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|  | Mozart town Dagmar says 16 years ago |
| Wow! what a long entry on Salzburg below. I love visiting Salzburg, even though I've been here several times my affinity with music brings me back always. It is home to Mozart, the most important figure in making music very much a part of Austrian culture. Come here to learn all about Mozart and his life. There is the old Mozart Haus where it is now a museum. |
| | Salzburg - the underrated jewel Dale says 16 years ago |
| Salzburg is the underrated and often overlooked jewel of Europe. Rarely does one hear about Salzburg when their buddies come back from Europe after a backpacking trip. They'll talk about London, Paris, Amsterdam perhaps, Milan, Rome, Barcelona... but there's also Salzburg. The small city of around 150,000 inhabitants boasts quite a history. It is the home of Wolfgang Amaedeus Mozart and boasts a long and powerful tradition as a musical city. The Salzburg Castle boasts a long history in which it was never successfully sieged. It is the setting of the Sound of Music. Here you can see the famous Austrian Alps of the musical with your own eyes. Mozart is not German! Mozart is from Salzburg and Salzburg will never let you forget it. His name and portrait adorn just about anything from coffee mugs, T-shirts to chocolates. In fact, the Mozartkugel is a famous chocolate and is perhap's the area's most prized product, second only to Mozart himself. If you go to Salzburg, do try it. Salzburg Castle A trip to Salzburg without entering the Salzburg castle is like having a hamburger without the burger, lettuce, onions, cucumber, tomato sauce... you get the idea. The trip into the castle consists of a Alpen tram ride - fun for those who have never expereinced it before. Inside the castle there's almost a little of something for everyone. There is a nice restaurant with a great view of the city where you can drink the local beer or a fine local non-alcoholic drink called Almdudler and enjoy the view as you chat away with your friends. The service at this restaurant is a little sub-par but the rest of the castle more than makes up for it. What does the castle offer? Military history - for those who can't get enough of destruction and mayhem, the castle protects hundreds of years of military history in relevance to Salzburg. The castle was defended by those who wore Medieval armor to those who wore the Swastika of Nazi Germany and the castle pays tribute to all those who served within its walls. Religion - Religion was perhaps the single most important societal factor in Europe until the modern age and the castle's exhibits do not ignore this. In fact, there is a dig inside the castle that reveals an excavation of one of the oldest churches in German speaking Europe. Every day life - The castle also has exhibits on every day life. Curious things like Medieval toilets and a complete reconstruction of a Medieval kitchen are just some examples. If you can, try to rent a car and visit just outside Salzburg and enjoy the view. Hitler picked Salzburg to be his vacation point of choice and if a man who ruled all of Europe picked this one spot, then you can count on it being a fine place to visit. So if you're planning to go to Europe, plan a visit to Austria, and if you go to Austria, go visit Salzburg. For music fans, especially classical music fans, Salzburg is an absolute must. |
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