Salzburg, (also Salzburgerland) is a federal state of Austria, whose
land area is covered by mountains or mountains to about five-sixths. It
borders in the north and north-east on Upper Austria (Salzkammergut), in
the south-east on Styria, in the south on Carinthia, in the south-west
on Tyrol (East Tyrol) and a little bit on South Tyrol and also in the
west on Tyrol and in the north-west on the Berchtesgadener Land in
Bavaria (Germany).
Starting from the city of Salzburg, the region
was shaped by the Salzburg archbishops from the early Middle Ages. From
the High Middle Ages to the beginning of the 19th century, Salzburg was
a Catholic state in its own right as the prince-archbishopric of
Salzburg. From 1803 to 1810, Salzburg was part of the Austrian Empire as
the Electorate of Salzburg and then for a few years as the Salzach
district in Bavaria. After the Congress of Vienna in 1816, the province
of Salzburg became part of Austria: until 1850 it continued to be part
of Upper Austria as the Salzach district, then until 1918 as the
Austrian Crown Land. Salzburg has been a federal state since the
collapse of the monarchy in 1918. During the occupation after World War
II (1945-1955) it was part of the US sector.
Typical of the state
of Salzburg are traditional names for parts of the state: the districts
are called Gaue. The designation is older than and therefore independent
of the renaming of countries in Gauen under National Socialism. The
mountain districts of Lungau, Pongau and Pinzgau, and possibly the
southern Tennengau, are still often grouped together as the
Innergebirge, which – less often – is contrasted with the Outergebirge
(= the flatter land from about north of Hallein). From time immemorial,
the designation in Salzburg has also existed in neighboring areas of the
federal state as a designation for areas of the state of Salzburg that
were not precisely defined.
Due to its winding land area, the
country has a variety of areas. From the flat, hilly lake district in
the north to the gentle Salzkammergut mountains, the Alps build ever
higher towards the south. The massive rock massifs of the Steinernem
Meer, Hochkönig and Tennengebirge stand in contrast to the Pinzgauer
grass mountains and the gentler peaks of the Pongau, before the chain of
the Niedere and Hohe Tauern completes the country on the horizon. South
of the main ridge of the Alps in Lungau is part of the Nockberge in the
Salzburg area.
The country's six regions are identical to the political districts.
Salzburg (district Stadt Salzburg): The area of the city of Salzburg in
the Salzburg Basin.
Flachgau (Salzburg area): The foothills of the
Alps with part of the Salzkammergut.
Tennengau (Hallein district):
The Limestone Alps and the Lammertal.
Pongau (Sankt Johann District):
The middle Salzach and the upper Ennstal.
Pinzgau (Zell am See
district): The upper Salzach and the upper Saalachtal.
Lungau
(Tamsweg district): The upper Mur valley.
Salzburg
Abtenau
Altenmarkt im Pongau
Anif
Bad Gastein
Bischofshofen
Hallein
Hüttschlag
St. Johann im Pongau
Oberndorf bei Salzburg
Tamsweg
Wagrain
Zell am See
Radstadt
The language is German with regional coloring, whereby the dialects
(like almost all in Austria) belong to the Bavarian dialects. There are
clearer dialectal expressions in the mountainous regions, but they are
on the decline. Typical Salzburg vocabulary is rarely found in everyday
life and mainly refers to down-to-earth tradition.
English is
generally understood and used as a foreign language, although sometimes,
especially in rural areas away from the tourist centers, it is often
very poor or not at all.
By plane: With the W. A. Mozart Airport, the city of Salzburg has the
second most important airport in Austria. Connections from and to many
metropolises in Europe.
By car: From Germany via the Munich-Salzburg
autobahn, from Vienna via the A1 west autobahn, from Italy and Villach
via the A10 Tauern autobahn.
By train: Salzburg main station is the
stop for all international trains.
By bus: There are several
long-distance buses from Munich to the city of Salzburg every day. The
final stop is the Salzburg main train station (back).
