The beautiful city of Salzburg

Salzburg has managed to preserve an extraordinarily rich urban fabric, developed over the period from the Middle Ages to the 19th century when it was a city-state ruled by a prince-archbishop. Its Flamboyant Gothic art attracted many craftsmen and artists before the city became even better known through the work of the Italian architects Vincenzo Scamozzi and Santini Solari, to whom the centre of Salzburg owes much of its Baroque appearance. This meeting-point of northern and southern Europe perhaps sparked the genius of Salzburg's most famous son, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, whose name has been associated with the city ever since.

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart is the most famous Austrian of all time and 2006 will mark the 250th anniversary of his birth. Today Mozart, already famous in his lifetime, is regarded as the ultimate musical genius. He was a serious classical composer, yet he also penned catchy tunes, and was pampered like one of today's international pop stars.

1965 Salzburg was the scenery of a film which would become famous: "The Sound of Music" starring Julie Andrews and Christopher Plummer. When the Sound of Music was released in 1965 it took the world by storm, earning five Oscars. For millions of people, the film is that rare combination of a powerful and moving story, first rate music, and breathtaking scenery of Salzburg!

UNESCO world cultural heritage The historic city centre of Salzburg is listed UNESCO world cultural heritage since 1996 Visit Salzburg at the UNESCO homepage. .

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