History, Hockey and Habakuk

Salzburg, Austria, home of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, setting to the Rodgers and Hammerstein musical classic, The Sound of Music, capital of the Salzburg region, and arguably Austria's cultural centre, a perfect winter wonderland for Lizzie and I to do some pre-Christmas exploration.

Our first impressions are good.  Austria is a new one on both our lists (although I've technically been before, cutting through the country on a non-stop sleeper train to Rome), and our first faltering steps through the sludge and the snow and into the city's New Town reveal a city of sobriety and taste.  Incidentally, the beautiful new town is supposed to be the uglier part of the city centre, but it is new in name only, dating as far back as the 14th century, although several houses had to be rebuilt following the great fire of 1818.  

In Salzburg's new town

Sunday morning and time for breakfast.  We pick a cafe called Habakuk, situated in the heart of the New Town, enticing passers-by with its dazzling number of window cakes.  What follows for us are two very reasonably priced breakfasts, unlike anything we've quite had before.  Orange juice and delicious hot chocolate, two fresh bread roles each, then three-tiered stands - one each! - laden with ham, cheese, cucumber and cream cheese.  By now, the table is full, but the food keeps coming - eggs next - and it is clear that we have the attention of nearly everyone in the cafe.  It is, however, the perfect set-up for a cold and busy day ahead.

Lizzie gets busy with breakfast

Salzburg's New Town is divided from the old by the Salzach River, a tributary of the River Inn that for several miles forms the Austrian border with Germany.  The most convenient crossing point is the massive Staatsbrücke - "State Bridge" - the dark history of which can be found in the slave labour of the Second World War.  On the opposite bank ones enters the historic and atmospheric way of life of Old Town Salzburg.  In its current form, this heart of the city dates back to at least the 700s, with the foundation of St. Peter's Abbey and the Nonnberg Convent.  The several squares, archways, winding streets, churches and towers are crammed in, every inch of the place a cultural hotspot.  No wonder it is recognised by the United Nations; Salzburg's historic centre is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

The River Salzach from the Staatsbrücke

Our destination is the city's history museum, which gives a colourful overview of Salzburg's long life.  Human activity in the area can be traced back some 6,000 years to the Neolithic, when a settlement was established on the nearby Rainberg hill.  In the Bronze Age, the Illyrians settled here to take advantage of the surrounding copper resources, but in the following centuries the region would become better known for its salt mining industry.  The Roman army marched into the area in 15BC and built the city of Juvavum, which was awarded the status of municipium in AD45.  Juvavum became one of the Empire's most important administrative centres in the coming centuries, but was eventually laid waste by the Bavarians around AD500.

Fast forward to 696, and Bishop Rupert of Worms, who was granted an area of land including the remains of the Roman city.  Rupert founded the Monastery of St. Peter and the Nonnberg Convent, both still active today, and both the oldest surviving communities of their kind.  Salzburg became a bishopric in 739, quickly rising to become one of the principal sites outside of the Vatican.  In 996, Salzburg was awarded a town charter by Emperor Otto III, and a century later its iconic Hohensalzburg Fortress was built, to protect the town after it took the side of Pope Gregory II in a power struggle with the Holy Roman Emperor.

Otto III from the Gospels of Otto III (source: Wikipedia)

Hohensalzburg Fortress remained heavily fortified, although it was unable to prevent Frederick Barbarossa setting fire to the town in 1167.  The town was rebuilt under Archbishop Konrad III, who also started work on the first cathedral.  Salt mining, meanwhile, was providing the town with much wealth, allowing the Salzburg archbishops to wield great power in the region.  Tensions between the Bavarian and Austrian royal houses came to a head in the early 14th century, and the two powers went to war.  Salzburg, which technially belonged to the Duchy of Bavaria, sided with Austria and, although Bavaria won the decisive battle, they were forced to concede Salzburg's independence.  It was now an autonomous state, sandwiched between the two much larger neighbours.

Salzburg suffered as much as any other European city in 1348, losing one third of its population in the plague. In the centuries that followed, the town grew in importance, with the addition of many new merchants' houses and improved fortifications at the fortress.  In May 1525, the peasants of Salzburg rebelled, seized control of the city, and negotiated terms with Archbishop Matthaus.  In the aftermath, the Archbishop took a hardline approach, eventually defeating the peasants in 1526.

