acquired a new image, as the 'Elisabeth-Vorstadt' (a district today known as Itzling) and the district of Lehen enlarged the city's territories. The districts of Aigen, Maxglan, Leopoldskron, Morzg und Gnigl also became fully integrated parts of Salzburg between 1935 and 1939. During WW II, more than 40% of Salzburg's buildings suffered entire or irreversible damage.

Salzburg after WW II

From 1945-1955 Salzburg became the headquarters for US-troops stationed in Austria after the downfall of the Third Reich. Since then, Salzburg has often been called the 'secret capital' of Austria. American Troops did not leave until 1955, when the Treaty of Austria was signed. By 1959, the Cathedral had been rebuilt and blessed, with the University of Salzburg re-opening three years later.

1997 saw the city being included in the UNESCO's world heritage list. What was then classed as a cultural monument worth preserving is today a city with a population of over 150,000. Over 6.5 million tourists visit every year; many of them wishing to take advantage of the 4,000 cultural events that take place here annually. This means that apart from Vienna, no other Austrian city is as important for Austria's tourism sector as Salzburg.







Copyright 1999-2005 Wcities, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Contact Wcities


Other Schmapplets in this city related to "Salzburg - Historical Background"
Salzburg
Salzburg - Neighborhood Guide
Salzburg - Where to Stay
Salzburg - Dining & Drinking
Salzburg - Art & Entertainment

Other nearby cities:
Munich (124 miles)
Vienna (239 miles)
Trieste (247 miles)
Venice (269 miles)
Prague (273 miles)
Verona (306 miles)
Bologna (391 miles)
Milan (392 miles)
Frankfurt (410 miles)
Budapest (451 miles)

Schmap.com
About
News & Reviews
Travel Store
Privacy
Terms of Use
Contact Us
© 2008 Schmap, Inc. All rights reserved.