Location: Salzburg, Festungsberg mountain Map
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Hohensalzburg Fortress is the landmark of the city of Salzburg. It lies on a mountain above the city, the Festungsberg, which continues north-west into the Mönchsberg. The foothills to the east of the fortress hill is called Nonnberg, on which the Benedictine women's monastery Nonnberg is located directly below the eastern outer facilities of the fortress - the Nonnberg bastions. With a built-up area of over 7,000 m² (including the bastions over 14,000 m²), Hohensalzburg Fortress is one of the largest castle complexes in Europe, dating back to the 11th century. As one of the largest completely preserved castles in Central Europe, it has over a million visitors a year, making it the most frequently visited sight in Austria outside of Vienna, although in the federal capital it is only surpassed by Schönbrunn Palace and Zoo and the Kunsthistorisches Museum (visitor statistics 2017).
In 1077 Gebhard (1010-1088) started building a residential tower -
which today still represents the core of the Hoher Stock - a small
church and a small residential building together with the associated
wall ring. However, since Gebhard had to go into exile in the course of
the Investiture Controversy, this construction was only completed under
the counter-archbishop Berthold von Moosburg, appointed by the emperor,
and under Archbishop Konrad von Abenberg (1106-1147).
From the
12th century to the 14th century, the construction of the outer ring of
fortifications largely determined the extent of the castle as it is
today.
In 1462, under Burkhard II von Weißpriach (1461–1466), the
ring wall was reinforced by four towers (bell tower, trumpeter tower,
herb tower, and blacksmith or prisoner tower), the eastern entrance over
the Nonnberg was protected by a meter-thick wall and the south side of
the castle by a wall attached a bastion.
Under Weißpriach's
successor, Bernhard von Rohr (1466–1481), the old ring wall was raised
from 1479 and the so-called snake passage was built, which served as a
defense to the east towards the Nonntal and Nonnberg Abbey.
John
III Beckenschlager (1481-1489) had the "Hohen Stock" converted into a
four-storey residential building. In addition, there was the first
arsenal and the granary. The coat of arms of Beckenschlager can still be
found on this today - the oldest coat of arms still existing on
Hohensalzburg Fortress.
Leonhard von Keutschach (1495–1519)
continued to expand the fortress between 1495 and 1519 and thus gave a
visible sign of his power in times of increasing war danger. He had the
upper floor expanded on the second and third floors and extended it with
the storey house that was built on the site of the earlier chapel. In
the course of his reign, the fortress became an elegant late-Gothic seat
of government, as the magnificent princely chambers still show today.
To improve the water supply in the event of a siege, the archbishop
had a large new cistern built and some existing towers raised. The
Reißzug, today the world's oldest surviving funicular, the Kuchlturm and
the bakery as well as several gates (Rosspforte, Schleuderpforte) and
the building at the Höllenpforte were created under Leonhard von
Keutschach (or his predecessor). The most striking work is the organ in
the Krautturm, the Salzburg Bull, which is operated with a cylinder –
similar to an oversized music box. Today it is the oldest operating
organ horn factory in the world.
The funds for the brisk building
activity came mainly from the salt mines on Dürrnberg near Hallein, but
also from mining in the Tauern. In 1555, when gold mining was at its
peak, annual production was just under 831 kg. The experienced miners,
often fetched from northern Germany, formed a strong nucleus of
resistance against the archbishop's power in the following peasant wars.
Under Matthäus Lang von Wellenburg (1519-1540) these peasant
uprisings reached their peak. From July 5 to August 31, 1525, farmers
and miners besieged the prince-archbishop in his fortress. This dispute
is the greatest challenge for Hohensalzburg Fortress in its 900-year
history. The fortress, however, remained impregnable.
For Wolf
Dietrich von Raitenau (1587–1612), the expansion of the fortifications
was of little importance; as a builder, he devoted himself primarily to
his diverse building projects in the city. Nevertheless, the castle
became his destiny. He was held captive here by his successor Markus
Sittikus von Hohenems (1612–1619) until the end of his life.
During the Thirty Years' War, Paris von Lodron (1619–1653) had the city
of Salzburg fortified on both sides of the Salzach with spacious new
fortifications; Hohensalzburg Castle in the south of the city was then
expanded into a modern fortress. This is how the mighty Hasengraben
bastions, including the armory and the expanded Nonnberg bastions, came
into being during his reign. He also had the first barrier arch (Lodron
arch) and other powerful outbuildings such as the "Katze" outwork,
including the two gates and the barrier wall on the gap, built or
significantly expanded to protect against the artillery, which had
become stronger. He also strengthened all the defensive walls that
connected the fortress to the city of Salzburg and the Mönchsberg.
