MOZART'S HOUSE
At No 9 Getreidgasse on January 27 1756 Wolfang Amadeus Mozart was born. His father rented the third floor apartment in this typical city house. Today the building is owned by the Mozarteum Foundation. The building has pictures and documents that belonged to the Mozart family and also musical instruments that belonged to Wolfgang Mozart.
HOHENWERFEN CASTLE
The Hohenwerfen Castle is possibly the most dramatic situated castle that I have ever visited. I sits on a rocky crag in the middle of the deep Salzach Valley flanked by high mountains. In fact when I first saw the castle on a brochure, I was so taken with its setting and beauty that I decided to visit Austria just to see it. The photo here does not do justice to its majestic setting as I took on a rather dreary day (on top of being hungover). The fortress was built in the 11th century by the Archbishop Gebhard von Felsenstein in order to protect Salzburg from it's southern flank from invaders from Bavaria. The castle has been rebuilt several times and what you see today is general from the 16th century. The castle has been used for the most part as a prison for which it developed a severe reputation because of the inhumane conditions here. The castle can only be visited by German speaking tour. If you ask they might give you some English speaking summeries. The tour takes you through several dining halls, state rooms, a fresco chapel and torture chamber complete with a rack. There is a good snack bar here that serves beer and has a patio in the impressive courtyard. Astute observes might recognize the fortress in several films. It can be seen in the background in that insipid film "The Sound of Music" during the "Do-Ra-Mi" song. It was also used as the setting for the film "Where Eagles Dare" with Richard Burton and Clint Eastwood. The castle is open at wildly varying times throughout the year but it usually opens at 9am and stays open until 5pm. It cost 8 Euros to visit.
SALZBURG
Everyone's favorite Austrian City, Salzburg dates back to 696 when St Rupert established a bishopric (later elevated to an archbishopric) here. Religious power led to temporal power, made more important by local important salt mines. The late 16th centruury saw much of the baroque architectural reconstruction of the city. Salzburg was independent until the Napoleonic wars broughtthe city into the waiting arms of the Habsburgs. The old town is another of Austria's six UNESCO World Heritage sites. A magnificent architectural wonder overlooked by the fortress of the Hohensalzburg. It is the city of Mozart - though he was never embraced by the town during his lifetime - and the Sound of Music. You can spend a lot of money here ... or not.
GOSAUSEEBLICK
No climbing here. Just a short detour west from the popular tourist town of Halstatt. Drive west up the road through the Gosau valley to the road end at the Gosausee. From the end of the lake you have a grand view of the Hoher Dachstein (2995 meters/9826 feet) and the crags and combs of the Gosauseekam rising steeply above the lake. Late afternoon with the alpenglow is when the scene is at its most spectacular. Some outstanding hikes take off from the road either into the Gosauseekam or towards the Hoher Dachstein, itself. Boats are available for rental if you are so inclined to row out on the lake.
INNSBRUCK
Set along the Inn River between the mighty Karwendelgeberge to the north and the Tuxer Vorberge to the south, Innsbruck has a truly gorgeous setting. The city dates back to 1180 and was a ducal seat for Tyrolia from 1420. Habsburg emperor Maximillan I and empress Maria Theresa played large roles in shaping the city's architecture: Max watched street performers from under the Goldenes Dachl (Golden Roof); Maria expanded and updated the Hofburg (Imperial Palace) though still only a country home to the lady who owned the Schonbrunn in Vienna. There are several museums that can occupy your time here - Hofkirche, Volkskunst Museum, Tiroler Landesmusem Ferdinandeum, Schloss Ambras, Bergisel - plus the Winter Olympic venues from the Games of 1964 and 1976. There are five main ski areas around Innsbruck - Hungerburg, Igls, Mutters, Tulfes and Axamer Lizum - though much better skiing awaits to the west in the Arlberg resorts (St Anton, Lechs, Zur, Ischgl, etc) and to the east (Kitzbuhl, St Johann, Zell am See, etc). The surrounding mountains offer super hiking and climbing opportunites with many mountain huts to utilize.
THE SCHLOSS AMBRAS
The Schloss Ambras is a fine Renaissance castle 2.5 miles south of Innsbruck. At the time of my visit it was the home to the Portrait Gallery of the Museum of Art History that is located in Vienna. To be honest this was not very interesting and can only be recommended for specialists. The rest of the castle is worth seeing however. It has a good collection of medieval armour, medieval sculpture and furniture. The exterior of the castle is rather pretty especially when you view it against the mountain backdrop. The castle was home of the counts of Tyrol and was originally built by Archduke Ferdinand II of Austria in the 16th century overtop of the ruins of a previous fortification. The castle is open daily from 10am to 5pm but the hours are considerably shortened during the winter months, from 2pm to 5pm. Admission is 4.5 Euros. It is closed during November. |