In 1587, Archbishop Wolf Dietrich von Raitenau was elected, bringing with him a new vision for the city, overseeing the architecture of modern Salzburg.  Down came the 'undesirable' buildings, and in came open squares, grand residences, and the Mirabell palace, built for his mistress.  Reconstruction continued with his successor, Markus Sittikus, who laid the foundation stone for the imposing cathedral we see today.  He in turn was followed by prince Archbishop Paris Graf von Lodron, whose greatest acheivement was to keep Salzburg out of the Thirty Years' War raging between Catholics and Protestants all over Europe. 

Paris Graf von Lodron (Source: Wikipedia)

The dominance of the Archbishops came to an end in 1800, when Napoleon defeated the Austrians at the Battle of Marengo, whilst another French army captured Munich and Linz.  In the ensuing struggle, Salzburg was bounced back and fourth between its lager neighbours, eventually being incorporated into Austria when the Great Powers - Austria, Prussia, Russia and Britain - re-drew the map of Europe at the Congress of Vienna, following Napoleon's defeat.

Salzburg was left more-or-less to its own affairs for the next hundred years or so.  With the outbreak of World War I, 49,000 Salzburgers were conscripted to fight, although the city itself saw no battles.  Following the war, Austria was formally declared a Republic and twenty years later, the country was annexed by Nazi Germany.  During World War II, the city escaped the worst of the conflict again, but was bombed several times as the war reached its conclusion.  In May 1945, American troops entered the city, overseeing reconstruction for the next decade.  In 1967, a preservation order was placed on the Old Town.

We leave the history museum a little wiser as to the story of the city.  Around the next corner, standing tall and imposing, is Salzburg Cathedral, dedicated to Saint Rupert of Salzburg.  Carolers gather on the cathedral steps, carefully avoiding the sheets of ice that have melted just enough to slide from the rooftop in the weak winter sun.  In the cathedral square - Domplatz - the hustle and bustle of the famous Christmas markets is infectious, an assault on the senses of the eyes, the ears and the nose.

Domplatz and the Cathedral

The interior of Salzburg Cathedral

In the increasingly chilly afternoon, we take a brisk walk to St. Peter's Cemetery, a stone's throw from the cathedral, but a much quieter part of town.  The site dates back to 1627, making it the oldest cemetery in the city.  The sprinkling of snow over the wrough-iron grave markers is very beautiful, as is the entire setting, nestled in the shadow of the Mönchsberg, one of the mountains shaping Salzburg's townscape.  Within this mass of rock, early Christians carved out their catacombs, accessed by a narrow and precarious set of crumbly stone steps.  Inside, a few simple rooms, an alter, some murals and inscriptions belie what would have been a phenomenal achievement - a true testament to the fact that faith can, afterall, move mountains.

St. Peter's Cemetery

Catacombs built into the rock face

In the rapidly setting sunlight, we stroll along the Salzach, admiring the riverside properties and picking the ones we would most like to live in.  We're on our way to the Eisarena, home to Salzburg's championship-winning ice hockey team, the Red Bulls.  A fast-paced, ferocious contest against the Linz Black Wings ensues, with the visiting fans bringing a partizan atmosphere to the arena.  Three times Linz take the lead, three times the Red Bulls pull the game back, before a succession of Salzburg goals prove decisive in the third period, and the home team skate out 6-4 winners.

Salzburg Eisarena, home of the Red Bulls

Salzburg Red Bulls v Linz Black Wings

Later in the evening, now below freezing, we return to the Christmas markets for a browse and a pretzel.  The variety at the stalls is fabulous - candles, decorations, bath salts, glassware, wooden gifts, lace - not to mention the myriad food choices of sausages, pastries, chocolate, fruit punch and the famous Glühwein.  We opt for hot fruit punch in the end, which is both tasty and hand-warming in the bitter evening air.  It may make the walk back to the hotel a little wobbly, but its a winning winter warmer to round off a packed-out introduction to Salzburg.

Enjoying a late-night pretzel