Under Max Gandolf von Kuenburg (1668–1687), the 30 m high and
several meters thick fire bastion (also called the Kuenburg bastion) was
built on the north side in 1681 as the youngest large defensive
structure of the fortress.
According to an inventory from 1790,
the armory contained more than 100 pieces of complete armor for riders,
more than 1100 breastplates, spears and helmet beards. There were also
415 mortars, 460 iron and 130 bronze cannons. However, many of them were
probably already militarily obsolete at the time.
During the Napoleonic Wars, the city offered no resistance to the
invading French, and the fortress was handed over to the French without
a fight. Therefore, this castle did not have to be razed by order of the
French and, in contrast to the castle on the Schloßberg in Graz, was
preserved.
Due to the subsequent neglect and a fire in 1849, an
extensive restoration had to be carried out in 1851, which primarily
related to the interior. In the years that followed, the fortress was
eventually used as a depot and barracks. In 1861 Hohensalzburg was
abandoned as a fortress by Franz Joseph I, but continued to be used as
barracks.
In 1892, for tourism reasons, the fortress railway to
the Hasengrabenbastei was built, which was initially operated with water
power. The former home of Michael Haydn was destroyed. In the years 1951
to 1981 a complex static protection of the entire system was carried
out. The castle, formerly owned by the Prince Archbishop, has belonged
to the State of Salzburg since 2016.
As a symbol of the city of
Salzburg, it is primarily used for tourism.
prehistory and antiquity
The city of Salzburg is located at an
incision in the northern lowlands into the Alps, directly on the Salzach
River, which forms an easily controllable narrow valley and thus offers
the best topographical conditions for settlement. In fact, there are a
number of Celtic hilltop settlements on the mountains around Salzburg,
small and large bases even on the city mountains, such as on the
Rainberg, the Hellbrunnerberg, the Kapuzinerberg and the Festungsberg.
These places may have been abandoned when the Roman city was founded and
its inhabitants forced to relocate. Oppida were probably no longer
necessary and no longer desirable.
Roman Salzburg came into being
around the middle of the 1st century AD. Pliny the Elder describes
Juvavum as one of three Noric foundations raised to the status of a city
under Emperor Claudius. The city was probably already largely developed
under Nero. Findings from this period have also been made at the
Hohensalzburg Fortress, one can imagine an unfortified sanctuary here
for the time being.
With increased Germanic invasions in the
Salzburg area, larger fortifications may soon have developed here.
Numerous fire horizons can be found in the city at the same time, but
not above, but neither the finds nor the sparse remains of the wall are
sufficient for precise reconstructions. In late antiquity, a large part
of the remaining population moved to safe retreats, especially to the
fortress hill, the old Roman infrastructure in the valley was abandoned.
Under Valentinian, a small burgus of the Legio II Italica is suspected
on the fortress hill, which lay on several terraces in the middle of a
larger settlement.
Traces of Bavarian settlement
Under Saint
Severin around 470, Salzburg was a late Roman Christian city with three
churches. After the Romans left, burial grounds and a mausoleum at the
foot of the mountain document continuous settlement on the Nonnberg and
the Festungsberg. Historical sources from the early Middle Ages suggest
that the Dukes of Bavaria also resided in Salzburg in the 7th and 8th
centuries. Theudebert III. (Theodo III., *around 685, † after 716) even
had his seat in Salzburg or on the Festungsberg after the country was
briefly divided into four by his father Theodebergt II. An "upper
castle" - the castrum superior - located on the Nonnberg - is documented
for the first time in 696. However, it is not a forerunner of the
Hohensalzburg Fortress, but included the fortress hill in the outdoor
facilities. The Martinskirche, which belongs to the fortress, also stood
on the Nonnberg. Their patron saint points to the national saint of the
Frankish kingdom, whose Merovingian kings had installed the Bavarian
Agilolfinger family. The Agilolfingers, who were related to the Lombard
royal family, strived for an independent regional policy in Bavaria.
They closed themselves to the growing Carolingian influence, established
their own national church with strong ties to their own ducal residences
and conducted their own negotiations with enemies of the empire, which
is why Tassilo III. Subjugated by Charlemagne in 788. His duchy was
abolished and partitioned.