By car
The country is well developed for road traffic; the road
condition corresponds to Central European standards. Remote mountain
roads can be narrow and steep. The side valleys of the Salzach in the
area of the Hohe Tauern National Park are closed to private traffic.
Access roads to mountain huts are often available, but mostly reserved
for the operators. There are usually sufficient parking spaces at the
foot of popular hiking trails.
motorways and expressways
In
the state of Salzburg there are only the following long-distance roads
operated by the federal government:
Westautobahn (A1) in the north of
the country in west-east direction (continue to Innsbruck and Munich as
well as to Linz and Vienna)
Tauern autobahn (A 10) starting at the
Salzburg junction in a north-south direction (continue to Villach)
Apart from the motorways, there are only occasional four-lane road
sections; there are no designated S-category expressways in the federal
state.
country roads
The maintenance of the former federal roads
(numbered with the letter B) is now the responsibility of the federal
states in Austria. In the province of Salzburg, the most important of
these main connecting roads are as follows:
Wiener Straße (B1): runs
parallel to the A1 through the Flachgau in an east-west direction from
the Kleiner Walserberg border crossing via Salzburg and the Salzburg
lake district to Straßwalchen, then on towards Linz and Vienna
Wolfgangseestraße (B158): leads from the city of Salzburg to the
Salzburg Salzkammergut and on to Bad Ischl in Upper Austria
Lamprechtshausener Straße (B 156): crosses the Flachgau from the city of
Salzburg in a north-south direction (starts at the Salzburg Nord
motorway exit; continues via Oberndorf near Salzburg to Braunau am Inn)
Salzachtalstraße (B159): crosses the Tennengau and the northern Pongau
in a north-south direction; leads from Anif (exit Salzburg Süd) to
Bischofshofen
Katschberg-Straße (B99): crosses the eastern Pongau and
the Lungau; leads from Bischofshofen via Radstadt and the Radstädter
Tauern Pass to the Lungau and then via the Katschberg to Carinthia
Pinzgauer Straße (B311): crosses the Pongau and the lower Pinzgau in an
east-west direction and the middle Pinzgau in a north-south direction;
leads from Bischofshofen (Pongau junction on the A10) to Zell am See and
from there via Saalfelden to Lofer
Mittersiller Straße (B168):
Crosses the upper Pinzgau in east-west direction; leads from Zell am See
to Mittersill and as an extension from there as Gerlosstraße (B165) to
Krimml and Tyrol.
Furthermore, some cross-connections, continuations
and cul-de-sacs in the large Alpine valleys are also roads in this
category. The main connecting roads for the regional rural area are
Landesstrasse (L) category roads and are generally well developed.
By bicycle
The road network in the city of Salzburg is relatively
generously equipped with cycle paths. The cycle path network there
consists mainly of marked lanes on the roadways, cycle paths alongside
the road and often shared footpaths and cycle paths. The signposting is
done by means of green boards with destination and distance information.
City bike: rental of bicycles by the hour or by the day
In rural
areas, there are mainly footpaths and cycle paths that are separated
from the main roads, where long-distance cycle paths are routed. Driving
on pure sidewalks with bikes in urban areas is rather unusual and is not
tolerated particularly in the cities.
bike trails
For cycle
tourists there are a number of longer and shorter long-distance cycle
paths and circular cycle paths in the province of Salzburg, which are
often sponsored by private companies and are therefore named
accordingly.
The following official long-distance cycle paths
lead through the state of Salzburg:
Tauern Cycle Path from
Oberpinzgau always following the Salzach Valley; Route variant from Zell
am See via Saalfelden and the Kleine Deutsches Eck to Salzburg
Bavarian cycle path:
Mozart cycle path:
Salt and Lakes Tour:
Salzkammergut cycle path:
and several other cycle paths
By
train and bus
railway lines
The Western Railway runs from Salzburg
to Vienna. Larger stops in the province of Salzburg are Seekirchen am
Wallersee and Steindorf near Straßwalchen, from where the Mattigtalbahn,
which leads to Upper Austria, branches off. All stops up to Straßwalchen
are served by line S2 of the Salzburg S-Bahn.
