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Visit Salzburg, Mozart’s birth town

Mozart store

Let’s try to forget the Corona pandemic for a while and focus on the care-free times when I was travelling in Austria. One day I decided to catch a train from Vienna to Salzburg, the town known for Mozart. A train ride from Vienna to Salzburg takes around four hours but Austrian trains are super comfortable with a fast wifi connection. So the time was flying while watching movies on Netflix.

Salzburg was founded in 696 (!) and it is the fourth largest town in Austria. Nowadays, the town has around 150 000 inhabitants but three universities guarantee that the atmosphere is vibrant with a lot of young people around. I’d say Salzburg is an ideal place for a 24- or 48-hour visit.

Mozart is present everywhere

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart was born in Salzburg in 1756. Already at the age of five, he had become a famous child genius presenting in front of  European courts. Later he decided to move to Vienna to pursue better opportunities, and in the capital, he composed his most famous pieces. Sadly, Mozart died at the age of 35.

I have to add here that Wolfgang’s sister Maria Anna Mozart was also super talented but completely overshadowed by his brother. While they both were children, they were performing at courts. But when Anna grew older, her music education was discontinued and she was forced to stay home with her mom. Later she fell in love with a man but was forced to turn down his proposal. Instead, she was compelled to marry an older man, already a father of five who had widowed twice. Maria ended up taking care of his children and she also got three children of her own. Her destiny is just one example of how female talents were suppressed in history.

Well, Amadeus stayed in the books of history. He is also present everywhere in the modern Salzburg: you can buy Mozart chocolate, ice-cream or souvenirs or go on a Mozart tour or a concert.  You can even visit the birth house of Mozart in the well-preserved baroque-style old centre full of cafes, churches, restaurants and other historical buildings.

Salzburg: other activities

Take the funicular up to the Hohensalzburg’s fortress. The fortress originates from the 11th century and is one of the largest medieval fortresses in Europe. The entrance fee is around 12 euros and that allows you to travel up and down in the funicular (quick and fun) and visit the general areas of the fortress (there are some exhibitions that need a separate ticket). The views over the town and mountain area are just gorgeous!

The whole of Salzburg is like one open-air museum. If you have time, pay a visit to Mozart’s birth house, Salzburg museum, different churches and walk on the Getreidegasse street that is bursting with history. The old town has several restaurants and cafes, some might be a bit tourists traps so pay attention. At least my lunch place was kind of a disappointment. On the other side of the river, you will find the new parts of the town. Unfortunately, I didn’t have enough time to explore there.

I only had four hours time to see everything in Salzburg – not enough, of course! Then I had to run to catch my train back to Vienna while telling myself that next time I will spend one full day and night in Salzburg.

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