Hohensalzburg Fortress (german: Festung Hohensalzburg, lit=High Salzburg Fortress) is a large medieval fortress in the city of
Salzburg
Salzburg (, ; literally "Salt-Castle"; bar, Soizbuag, label=Austro-Bavarian) is the fourth-largest city in Austria. In 2020, it had a population of 156,872.
The town is on the site of the Roman settlement of ''Iuvavum''. Salzburg was founded ...
,
Austria
Austria, , bar, Östareich officially the Republic of Austria, is a country in the southern part of Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine states, one of which is the capital, Vienna, the most populous ...
. It sits atop the
Festungsberg
Festungsberg is a mountain in the city of Salzburg in Austria, , which rises to an elevation of . It is the site of the Hohensalzburg Fortress, which towers over Salzburg's historic city centre to the north, and forms part of the city's UNESCO ...
at an altitude of 506 m. It was erected at the behest of the
Prince-Archbishops of Salzburg. The fortress is long and wide making it one of the largest medieval castles in Europe.
History
Early history
Construction of the fortress began in 1077 under Archbishop
Gebhard von Helfenstein. The original design was a basic
bailey with a wooden wall. In the
Holy Roman Empire
The Holy Roman Empire was a political entity in Western, Central, and Southern Europe that developed during the Early Middle Ages and continued until its dissolution in 1806 during the Napoleonic Wars.
From the accession of Otto I in 962 unt ...
, the archbishops of Salzburg were already powerful political figures and they expanded the fortress to protect their interests. Helfenstein's conflict with Emperor
Henry IV during the
Investiture Controversy
The Investiture Controversy, also called Investiture Contest (German: ''Investiturstreit''; ), was a conflict between the Church and the state in medieval Europe over the ability to choose and install bishops ( investiture) and abbots of mona ...
influenced the expansion of the fortress, with the Archbishop taking the side of
Pope Gregory VII
Pope Gregory VII ( la, Gregorius VII; 1015 – 25 May 1085), born Hildebrand of Sovana ( it, Ildebrando di Soana), was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 22 April 1073 to his death in 1085. He is venerated as a saint ...
and the German anti-king
Rudolf of Rheinfelden. The fortress was gradually expanded during the following centuries. The ring walls and towers were built in 1462 under Prince-Archbishop
Burkhard II von Weißpriach.
Prince-Archbishop
Leonhard von Keutschach further expanded the fortress during his term from 1495 until 1519.
[de Fabianis, p. 168.] His coadjutor
Matthäus Lang von Wellenburg, who was later to succeed Leonhard, in 1515 wrote a description of the
Reisszug, a very early and primitive
funicular railway that provided freight access to the upper courtyard of the fortress. The line still exists, albeit in updated form, and is probably the oldest operational
railway
Rail transport (also known as train transport) is a means of transport that transfers passengers and goods on wheeled vehicles running on rails, which are incorporated in tracks. In contrast to road transport, where the vehicles run on a p ...
in the world.
The current external bastions, begun in the 16th century and completed in the 17th, were added as a precaution because of fears of
Turkish Invasion.
The only time that the fortress actually came under siege was during the
German Peasants' War
The German Peasants' War, Great Peasants' War or Great Peasants' Revolt (german: Deutscher Bauernkrieg) was a widespread popular revolt in some German-speaking areas in Central Europe from 1524 to 1525. It failed because of intense oppositi ...
in 1525, when a group of miners, farmers and townspeople tried to oust Prince-Archbishop Matthäus Lang, but failed to take the fortress. In 1617 the deposed Archbishop
Wolf Dietrich von Raitenau died in the fortress prison. During the
Thirty Years' War
The Thirty Years' War was one of the longest and most destructive conflicts in European history, lasting from 1618 to 1648. Fought primarily in Central Europe, an estimated 4.5 to 8 million soldiers and civilians died as a result of batt ...
, Archbishop Count Paris of Lodron strengthened the town's defenses, including Hohensalzburg. He added various parts to the fortress, such as the gunpowder stores and additional gatehouses. The fortress was surrendered without a fight to
French
French (french: français(e), link=no) may refer to:
* Something of, from, or related to France
** French language, which originated in France, and its various dialects and accents
** French people, a nation and ethnic group identified with Franc ...
troops under General
Jean Victor Marie Moreau
Jean Victor Marie Moreau (, 14 February 1763 – 2 September 1813) was a French general who helped Napoleon Bonaparte to power, but later became a rival and was banished to the United States.
Biography
Rise to fame
Moreau was born at Morl ...
during the Napoleonic
War of the Second Coalition
The War of the Second Coalition (1798/9 – 1801/2, depending on periodisation) was the second war on revolutionary France by most of the European monarchies, led by Britain, Austria and Russia, and including the Ottoman Empire, Portugal, N ...
in 1800 and the last Prince-Archbishop
Count Hieronymus von Colloredo fled to
Vienna
en, Viennese
, iso_code = AT-9
, registration_plate = W
, postal_code_type = Postal code
, postal_code =
, timezone = CET
, utc_offset = +1
, timezone_DST ...
