Altstadt (old town): Salzburg

In 1997, Salzburg's Altstadt (Old Town) was designated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in the category of cultural monuments worth preserving for future generations. This should speak for itself, and the Altstadt should be on every visitor's "to-do" list. Because the city center is not very big, you should be able to find your way around fairly easily. Classic Salzburg is a feast for the eyes, with impressive buildings dating back to the baroque period dominating the scenery. Different epochs can easily be distinguished from one another, with Italian baroque features standing side-by-side with examples of Austrian individualism. The Salzach River acts as a natural border to the Old Town, and the traffic-ridden Rudolfskai stretches out alongside it. Another natural feature that encloses the Old Town is the Mönchsberg, a big rock face that used to protect the city's treasures from unwanted guests during the Middle Ages. Salzburg's cathedral is without a doubt the main attraction in the Altstadt. It is flanked by two squares, the Residenzplatz (a good place to see open-air concerts during summer) and the Kapitelplatz (also used for concerts and theater performances). The nearby Residenz, the "new" Residenz, the Franziskanerkirche (Franciscan church) and the Kollegienkirche (Stiftskirche) of Saint Ruprecht are only a stone's throw away from each other. Towering above all these attractions is the Hohensalzburg Fortress on the Mönchsberg (Monks' Mountain). In the western part of the Old Town, you can admire the Kollegienkirche, Mozart's birth house, the two famous festival halls - Festspielhäuser - and the so-called "Pferdeschwemme", once a spot where horses could get a drink of water. The Getreidegasse, one of the most expensive streets in Salzburg, is also situated here, with Church of St. Blasius at its western end. The Getreidegasse has always been the Linzergasse's elegant counterpart, though the latter lies on the other side of the Salzach River. It is one of the main traffic routes linking the districts on the right of the river to the city; heading west, it is also one of the main roads for those traveling to Linz and Vienna. © WCities