The Westbahn, a private
railway company of the same name, also operates on the Westbahn in the
direction of Vienna. All those who do not have an ÖBB discount card can
travel much cheaper with long-distance trains in the direction of Linz
and Vienna. In the state of Salzburg, however, there is only the last
stop, Salzburg Hauptbahnhof.
The Salzburg-Tyrol Railway runs from
Salzburg via Bischofshofen and Zell am See to Wörgl in Tyrol. In
addition to regional express trains to Wörgl, long-distance trains to
Carinthia (to Schwarzach-St. Veit) and Styria (to Bischofshofen) also
run here. To Schwarzach-St. Veit also operates line S3 of the Salzburg
S-Bahn.
The Tauernbahn branches off in Schwarzach-St. Veit from the
Salzburg-Tiroler-Bahn and leads into the Gasteinertal and then through
the Tauern tunnel to Carinthia. The Tauernbahn car lock runs between
Böckstein in the Gastein Valley and Mallnitz in Carinthia.
In
addition to these routes operated by the Austrian Federal Railways,
there are two private lines operated by the Salzburg infrastructure
company Salzburg AG:
The Salzburg local train runs from Salzburg main
station to Lamprechtshausen in the north of the Flachgau. In Bürmoos,
the line branches off to Ostermiething in Upper Austria. The lines are
part of the S-Bahn Salzburg as S1 and S11.
The Pinzgau local railway
opens up the Upper Pinzgau from Zell am See via Mittersill to Krimml
with numerous railway stations.
Of interest to tourists is the
historic Schafbergbahn in the Salzkammergut in the municipality of St.
Gilgen. However, the departure is from St. Wolfgang in Upper Austria.
Another tourist offer is the Murtalbahn from Tamsweg in Lungau to
Unzmarkt in Styria.
mail buses
In the city of Salzburg, the
central starting point for the bus lines is in front of the main train
station. From there there are good connections in all important
directions, even beyond national borders. The rural area, including the
side valleys of the Alps, is served regularly by buses, but the
frequency is often low.
In the greater Salzburg area, the Salzburg
S-Bahn and international bus lines also offer connections to neighboring
Bavaria.
In the state of Salzburg, the tariffs of the Salzburg
Transport Association (SVV) apply to city and regional bus services as
well as local railway services.
SalzburgerLand Card
The most suitable way to get to know the most
important sights in SalzburgerLand is the SalzburgerLand Card. It offers
entry to around 190 attractions throughout the state. You can choose to
visit the sights of the city of Salzburg or the Grossglockner High
Alpine Road.
The SalzburgerLand Card includes the following
attractions:
lakes and baths
Castles and Palaces
museums and
exhibitions
show mines
nature experiences
mountain railways
scenic roads
trains and buses
sports and fun
Wildlife and
adventure parks
This all-inclusive card is available in a 6-day and
12-day version and is available in all tourist information offices in
SalzburgerLand and in selected hotels.
Castles and Palaces
Among the most famous buildings are
Hohensalzburg Fortress,
Mönchsberg 34, 5020 Salzburg. Phone: +43 (0)662 84 24 30 11, email:
office@festung-hohensalzburg.at . The landmark of Salzburg impresses
with its beautiful silhouette that characterizes the cityscape of
Salzburg and is one of the largest and best-preserved castles in Europe.
Built in 1077, Hohensalzburg was expanded in the 15th century and turned
into a residence in the late Gothic style. After further conversions,
the mighty Kuenburgbastei was the last major structure to be built in
the 17th century. The Hohensalzburg Fortress was the seat of the
archbishops until 1803. In 1861 it was abolished as a fortress by
Emperor Franz Joseph, then served as barracks for a while and is now
open to the public as a museum.
Hohenwerfen Castle, Burgstrasse 2.
Tel.: +43 (0)6468 760 30, e-mail: office@burg-hohenwerfen.at . The
architecturally remarkable building, once the archbishop's fortified
castle, is a worthwhile excursion destination: an interesting weapons
exhibition and flight shows from the state falconry await the visitor.
