salzburgAustria
city of Mozart
city of Mozart
Salzburg Fortress
The Fortress Hohensalzburg is the landmark of the city of Salzburg. With a length of 250m and a width of 150m, the Fortress Hohensalzburg is the biggest still maintaining fortress in Central Europe.
The fortress is located on a hill above the city of Salzburg. The hill is called Festungsberg, which has a connection to the Mönchsberg hill.
The beginning of the construction was in the year 1077. The building was finnished between the 12th and the 13th century. The four towers were built in 1462. In 1479 the walls were raised, and later accommodations inside the fortress were extended. During the years the fortress was always improved and strengthened until 1681.
When Napoleon conquered the city of Salzburg in the beginning of the 19th century, the fortress had no importance anymore. The French army took it without a fight.
In the first half of the 19th century nobody took care about the building, and after a fire in 1849, the neglected fortress had to be renovated in 1851. In the following years the fortress was used as depot, barracks, and dungeon. In 1861 Emperor Franz Joseph I. released the fortress from its original function.
From 1951 to 1981 the building was thorough renovated and static secured. Nowadays the fortress is used for touristic purposes. But there is also space for courses of the summer academy Salzburg.
The cable car to the fortress.
Inside the fortress.