With the fall of the Agilolfingen
dukes, the settlement of the fortress hill probably also ended. Only the
lower Nonnberg terrace with the women's convent remained inhabited. In
any case, there are no tangible traces on the summit plateau until the
11th century.
The city of Salzburg developed under Arn, who was
made archbishop by Charlemagne, to become the metropolitan of the
Eastern Alps and later the metropolitan of the German-speaking area.
From a world point of view, Salzburg initially remained of little
importance as part of Bavaria. This changed in the Investiture
Controversy (12th century), in which the emperor and pope fought for
supremacy. Both tried to win over the local leaders through donations
and privileges, which enabled them to increase their political and
economic power.
The Romanesque castle
The greatest beneficiary of this policy was
Archbishop Gebhard, who rose rapidly from imperial confessor to
chancellor and in 1060 to archbishop of Salzburg. However, instead of
subordinating himself to his imperial benefactor or the pope, he pursued
the creation of his own suffragan bishopric, which he finally set up in
Gurk with mutual concessions (1072). This unique legal position, which
removed the influence of the pope and emperor in the election of bishops
(three more such bishoprics were to follow under Eberhard II), greatly
strengthened the position of the Salzburg archbishops. Gebhard was
courted by both sides. He sided with the pope, since the emperor was to
be denied the right to appoint ecclesiastical offices. For Salzburg, the
conflict meant political uncertainty. Church property was plundered, and
the divided nobility received many concessions. In 1076 the most
important base in Salzburg south of the Alps in Friesach was attacked by
the Styrian Margrave. In response, according to his biographer, around
1077 Gebhard had several fortifications built. This is how the Lueg pass
barrier came into being, which controlled the most important crossing
point from the Eastern Alps to Italy, as well as the three state castles
of Friesach, Hohenwerfen and Hohensalzburg. It is said that the emperor
could not travel through Salzburg on his way back from Italy and had to
cede the margraviates of Friuli, Carniola and Istria to Aquileia in
order to be able to at least cross the steep passes of Carinthia.
Nevertheless, Gebhard had to flee after returning. The emperor appointed
an anti-bishop, who, however, was unable to assert himself against the
loyal gentry. In 1086 Gebhard was able to move back into Salzburg. He
died in Hohenwerfen Castle in 1088. These events demonstrate the rise of
Salzburg to political power, the importance of the local nobility and
secure fortifications. The real power was manifested in the castles. At
the end of the 11th century, when imperial authority was called into
question, many castles were built nationwide, which elevated them to the
actual bearers of territorial power.
In 1105 Heinrich V, the son
and anti-king of Emperor Heinrich IV, elected his confessor Konrad
anti-archbishop of Salzburg. This favorite, who was known to be
ostentatious, expelled the imperial bishop, conquered his Hohensalzburg
fortress and had numerous buildings erected in the city (new episcopal
residence, cathedral conversion with two towers, two cathedral
cloisters, Mönchsberg water tunnel (Alm canal), poor hospital, several
monastery and suffragan bishop's courts and oldest city fortification).
The archbishop's castles were intended to secure the residence city and
neuralgic points of rule. Salzburg, Werfen and Friesach were expanded
into fortresses. In contrast to the city residence, which was used for
religious events, the fortress was primarily used for profane
demonstrations of power, which can be explained by the archbishop's
noble origins and his political ambitions.
The Romanesque main
fortress of Hohensalzburg was given a mighty crenellated outer ring wall
with wall parts that ran as straight as possible, which had tower-like
heights due to the constant height at the steeply sloping corners. This
resulted in a 150 m long front to the city. At that time, the dolomite
from the fortress hill was almost exclusively used as building material
for the castle. An inner ring wall and a large residential tower in the
south of today's Hoher Stock completed the fortifications. Long areas of
this 450 m high Romanesque outer ring from the early 12th century have
been preserved, but the gate area and indications of the inner structure
are missing. At that time more than 30 ministeriales lived in the
castle, who probably had their own representative buildings. There were
stables, barns and handicraft businesses, but the remains of these have
disappeared due to later building and the large-scale elevation of the
mountain.