Mirabell Palace, Mirabellplatz 3-4 . In the center of Salzburg with
beautifully landscaped gardens and inside the Raphael Donner Staircase
with marble statues and the Marble Hall.
Hellbrunn Palace, Fürstenweg
37 and others Phone: +43 (0)662 82 03 72, email: info@hellbrunn.at . The
baroque architecture of Hellbrunn Palace in the south of the city of
Salzburg is just as fascinating as the famous trick fountains and the
"Mechanical Theater". The water was a defining design element of the
castle from the very beginning - hidden in the green shade of bushes and
trees or splashing out alive from unexpected hiding places. Mysterious
grottoes, water-powered figures and treacherous spouting fountains in
every nook and cranny exposed the guests to a constant alternation of
light and shadow or of fright and hilarity. Today you can experience in
almost unchanged form what once delighted the archbishops and his
guests.
sacred buildings
Salzburg Cathedral, Domplatz 1a .
Franciscan Church, in Salzburg.
Maria Plain. Pilgrimage site on the
Plainberg in the north of Salzburg (Bergheim municipality).
Museums
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756-1791) is a cultural icon of the
city of Salzburg. The house where he was born is now a museum, where you
can see, among other things, his childhood violin and letters from the
Mozart family. You can also visit the home of the Mozart family.
Museum of Modern Art in Salzburg. Tel.: +43 (0)662 84 22 20, e-mail:
info@mdmsalzburg.at . The Museum der Moderne is represented at the two
locations Museum der Moderne Rupertinum opposite the Festspielhaus and
Museum der Moderne Mönchsberg with objects of recent fine art.
Domquartier, in Salzburg. Tel.: +43 (0)662 80 42 21 09, e-mail:
office@domquartier.at . The Domquartier is a combination of several art
collections with the opportunity to visit the state rooms of the
Salzburg Residence. The focus is on the Baroque era. Feature: wheelchair
accessible.
House of Nature, in Salzburg. Phone: +43 (0)662 842 65
30, email: office@hausdernatur.at . The Haus der Natur is a first-class
natural history museum with changing special exhibitions. Feature:
wheelchair accessible.
Salzburg Open Air Museum, in Großgmain. Tel.:
+43 (0)662 85 00 11, email: salzburger@freilichtmuseum.com. The museum
shows traditional architecture and lifestyle from the state and offers
repeated shows and events.
natural beauties
Grossglockner High
Alpine Road. Alpine panorama road over the Grossglockner in the Hohe
Tauern National Park to Carinthia; with special scenic beauty.
giant
ice world. The Eisriesenwelt in Werfen is the largest ice cave in the
world with a cave portal 20 m wide and 18 m high. The entire cave system
extends over about 50 km, with only about 1 km covered with ice. This
part is open to the public.
Krimml Waterfalls. The Krimml Waterfalls
in the Hohe Tauern National Park are the only natural monument in
Austria with a European diploma. Three cataracts with a total drop of
389 m (fifth highest falls in the world): "Upper Fall" 140 m, "Middle
Achenfall" 100 m, "Lower Achenfall" over 140 m).
Salzachöfen, at the
Lueg pass (municipality of Golling an der Salzach)
Golling waterfall
Liechtenstein Gorge, Pongau. Gorge of the Gasteiner Ache in the lower
reaches.
regional customs
Samson moves. The custom of carrying
Samson, which is native to Lungau and neighboring Styria, is unique in
Austria. The Samson is a giant parade figure accompanied by a pair of
dwarfs. The parades take place between May (from the day of Corpus
Christi) until the first Sunday in October.
Krampus run. Around St.
Nicholas Day on December 6th, a Krampus run takes place in some places.
The Krampus is a creature with the most gruesome appearance possible.
Several Krampuses form a pass. This includes a Santa Claus, accompanied
by a Guazl bearer and an angel. Such parades go from house to house with
devilish screams and loud jingling of bells to reward good children and
punish bad ones. (video example).
