• Home

The Complete Pilgrim - Religious Travel Sites

Howard Kramer's, The Complete Pilgrim, Religious Travel Site

  • AMERICAN RELIGIOUS SITES
  • CHRISTIAN SITES
  • JEWISH SITES
  • CATHOLIC SITES
  • INDIAN/HINDU SITES
  • HOLIDAY SITES
  • CASTLES
  • BATTLEFIELDS
  • MOUNTAINS
  • NATURE
  • WILDLIFE SITES
  • PHOTO GALLERIES
  • ARCHIVES
  • ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

SALZBURG HIGH FORTRESS

December 19, 2014 By Howard Kramer Leave a Comment

Salzburg, Austria

The city of Salzburg in western Austria has been an important military, commercial and religious center since the early Middle Ages.  Salzburg was the closest city to Venice north of the Alps, and was consequently a major hub for spreading trade and the Church from Italy into Central Europe.  To guard the area and the traffic passing through, the local Archbishop ordered the construction of the Festung Hohensalzburg, one of the largest and most formidable castles that had been built in Europe to date.  It was frequently used as a refuge by the city’s church leaders during the centuries-long tug-of-war between the the Holy Roman Empire and the Papacy.  From a tourism point of view, this towering castle is actually overshadowed by Salzburg’s musical legacy and related sights, but is still an important stop on most visitor agendas.

History

Salzburg is named for the great salt mines located in the mountains surrounding the city.  The Romans established a major outpost and settlement here in the 1st century AD both to protect the valuable salt trade and as an advanced military base against the southern flank of the German tribelands.  After the fall of the Western Roman Empire, Salzburg passed through a succession of German kingdoms until it was finally conquered by the Franks and incorporated into the Holy Roman Empire.  Salzburg became one of the most important transit cities between the German lands and Italy, and was the site of one of the first Archbishoprics north of the Alps.

As the Holy Roman Empire devolved into a swarm of tiny city-states, Salzburg’s Archbishop became head of the city’s government, one of the few such ecclesiastical leaders in Central Europe.  Later, as an elector, the Archbishop’s title became Prince Archbishop of Salzburg.  During the late 18th century, the Holy Roman Empire and the Papacy became embroiled in the Investiture Controversy over the appointment of church leaders.  The Prince Archbishops sided squarely with the Pope, and to protect themselves from military intervention by the Emperor commissioned the building of the High Fortress.  This was the first of many confrontations between the Popes and the Emperors that would find Salzburg caught squarely in the middle.

During the 15th century, following a series of long wars between the Empire and the Papacy, the fortress was rebuilt in stone on a huge scale.  This may have also been influenced by the 1419 defenstration of Prague, when church officials may have begun to sense a large conflict coming.  However, as the Wars of Religious borke out in Central Europe, Salzburg remained largely subdued and outside of the conflicts.  In fact, from the time of its construction in 1077 until the arrival of Napolean in the early 1800s, the High Fortress remained securely in the possession of the Prince Archbishops for more than seven centuries.

Even during the age of gunpowder warfare, when many other European castles were becoming obsolete, the High Fortress remained useful due largely to its practically unassailable mountaintop position.  It continued to be used by the Austrians as a military outpost and later as a military prison right through the end of World War I.  It was largely forced out of service by the victorious Entente after the war, but was never destroyed.  After World War II it was restored as a tourist site and is now considered one of the best-preserved medieval castles in Central-Eastern Europe.

Visiting

The Festung Hohensalzburg is huge, one of the largest intact fortifications in Europe.  It is a concentric castle, with towering white-brick walls surrounding the central courtyards and buildings, with additional grey-brick walls and fortifications on the lower slopes of the mountainside.  The outer walls were built strictly for functionality and are somewhat plain looking despite their enormity.  Half a dozen major towers protect the perimeter of the site.  The castle is perched on top of a steep hill overlooking the town, with no outer landscaping other than the bare hillside.  This allows for an unbelievable unobstructed view in virtually every direction.  On a clear day visitors can see not only the city of Salzburg but to more distant locations in both Austria and Germany.  The Alps are visible to the south.

Within the walls are several courtyards, the central castle, a number of outbuildings and the Prince Archbishop’s residence which dominates the center of the complex. Much of the castle has been restored, preserved and is accessible by visitors.  The highlight of the castle tour is the apartments of the Prince Archbishops located inside the residence.  Other popular rooms include the Golden Chamber, the Golden Hall, the Lookout Tower and the Torture Chamber.  Part of the fortress has been converted into the Fortress Museum, where arms, weapons, religious items and other artifacts of the Festung Hohensalzburg are preserved.  Strangely, the chief decorations of the fortress are carvings of beetroots, which appear more than 50 times throughout the structure.

The Festung Hohensalzburg is located just outside of downtown Salzburg on a steep hilltop overlooking the city.  It is accessible on foot, rail or cable car.  It is open July through August from 9:00am-7:00pm; in May, June and September from 9:00am-6:00pm; and from October through April from 9:00am-5:00pm.  Admission is E10.00 for adults and E5.70 for children.  Web: www.saltzburg-burgen.at (official website).

