Page 3 - 2026 Jan-Feb GC

Salzburg: Salt, Mozart and The Sound of Music

By Martin Ederer 1816 after the Congress of Vienna,
alzburg stands as Austria’s Salzburg and its territories became
Sfourth largest city. Thanks to (insignificant) crown lands of Aus-
Salzburg being in the U.S. occupa- tria as part of Upper Austria. Some
tion zone after World War II and hit of its territories, however, remained
Broadway-musical-turned-hit-mov- with Bavaria, the so-called Ruperti-
ie about the von Trapp Family, most winkel. At least there was tourism.
Americans are familiar with this In 1818 a huge fire devastated a
city, even if a lot of them still man- large part of the city.
age to butcher pronunciation of its Fortunes turned in the later 19th
name. Thanks to Mozart, the annual century. In 1850 Salzburg became a
Salzburg Music Festival, pop cul- freestanding duchy and crown land.
ture recognition, and simply the The construction of railroad lines
beauty and antiquity of the city it- from Munich to Vienna put Salz-
self, Salzburg is a major tourist des- burg right on the route. After World
tination. War I, Salzburg remained in what
The Salzburg basin on the north was left of Austria. During this time
edge of the Alps has been continu- the Salzburg Festival was estab-
ously settled since well before the View from Mönchsberg to Hohensalzburg Fortress and the historic center of Salzburg, federal state of lished. After the Nazi annexation of
Romans and even the Celts who Salzburg, Austria. Austria in 1938, neighboring com-
predated the Romans there. That munities of Salzburg were amal-
ing a manager. He built a new By the 1700s Salzburg was when tourism was barely a thing at
same location on the edge of the gamated into a metropolitan form
Alps makes Salzburg an unusually church dedicated to St. Peter. In the on the map as a tourist all. Its lovely location, its art and of government.
old Roman fortifications above the architecture – thanks in large part to
cloudy and rainy city. The origins destination at a time when During World War II large parts
(and location) of the present city town, Hohensalzburg today, he es- tourism was barely a thing at the role of its archbishops – and the of the city were destroyed by U.S.
tablished the Nonnberg Abbey, growth of an artistic community to
were Roman town of Juvavum, so all. Its lovely location, its art air attacks during 1944 and 1945.
named for the silty, murky river that which is the oldest functioning serve all of it – played a role. Wolf- Some 46% of Salzburg’s buildings
monastery for women in the world. and architecture – thanks in gang Amadeus Mozart was born in
flowed through it, “Ivarus” a name were damaged or destroyed. A sin-
established by original Indo-Euro- Apparently Rupert had it built with large part to the role of its Salzburg in 1756. gle bomb wrecked the big dome of
pean settlers who predated the his niece, St. Erentrude, in mind. archbishops – and the growth The Napoleonic period was the cathedral. U.S. forces entered
Celts. One of the best sources for Since the region was rich in salt of an artistic community to rough on Salzburg and its territo- the city on May 5, 1945 after the
the name “Juvavum” comes to us deposits – as the Romans already ries. In 1803 Napoleon reduced local commander disobeyed orders
from the Life of St. Severus dating to had known – Rupert’s activities got serve all of it – played a role. Salzburg to a secularized electorate to defend Salzburg, preventing fur-
the early 500s. the local salt mining industry back attached to similar territories in Ba- ther bloodshed. Salzburg became
Roman invasion and occupation up and running. In short, Juvavum the archbishop, found itself alienat- varia. Napoleonic troops seized and headquarters for the U.S. occupa-
of the region in 15 BC upended was back as a city. Rupert returned ed from Bavaria. As a result Salz- plundered Salzburg in 1800, 1805 tion forces in Austria. In 1996,
indigenous settlements as Rome be- to Worms. After his death his re- burg was recognized as an and 1809. In 1805 Salzburg was Salzburg was named an UNESCO
gan to cobble together its northern mains were brought back to Salz- autonomous territory in the Holy annexed to Austria. In 1810 it was World Heritage Site.
province of Noricum. A Roman burg. Roman Empire. By the 1400s, Salz- annexed to Napoleon’s newly
town and fortifications soon fol- Salzburg was elevated to a bish- burg began to thrive as a sense of formed Kingdom of Bavaria. In
lowed, and in AD 45 Emperor Clau- opric in 739. St. Vergilius was Salz- citizenship began to develop among
dius conferred municipal status on burg’s first official bishop as a the city’s business community. In
Iuvavum. Marcoman and Quadi freestanding diocesan seat. He built the process, the educated middle
tribes destroyed the town repeatedly Salzburg’s first cathedral. The city’s class began to question the authority
in 171. Septimius Severus rebuilt it, new name, Salzburg, dates to this of the prince-archbishop.
and the Alemans wrecked the city time, appearing in reports of Willi- As the Reformation unfolded,
bald on St. Boniface’s organization
again in 241. Rebuilding and a peri- Salzburg became a bastion of Ca-
od of prosperity followed. After the of dioceses in Bavaria. The four tholicism, but not before a bumpy
very historic dioceses of Bavaria,
Roman Empire broke up in 476 and ride as the theological pot boiled.
the western half disintegrated, Odo- who share common history and age The Peasants’ War of 1525 reached
are Regensburg, Passau, Freising
vakar (the reason why Rome fell in Salzburg. The archbishop had to
the first place) ordered all Roman (north of Munich) and Salzburg. take shelter in the Hohensalzburg
Thanks to the flourishing salt
citizens to vacate the town in 488. Fortress before the revolutionaries
The rest of the locals abandoned the mining operations in the area and were forced to retreat. That experi-
the salt transport on the river, Ivarus
city, preferring the safety of the ence seemed to have galvanized
higher ground above it. By that River became “Salzach”, and Juva- Salzburg’s later credentials as a hot-
vum became “Salzburg.” In 996 Ho-
time, there is evidence that Christi- bed of Counter-Reformation activi-
anity existed there. ly Roman Emperor Otto III ties. At least Salzburg had the good
conferred on the Prince-Archbishop
By the 500s, the Baiuvarii set- sense to maintain neutrality during
tled in the region. Duke Theodo of of Salzburg market rights, minting the Thirty Years’ War that spared it
rights and the right to levy customs
Bavaria granted the area to St. Ru- the carnage that burned through
pert around 696. Rupert came from tolls. much of Central Europe. Just the
In 1280 more comprehensive
noble background, possibly Merov- same in 1590 and again in 1732,
ingian origins, and became the bish- city fortifications were created to Protestants were ordered to leave.
supplement the fortress already
op of Worms around 650. By the But these same years were not
late 600s he visited Theodo in his above the city. The first city legal just about religious snarling. The old
code dates to 1287.
capital of Regensburg and instruct- Romanesque cathedral, which had
ed his entire court in Christianity. In the wake of a big battle be- suffered its eighth major fire in
tween the rulers of Bavaria and Aus-
Evidently impressed, Theodo made 1598, was replaced with the lovely
his bequest. tria in 1322 (long story), which baroque cathedral that still stands.
Ludwig von Wittelsbach of Bavaria
Rupert arrived at what amount- By the 1700s Salzburg was on the
ed to an urban renewal project seek- won, Salzburg, which was ruled by map as a tourist destination at a time

By Ignaz Wiradi - Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=16669651 November - December 2025 • THE GERMAN CITIZEN • 3