Perchten: In the rough nights you
can observe Perchten in some places, either as beautiful Perchten or
less beautiful as Schiachperchten. The Perchten are supposed to drive
out the winter with their bells.
Winter sports
Salzburg is a stronghold of alpine ski tourism in
winter. There are numerous ski areas in the state:
Skicircus
Saalbach-Hinterglemm Leogang near Saalbach-Hinterglemm and Leogang - ski
region with a distinct party scene
Ski Amadé includes several ski
areas in Salzburg and Styria with a total of 270 lifts and 760
kilometers of slopes. The following areas belong to Ski Amadé
Salzburger Sportwelt with the ski areas of Flachau, Wagrain, St.
Johann-Alpendorf, Zauchensee-Flachauwinkl, Flachauwinkl-Kleinarl,
Radstadt-Altenmarkt, Eben, Filzmoos and Goldegg
Gastein with
Schlossalm and Stubnerkogel, Sportgastein and Graukogel
Grossarltal
with Grossarl and Dorfgastein
Hochkönig with Dienten, Maria Alm and
Mühlbach am Hochkönig
Schladming-Dachstein: this ski area is mostly
in Styria
Kitzsteinhorn glacier ski area near Kaprun
Lungau
ski region - in the tariff network with Obertauern and Katschberg
Ski
area Reiteralm & Fageralm near Schladming and Forstau
Dachstein-West
ski region
Naturally, there is a corresponding range of entertainment and cultural events in the larger cities.
The following emergency numbers are available:
rescue 144
police 133
Fire Department 122
Gas emergency number 128
Water
Rescue 144
Cave Rescue 144
Mountain Rescue 140
Medical
emergency service 141
Poison Information Center 01 406 43 43
Emergency call for victims 0800 112 112
The state of Salzburg covers an area of 7,154.56 km². The highest
elevation in Salzburg is the Großvenediger, which is 3657 m above sea
level. A. is the fourth highest mountain in Austria. 174 km of the state
border are also the Austrian state border, for the most part in the
north-west with Bavaria/Germany and to a small extent in the south-west
with South Tyrol/Italy. Otherwise Salzburg borders on Tyrol in the west
and south-west, on Upper Austria in the north-east, on Styria in the
east and on Carinthia in the south.
The northern part of the
country is divided into two districts:
The Flachgau is the
northernmost region of the country, which also includes the immediate
area south of the city of Salzburg. Its name was created late, based on
the designations of the other districts "in the mountains" and expresses
the geographical characteristics of the area. This consists of the
Salzburg foothills of the Alps and small parts of the Osterhorn Group,
which belongs to the northern Limestone Alps.
The Tennengau adjoins
the Flachgau to the south and encompasses the area around the city of
Hallein and the communities to the south of it. Its name derives from
the Tennengebirge, the first part of the name of which goes back to the
word fir. It essentially includes the Salzach Valley, which is wide
here, and the mountains of the northern Limestone Alps on either side of
it.
The southern part of the state of Salzburg is divided into
three districts:
The Pinzgau occupies the western part of it. Its
name may derive from the Celtic tribe of the Ambisonts. A common
explanation is that the area is the "Binsen" Gau, since this plant was
likely to be found here frequently in the past.
The Pongau forms the
middle of the three southern districts. The name derives from Pongo, the
former name for today's Bischofshofen. Pongo itself probably goes on a
Celtic bona "boundary;" (limited) area, plane" back; a connection with
beans is also possible; what is meant is the horse bean, which could be
found here.
The Lungau is located in the southeast of the province of
Salzburg. The origin of the name has not been clarified, but it can be
traced back to a Slavic or Celtic word. A connection with Lonka is
possible, the name for a stream in the north of the Lungau, which goes
back to the Slavic word for "moor, swamp".
These three southern
districts are part of the Hohe Tauern and in the Lungau of the Niedere
Tauern, both of which belong to the Central Alps. Together they are
referred to as "Innergebirge" - especially from the point of view of the
less mountainous areas of the state of Salzburg.
political districts
The state of Salzburg is divided into five
political districts and one statutory city, the city of Salzburg. The
districts are still called Gaue (as landscape areas) as is customary in
the country.