Other Sites

About 100 miles east of Salzburg and 40 miles west of Vienna is Kuenriger Castle in the City of Durnstein.  This castle became famous as the prison of King Richard the Lionheart of England where he was held for ransom following the crusades.  The border region between Germany and Austria just west of Salzburg is home to the Obersalzburg, site of one of the 20th century’s most notorious fortresses: the Berghof.  More of a fortified retreat than a true fortress, this was Hitler’s home away from Berlin.  Most of the complex was destroyed after the war, but the Eagle’s Nest remains.  Also nearby are Aggstein Castle, Hochosterwitz Castle, Hohenwerfen Castle and Kruezenstein Castle.

Filed Under: Castle/Fortress Tagged With: Austria/Switzerland

Where would you like to go?

Africa (North) Africa (Sub-Sahara) Arabia Armenia/Azerbaijan/Georgia Australia/Pacific Austria/Switzerland Balkans Belgium/Netherlands British Isles Canada Caribbean Central Asia China Czech Republic Egypt France Germany Greece Hungary/Romania/Bulgaria India (NE)/Nepal India (NW) India (South)/Sri Lanka Iran/Iraq Israel Italy/Malta Japan/Korea Latin America Mexico Palestine Poland/Lithuania Russia Scandinavia Southeast Asia Spain/Portugal Syria/Jordan/Lebanon Turkey/Cyprus Ukraine US-California US-Mid Atlantic US-Midwest US-New England US-New York US-Pacific Northwest US-South US-Southwest

About Howard Kramer

Howard Kramer is the creator and author of The Complete Pilgrim. He first took an interest in religious sites in his early twenties when traveling through Italy after college. In the two decades since he has traveled to more than two dozen countries and almost every state, visiting and photographing hundreds of the world’s greatest churches, synagogues and other places of religious interest. Howard has been writing about religious sites for the better part of the last decade, and The Complete Pilgrim is a culmination of years of his work and passion.

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

THE COMPLETE AMERICAN PILGRIM – NOW AVAILABLE ON AMAZON

THE COMPLETE PILGRIM

Welcome to The Complete Pilgrim(TM)! This site, created by Howard Kramer, is a combination travel blog and online guide to the world's greatest sites of religious interest (with some historic and recreational places thrown in for good measure). All written content has been originally researched and produced and is provided free for public research and enjoyment. Thank you for visiting!

Site of the Week

WITTENBERG CASTLE CHURCH

WITTENBERG CASTLE CHURCH

Wittenberg, Germany The … [Read More...]

Friends of TCP Spotlight

5 PLACES TO VISIT IN HISTORIC PHILADELPHIA – MUSLIM TRAVEL ROCKS

5 PLACES TO VISIT IN HISTORIC PHILADELPHIA – MUSLIM TRAVEL ROCKS

by Glory Ali The City of Brotherly Love offers tons to see and do and get this, it’s FREE. That’s right you heard it right it’s FREE. Click here for complete article  

MOVING THE U.S. EMBASSY TO JERUSALEM – FAITH IN FAITHS

MOVING THE U.S. EMBASSY TO JERUSALEM – FAITH IN FAITHS

by Mary Neuhauser President Trump recently announced his intentions to move the United States Embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, thereby recognizing Jerusalem as the official capital of Israel. The purpose of this article is to give you a brief overview of what this decision means and why it matters. Click here for […]

Photo of the Week

BASILICA OF ST. DENIS

Last month, I visited one of the most fascinating churches I have ever been to, the almost completely ignored Basilica of St. Denis in the northern suburbs of Paris.  Almost every French monarch is buried here, and almost nobody goes here.  Here are some pics I took:

Basilica of St. Denis

Tomb of Clovis

Tomb of Clovis

Tombs of Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette

Tombs of Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette

Tomb of Louis XIV The Sun King

Tomb of Louis XIV The Sun King

Royal Tombs

Royal Tombs

The Crypt

The Crypt

 

 

 

 

Follow us!

Where would you like to go?

Africa (North) Africa (Sub-Sahara) Arabia Armenia/Azerbaijan/Georgia Australia/Pacific Austria/Switzerland Balkans Belgium/Netherlands British Isles Canada Caribbean Central Asia China Czech Republic Egypt France Germany Greece Hungary/Romania/Bulgaria India (NE)/Nepal India (NW) India (South)/Sri Lanka Iran/Iraq Israel Italy/Malta Japan/Korea Latin America Mexico Palestine Poland/Lithuania Russia Scandinavia Southeast Asia Spain/Portugal Syria/Jordan/Lebanon Turkey/Cyprus Ukraine US-California US-Mid Atlantic US-Midwest US-New England US-New York US-Pacific Northwest US-South US-Southwest

Contact Us

Have a comment, a great photo or a religious site you'd like to nominate for the weekly spotlight? We would love to hear from you. Email us at hkramer@thecompletepilgrim.com.

About the Author

Howard Kramer is the creator and author of The Complete Pilgrim. He first took an interest in religious sites in his early twenties when traveling through Italy after college. In the two decades since he has traveled to more than two dozen countries and almost every state, visiting and photographing hundreds of the world’s greatest churches, synagogues and other places of religious interest. Howard has been writing about religious sites for the better part of the last decade, and The Complete Pilgrim is the culmination of years of his work and passion.

Return to top of page
Copyright © 2025 The Complete Pilgrim, LLC || Marietta, GA 30068 || Legal Disclaimers

Website by: Kristina McInerny, Notes From Kris, Inc.