In the middle of the castle complex, clearly visible from the town,
next to a small inner courtyard and above the older castle chapel, a
building was erected with a large ballroom - magnificently decorated
with large window arcades and richly painted - the structure of which
has partially survived to this day. The old chapel was right next to the
large ring wall, its gallery could be reached directly from the hall
building via a small arched portal or a high passage. The old chapel was
also lavishly furnished with a new gallery, stucco applications and
extensive painting. This castle chapel had only recently been discovered
during excavations and – as far as it was preserved – uncovered.
Associated architectural parts such as wedge stones and stucco arches
were found, so the architecture of the chapel can be reconstructed well.
The picturesque furnishings, on the other hand, have hardly been
preserved. The second main layer dates from around 1140, verified
dendrochronologically. Parts that have been reassembled allow
connections to the preserved base zone, to room corners and window
frames. Based on these indications, there are three main areas, a
pseudo-marbled base, a figure frieze and a crowning window zone with a
meander band. Groups of figures and medallions suggest a counter-scene
to the main characters.
The outstanding importance of the high
medieval Hohensalzburg Fortress lies not only in the largely preserved
building structure and the chapel furnishings, which are remarkable in
terms of art history - gypsum stucco is used here for the first time
north of the Alps - in the direct adoption of sacred building elements
in the secular building. The large arcade windows are borrowed from the
contemporary cloister architecture, and the frescoes in the ballroom by
church painters are also unique for this period.
During the
46-year reign of Eberhard II (1200-1246), Salzburg experienced a peak in
castle building. At the Hohensalzburg nuclear facility, several large
construction phases can be proven during this time, which were
apparently intended to take into account an increasing need for
representative rooms. First, a transverse rectangular building was added
to the old core of the Hoher Stock, which was divided into parts of
equal size by narrow inner walls. The banquet hall received a new
fresco, which could probably be carried out on the basis of the
emperor's privilege for spiritual principalities, which was enforced at
the time.
The Gothic Castle
A part of the new building was
soon demolished, the small inner courtyard was built over, a
multi-storey lavatory was built, creating a homogeneous structure
measuring 22 × 33 m with a front staircase. A central hall can be
interpreted as a forerunner of the Gothic palace building with its
central corridor system.
In the 15th century the main castle of
Hohensalzburg was expanded almost exclusively, and gun turrets capable
of firing were built, and thus the first real towers in the castle,
which were only built in response to the new firearms. Under Leonhard
von Keutschach, a contemporary of Emperor Maximilian, the upgrade to a
towering symbol of sovereign power took place around 1500. At that time,
this archbishop had the castle expanded into a well-fortified modern
residential palace. The artistic highlight was the construction of
several princely chambers, which represent a major European work of
Gothic art thanks to their well-preserved stonemasonry, carvings and
stove works.
The fortress in the Renaissance and Baroque periods
In the early 17th century, Europe was torn apart by the Thirty Years'
War between the Protestant Union and the Catholic League. In 1632, 1646
and 1648 even the Bavarian Elector fled to Hohensalzburg Fortress with
his treasury. Archbishop Paris von Lodron (1619-1654) managed to protect
Salzburg from attacks by massively upgrading his bulwarks. From 1620,
the entire old town was surrounded by strong new fortifications and
bulwarks, which included the entire Mönchsberg and Festungsberg. The
costly entrenchment work was directed by the master builder Santino
Solari. From 1633 to 1645 the fortress also received the long overdue
reinforcement of the medieval ring walls. All the wooden battlements
still in existence and almost all of the high tower roofs and the high
roof of the Hoher Stock were removed. Instead, strong new bastions were
built in the south-west, west and east, with large walls reaching far
into the surrounding fortress hill. Underground stairs connected to
several sally ports. The gateway was strengthened by the conversion of
the mayor's gate, the first barrier arch, the two embrasure gates and
the far advanced cat above the Petersfriedhof. To accommodate the
significantly reinforced artillery park, the large armory was expanded
between the Ross and Schleuder gates, in the Hoher Stock two-storey
cellars (today the Marionette Museum) were broken into the rock and in
1644 the initially very high hall of the firing passage was divided by a
mezzanine. To accommodate the soldiers, new crew quarters were created
near the Reißzug, and prison cells were built in the horizontal tower.