The settlement history of Salzburg goes back to the oldest Neolithic
period. The oldest name of the city comes from the Celts: Iuvavum. Under
the Romans, Iuvavum was an administrative district within the province
of Noricum or Noricum Ripense. Since the Bavarians took over the country
in the 6th century, the area that later became the state of Salzburg
belonged to the Duchy of Bavaria. By founding or renewing the monastery
of St. Peter in 696 and founding the women's monastery on the Nonnberg
in 713 on the ruins of the Roman Iuvavum, St. Rupert laid the foundation
for a diocese (739), which became the archbishopric of Salzburg in 798
and thus became the center of the Bavarian ecclesiastical province. This
included almost the entire old Bavarian region.
Archbishop
Eberhard II, a determined supporter of the Hohenstaufen family,
succeeded in building up a closed archbishopric dominion from 1200 to
1246 from counties, courts and bailiwicks. With the recognition of the
borders of this - for the time being still Bavarian - state of Salzburg
by Duke Heinrich XIII. von Landshut in 1275, the separation of Salzburg
from the Duchy of Bavaria began. In 1328, Salzburg became a largely
independent state within the Holy Roman Empire of the German Nation
through the enactment of its own provincial ordinance. As the
archbishopric of Salzburg, it developed into a buffer state between
Bavaria and the Habsburg lands. Until the end of the old empire,
however, it was considered part of Bavaria in terms of landscape (it was
part of the Bavarian imperial circle; Abraham a Sancta Clara speaks of
"Salzburg in Bavaria").
In the 15th and 16th centuries, not only
was the salt trade of great economic importance, but also gold mining in
the Rauriser and Gastein valleys. For a short time, the amounts of gold
mined were the largest in Central Europe. The wealth of the state of
Salzburg increased, but with it the social tensions between rich
citizens and aristocrats as well as the poor rural population. Combined
with an autocratic claim to power by the prince-archbishops, the
tensions in 1462/63 and 1525, originating in the mountain districts, led
to peasant uprisings. The peasant revolt of 1525 was also influenced by
the emergence of Protestantism. As a result, Protestants were expelled
several times. The largest wave of expulsions took place under Prince
Archbishop Leopold Anton Graf von Firmian, who expelled around 20,000
Salzburg Protestants (“Salzburg Exulants”) from the country in 1731/32.
In 1803 the principality came to the Habsburg Grand Duke Ferdinand
III as the secularized Electorate of Salzburg. of Tuscany, in 1805
together with the Prince Provostship of Berchtesgaden to form the
Austrian Empire, founded in 1804. In 1810, as a result of the Paris
Treaty, Salzburg became a Bavarian province as the Salzach district.
After the Congress of Vienna in 1814/15, Salzburg was finally
incorporated into the Austrian Empire in 1816 with the Treaty of Munich.
In 1829 the Saline Convention was concluded with Bavaria. Until 1850,
the Salzburger Land as the Salzburg district was only a part of Austria
above the Enns (Upper Austria). The western parts of Salzburg, which
until then had always belonged to Salzburg, and the former Prince
Provostship of Berchtesgaden remained with Bavaria, while the Zillertal
and Windischmatrei (Matrei in East Tyrol) were annexed to Tyrol.
In 1850, on the decision of Emperor Franz Joseph I, Salzburg became its
own Austrian crown land, which had its own state parliament as the
legislative branch and a state committee as the executive branch since
1861 on the basis of the constitution mentioned in February ). The
country now also elected mandataries to the House of Representatives of
the Reichsrat.
At the end of October 1918, the state of Salzburg
became part of German Austria, since November 12, 1918 the Republic and
since October 25, 1919 the Republic of Austria. In the non-official
plebiscite of May 29, 1921, 99.07% of the voters voted for the
annexation of Salzburg to the German Reich. However, secession from
Austria contradicted Austria's constitution, as did annexation to the
German Reich with the Treaty of Saint-Germain, so that the plebiscite
had no corresponding political consequences.
