Salt Castle, Austria
Once upon a time there was a mountainous region in Austria where rich mines of salt were discovered.
The world craved salt for many reasons but the most important one was to preserve meats in times of no refrigerators, so the Austrian salt mines were exploited to the fullest. A city not too far from these mines began to flourish thanks to the wealth that the “white gold” brought, and so the city was named Salzburg, meaning Castle of Salt.
Then, in the 18th century, a man would be born that would strip the city’s title as salt capital of Europe and name it music capital of the world. Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart was born in Salzburg, by then an already exquisite baroque city designed and run by a powerful and wealthy archbishopric. Today the city’s tourists outnumber the locals during high season, and with the majestic view of the mountains not too far away from the grand baroque domes and steeples, it’s hard not to be drawn in by Salzburg.
Ed and I arrived on a cold Saturday morning, when the first snow flakes were beginning to fall. Our hostel was pretty close to the Old Town, and although we had originally reserved in an 8-bed room, we changed our minds when we arrived and took a private room for €80 which for a hostel during off-season seemed like an armed robbery. We took it anyway because we were tired and wanted our own clean bathroom for a change.
The streets of Salzburg were empty. We couldn’t tell yet if it was because it was snowing or if it was still too early on a Saturday morning. Nonetheless some of the shops were slowly opening up, particularly the ones selling schnapps, not to be mistaken by American schnapps a sweeter counterpart. German and Austrian schnapps is a drink distilled from cereals, roots or fruits tasting pretty much like vodka, with an alcohol volume of 42%, served as an aperitif. Here they are sold in tiny glass bottles shaped like violins, in honor of Mozart.
We stumbled unto the Kapitelplatz where a full view could be appreciated of the Hohensalzburg Fortress perched on top of a panoptical rocky peak. The otherwise busy square was empty with its attractive baroque fountains covered up to protect it from the frost. A strange bronze sphere with the figure of a life-sized man stood just outside the entrance to the Cathedral’s square, looking up to the Fortress.
The cathedral, or Dom, was dark and quiet inside and made for a nice shelter from the rain and bitter cold outside. Candles flickered on the foot of the tiny lateral chapels and a few locals sat in prayer in the old wooden benches. The church’s origin apparently dates back to the 8th century but has been altered and built on top of for centuries, until its present form. The Baroque playfulness with light and shadow is evident in the dome where small windows allow light to enter at the very top, where a silver dove irradiates gold and light.
The cathedral, or Dom, was dark and quiet inside and made for a nice shelter from the rain and bitter cold outside. Candles flickered on the foot of the tiny lateral chapels and a few locals sat in prayer in the old wooden benches. The church’s origin apparently dates back to the 8th century but has been altered and built on top of for centuries, until its present form. The Baroque playfulness with light and shadow is evident in the dome where small windows allow light to enter at the very top, where a silver dove irradiates gold and light. continue...
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