"One of the most beautiful regions on earth"
was how the famous nineteenth-century traveler
Alexander von Humboldt described Salzburg and its surroundings.
The unique feature of the city, the harmony between
architectural beauty and natural charms, has lost nothing with
the passing of time.
Appropriately the city where Mozart was born is filled with music the whole
year round. During the course of the year some 4.000 internationally famous
cultural events make a stage of the city itself. The Mozart Week in January,
the Easter Festival and the Pentecost Concerts, the Summer Festival, the
Festival "Szene Salzburg", the "Salzburg Culture Days" in October, the
Advent Singing, the Palace Concerts and the Marionettes Theater, all keep
Salzburg's cultural scene very much alive. The festive airs of the
Renaissance and Baroque sound again at the concerts held in the elegant
rooms once used by Salzburg's prince archbishops at Hellbrunn Palace and in
the Fortress Hohensalzburg; at the Hellbrunn Festival the palace grounds,
the trick fountains and the palace itself form natural stages, setting scene
for the festivities, and the Street Theater brings popular comedy to the
beautiful old courtyards and squares.
Salzburg offers not only a unique range of internationally significant events,
it also has a fascinating popular folk culture whose roots can be traced
over centuries; dance, music, and songs continue to play an important role
in the traditional seasonal festivities of this musical and exuberant
people.
Reasonably priced accommodation is available both in the historic city
center and in the unusually beautiful suburbs, with their almost rural
atmosphere. There can hardly be another city of this size offering a
comparable network of well-tended paths and lanes along the banks of the
river, through the picturesque parks and gardens and on the hills which lie
within 5 minutes' walk of the city center.