Like all of Austria,
Salzburg was ruled dictatorially from 1934 to 1938. During the Nazi
dictatorship (1938-1945), Salzburg was the only former Austrian state
with unchanged national borders. The Eugen Grill works in Hallein were
the largest armaments factory in the country during the Nazi era. During
the so-called occupation period (1945–1955), Salzburg, like Upper
Austria south of the Danube and part of Vienna, was part of the US
occupation zone.
With 61.2 percent, the Roman Catholic Church is the largest religious
community in the province of Salzburg, and another 2.9 percent are of
the Protestant faith. According to estimates, 3.7% of the population
belong to an orthodox church, 5.6% are Muslim and 0.01% profess Judaism
(all figures as of early 2018).
There are no current figures on
the religious composition of the rest of the population. These figures
were last collected during the census in 2001: At that time, 3.9% of the
population belonged to other religious communities (not listed above),
9.6% were unaffiliated and a further 3.1% gave no information about
their religion.
state constitution
The current Salzburg state constitution dates
from 1999 and has been amended several times since then. With the
decree, which was adopted in a referendum, the government proportional
representation (the representation of all parties according to their
strength in the state parliament) that had been in force since 1921 was
abolished and replaced by the majority system. In return, the minority
rights in the state parliament (committees of inquiry, referendums,
rights of inquiry, rights of control, etc.) were expanded. The 2005
revision lowered the voting age to 16.
As early as 1921,
instruments for the direct co-determination of the population were
introduced in the form of referendums and referendums. In 1985 the
referendum was also made possible. At the same time, the support
requirement would be reduced from the previous 20,000 eligible voters to
10,000 eligible voters.
Parliament
The Salzburg State
Parliament is the legislative body of the State of Salzburg. It is made
up of 36 MEPs belonging to five political groups. Since the 2018
elections, the largest parliamentary group has been the ÖVP with 15
seats, followed by the SPÖ with 8 seats.
Historically, the ÖVP
was the largest parliamentary group in the state parliament. With the
elections to the Salzburg state parliament on March 7, 2004, the SPÖ
under Gabi Burgstaller became the party with the most votes for the
first time. This position was regained by the ÖVP in the state elections
in Salzburg in 2013 after the Salzburg speculation scandal.
state
government
The Salzburg state government is the highest
administrative body in the state and has 7 members. Since 2018, the
incumbent state government has consisted of five government members from
the ÖVP, one representative from the Greens and one representative from
NEOS.
See also: Governor of Salzburg
In the history of
republican Austria, two provincial governors from Salzburg have played
important roles: in the First Republic Franz Rehrl, in the Second
Republic Josef Klaus, who from 1964 to 1970 was in the cabinets Klaus I
(grand coalition) and Klaus II (first sole government of the Second
Republic) acted as Federal Chancellor.
Europe region
The
Euregio Salzburg - Berchtesgadener Land - Traunstein has existed since
1995, an association at municipal level to improve the diverse
intergovernmental cooperation in the implementation of European ideas.
eGovernment
Via the e-government portal of the state of Salzburg,
citizens can fill out applications online and send them electronically
to the competent authority. This form of application simplifies the
administrative process and the procedure can be completed more quickly.
The form solutions cover i.a. The areas of "Construction and Housing",
"Agriculture and Forestry" and "Culture" come from the Austrian IT
company aforms2web.
Salzburg state newspaper and state
correspondence
The Salzburger Landeszeitung has existed since 1774
(formerly: Salzburger Zeitung) and is now published fortnightly as the
official gazette by the Landesmedienzentrum. In addition, press releases
are published on an ongoing basis under the title Salzburg State
Correspondence, which can be accessed online in the press archive.
partnerships
Since 1970, the state of Salzburg and the Republic
of Lithuania, which was still a Soviet republic at the time, have had a
partnership.
In 1999 a partnership agreement was signed with the
Autonomous Province of Trento (Republic of Italy). It is the Italian
part of the historic Austrian crown land of Tyrol, usually called
Trentino in Austria until 1918, the former Welschtirol.