Under Max Gandolf von Kuenburg (1668-1687) the large Kuenburgbastei
was built in 1681 because of a possible collapse of the northern
Zwinger, but above all because of the danger of the advancing Turkish
armies (Siege of Vienna in 1683). On the side, its more than 30 m high
bastion is accompanied by a small weir with further casemates. Franz
Anton von Harrach (1709-1727) had the dining house built and renovated
the Schlangengang along with the mayor's tower. As a result, only minor
measures such as repairs and small, stronger retaining walls were
carried out; after 1789 the inventory of the arsenal was liquidated.
From Austrian barracks to tourism magnet
In the 18th century, the
Archbishopric of Salzburg, which had been independent until then, was
increasingly drawn into European alliance politics and its coalition
wars. The supply of weapons stored in armories was impressive, and only
a few remained in Salzburg. One of the oldest of all, a medieval
slingshot located under the Roßpforte, was only sold to the owners of
Kreuzenstein Castle in the 19th century. After the unfavorable course of
the Battle of Hohenlinden, Prince-Archbishop Colloredo had to flee from
the advancing troops who later fought at Wals. Salzburg was secularized
in 1803 (the archdiocese was separated from the secular principality)
and in 1805 it was incorporated into the Austrian monarchy. As early as
1851, the great artistic importance of the Gothic princely chambers was
recognized and they were extensively restored. In 1861, Emperor Franz
Josef I abolished the fortress character, and several old arsenals and
depots were then demolished. The Hohe Stock remained a barracks
("Hohe-Stock-Barracks") until 1883. Outbuildings were used as a clothing
store and detention center until 1918, and the Rainer regiment was
stationed here from 1912 to 1914. With the increase in tourism, the
fortress railway and Johann's home were built in 1891 Michael Haydn's
was converted into a valley station. The restoration of the horn work of
the "Salzburg bull" followed, which had already been renewed in 1753 by
Johann Rochus Egedacher.
After the world wars and ten years of
occupation, the fortress was able to position itself again as a symbol
of the city in the growing stream of tourists. Numerous cultural events,
such as the summer painters' academy introduced by Oskar Kokoschka, the
medieval festival and the Advent market, the various museums and
collections as well as the famous concerts in the Golden Hall ensure
that the old walls are revived and the ongoing restoration work is
financed, so that the Hohensalzburg Fortress can look forward to a
positive future after 1100 years of existence.
From 2015 to 2016, extensive renovation measures were carried out, in
which a company from neighboring Bavaria with experience in monument
preservation was also involved.
All in all, it can be shown quite
well, historically and structurally, that the Hohensalzburg Fortress in
the High Middle Ages did not correspond to a “normal” noble castle in
terms of its size and importance, but rather had a supra-regional
character as a “princely” fortification and residence-like magnificent
building from the very beginning. Of national relevance is the early
evidence of artists trained in sacred buildings, who created a high
point of medieval power development in their disciplines of
architecture, stonemasonry, stucco and painting on a secular building
that could compete with the great imperial castles.
On September
2017, smaller blasts were started for a planned six-week period in order
to set up two fire-fighting water tanks or ponds in the rock of the
fortress. The last fire in the fortress was in 1840, but because of the
difficult supply of extinguishing water, one wants to make provisions
for a possible major fire without having to use the drinking water
supply.
After a storm in October 2018 severely damaged the roofs
of the armory and the granary, these were renewed between July and
November 2019. The roof truss was reinforced with historical waste wood
and a total of approx. 80,000 Eternit shingles and five tons of copper
sheeting were laid.
Hohensalzburg is a crowd puller thanks to its good condition and
location. The outer fortifications can be visited without a guide; a
guided tour with audio guides is available for an interior part of the
tour (salt magazine, torture chamber, stretching tower, battlements,
Salzburg bull); the interiors on the upper floor (princely chambers,
museums) are visited on their own. Since July 2009 there has been a
"Special Guided Tour" in German and English during the summer months,
which has to be paid for separately and during which disguised castle
staff take visitors on a walk through the 16th century. Rooms that are
otherwise closed, such as the Pfisterei (old bakery), the wine cellar,
the Kuenburgbastei or the quadrangular weir can only be visited on such
special tours.
Admission to the outdoor area is free for
residents of the federal state of Salzburg.
In addition to the
tours, there are regular concerts, and the church is also used, for
example for church weddings or on a few selected holidays. The fortress
also houses the Salzburg Marionette Museum with historical inventory
from the Salzburg Marionette Theater and the Museum of the Imperial and
Royal Infantry Regiment Archduke Rainer Regiment No. 59. Courses at the
Salzburg International Summer Academy for Fine Arts also take place.