In comparison with the average gross domestic product of the European
Union, expressed in purchasing power standards, the state of Salzburg
achieved an index value of 152 in 2014 (EU-28: 100, Austria: 129). In
2016, Salzburg was the richest federal state in Austria, ahead of
Vienna, with a gross domestic product per capita of EUR 48,700.
In the province of Salzburg, tourism is one of the most important
economic sectors. Due to its alpine location, the country lives on
summer and winter tourism. After Tyrol, the state of Salzburg is the
Austrian state with the most overnight stays (from 2001 to 2011 between
around 21.5 and 24.5 million annually). The tourism marketing of the
state is coordinated by the SalzburgerLand Tourismus GmbH. Shareholders
of this company under commercial law are the tourism associations of the
state of Salzburg with 51 percent of the shares. The state of Salzburg
holds another 40% shares, as well as 3% each from the Chamber of
Commerce, Chamber of Agriculture and Chamber of Labour.
Due to
its special geographical location, Salzburg is connected to the Bavarian
districts of Berchtesgadener Land and Traunstein in terms of transport
and economy. The shortest road connection to the towns and
municipalities of the Pinzgau leads via the so-called Kleine Deutsches
Eck (Salzburg-Bad Reichenhall-Lofer). Freilassing (the district of
Salzburghofen was once a suburb of Salzburg) and Bad Reichenhall are
particularly economically connected to Salzburg.
In terms of rail
transport, the Vienna – Salzburg, Salzburg – Rosenheim (– Munich) and
Salzburg – Villach railway lines in particular are of supra-regional
importance. In the surrounding area of the city of Salzburg there is the
network of the Salzburg S-Bahn, which is to be supplemented by the
Salzburg regional city railway.
“Salzburg AG”, which owns around
three quarters of the city and state of Salzburg, acts as the largest
infrastructural provider in the state. This offers electricity, water,
natural gas and district heating and operates various public transport.
The company also offers telecommunications services (telephone,
internet, cable TV).
The different landscapes are home to many different customs, some of
which are only (still) maintained in a single place. In the
pre-Christmas period, Santa Claus comes nationwide with the Krampus. A
more recent development in larger cities or market towns are organized
Krampus runs, in which the Krampus figures are more based on fantasy
costumes from the film industry. One of the few areas where Krampus
festivals still go from house to house every year on December 5th and
6th under the motto "true to the good old custom" is the Gasteinertal.
Every year in the rough nights after Christmas, Glöckler and
Perchten come with the purpose of chasing away the evil spirits of
winter (driving out winter) and thus making room for the new year. Among
other things, the Pongauer Perchtenlauf (see Perchten) is well-known.
Lively summer customs, especially in the Lungau, are the prang poles
and the Samson parades. The 5-day Rupertikirtag in the city of Salzburg
is one of the most famous folk festivals in Austria and is visited by
more than 100,000 people every year.
Clubs and groups for the purpose of promoting
cultural interests and organizing cultural events are concentrated in
the state capital, but are represented throughout the state. The
umbrella association of Salzburg cultural sites acts as an
organizational association and representative of common interests.
Official advisory bodies on the part of the state are the Salzburg State
Cultural Advisory Board and the Salzburg Cultural Service.
Major
cultural events and event cycles are primarily held in the city of
Salzburg. In addition to traditional events of local importance, the
important regular cultural events in the state include the Rauris
Literature Days (since 1971), the Saalfelden Jazz Festival (since 1979)
and the Paul Hofhaimer Days (old and new music, since 1987) taking place
in Radstadt.
The state of Salzburg has set up numerous cultural sponsorships with a particular focus on supporting contemporary art. In the field of literature, these are the Rauris Literature Prize, the Georg Trakl Prize for poetry and annual scholarships for literature. There are also annual scholarships in the areas of music, film and fine arts, as well as the Great Art Prize for Music, the Salzburg Music Prize and various state prizes for architecture, ceramics, painting and graphics.