. In the 19th century, it was used as barracks, storage depot and dungeon before being abandoned as a military outpost in 1861.
Recent history
Hohensalzburg Fortress was refurbished from the late 19th century onwards and became a major tourist attraction with the
Festungsbahn funicular railway, opened in 1892,
leading up from the town to the Hasengrabenbastei. It stands today as one of the best preserved castles in Europe.
During the early 20th century it was used as a prison, holding Italian prisoners of war during
World War I
World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was List of wars and anthropogenic disasters by death toll, one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, ...
and Nazi activists before Germany's annexation of Austria in March 1938.
German ceramicist, sculptor and painter
Arno Lehmann lived and created in Hohensalzburg Fortress from 1949 until his death in 1973.
Hohensalzburg Fortress was selected as main motif for the Austrian
Nonnberg Abbey commemorative coin minted on April 5, 2006. This was the first coin of the series "Great Abbeys of Austria". It shows the Benedictine convent of
Nonnberg Abbey. In the hilltop on the background, the fortress and the Kajetaner church can be seen. Also in 1977 the Austrian Mint issued a coin for the 900th anniversary of Hohensalzburg Fortress.
Interior
The fortress consists of various wings and courtyard. The Prince-Bishop's apartments are located in the so-called "Hoher Stock" (high floor).
Salzburg Bull
The ''Krautturm'' houses a large
aerophon of more than 200 pipes which is called the "Salzburg Bull" (''Salzburger Stier''). This huge mechanical organ was built in 1502 by Archbishop Leonhard von Keutschach. It was renewed by Rochus Egedacher in 1735.
From Palm Sunday to 31 October the "Salzburg Bull" is played daily at 7, 11 and 18 o'clock. The aerophone thus initiated the playing of the carillon at the Residenzplatz and ended it again.
One of Austria's most famous cabaret groups is named after it.
Golden Hall
Starting in 1498, Archbishop
Leonhard von Keutschach had the magnificent state apartments installed on the third floor. The rooms in which the archbishops would normally have lived were one floor below. The state apartments were primarily used for representative purposes and for festivities. The Golden Hall was richly decorated and indicates that the fortress served the archbishops not only as a refuge in times of crisis, but frequently also as a residence up to the 16th century.
In order to gain more space, Archbishop Leonhard von Keutschach had four massive marble pillars constructed on the right-hand outer wall and had a
loggia added on. As in the other rooms the ceiling is coffered, each coffer being adorned with gold buttons symbolising the stars in the sky.
The 17-metre-long
beam, supporting the ceiling, is particularly worth mentioning. The coat of arms of Leonhard von Keutschach together with those of the Holy Roman Empire, the most powerful German towns and the bishoprics that were connected to Salzburg, are painted on it.
Chapel of Archbishop Leonhard von Keutschach
Archbishop Leonhard von Keutschach (1495-1519) had the chapel built at a later time. One of the figure consoles in the beam ceiling had to be removed to make room for it. A richly ornamented star vault decorates the ceiling of the chapel. The inner part of the door at the entrance is covered with stucco. The painted frame shows red columns on a high plinth with grey capitals. The coat of arms of Salzburg and of Leonhard von Keutschach is reproduced in the
tympanum beneath the
mitre
The mitre (Commonwealth English) (; Greek: μίτρα, "headband" or "turban") or miter (American English; see spelling differences), is a type of headgear now known as the traditional, ceremonial headdress of bishops and certain abbots in ...
, legate cross and sword. A special feature of the coat of arms is the
turnip and in many places in the fortress this can be found as an indication of prince-archbishop Keutschach's building activity. In the north wall of the chapel there are two openings which made it possible to attend the church service from the side room.
Golden Chamber
The Golden Chamber is the most magnificently furnished room of the princely chambers. The two long walls are taken up by benches that are richly decorated with vines, grapes, foliage and animals. These benches used to be covered with cloth or leather, but the upholstery has not survived into the modern age. The walls also used to be covered in gold-embossed leather tapestry which adorned the lower part of the wall.
Bedchamber
The bedchamber is the most intimate room of the princely chambers. The original furniture and precious textiles, such as tapestry, were in the course of time replaced by more "modern" ones. The elaborate
wainscoting to keep out the cold still bears witness to the splendour of the past. The upper part of the panels is decorated with gilded buttons and
rosettes, whereas the lower part, which is bare today, was probably covered with leather or velvet tapestry. The door conceals a toilet, which is basically a hole in the floor with a wooden frame. Back in the past this was a highly modern sanitary facility and was accessible from each floor.
Gallery
File:SalzburgVonDerGersbergalm.jpg, Hohensalzburg Fortress and Salzburg, view from "Gersberg Alm"
File:12-10-31-salzburg-by-RalfR-01.jpg, Hohensalzburg Fortress at night
File:Hohensalzburg Castle 39.jpg, Golden Chamber
File:Hohensalzburg Castle 42.jpg, Bedchamber of the Prince-Bishop
File:View of Salzburg from Modern Museum.jpg, Hohensalzburg viewed from the Museum of Modern Art.
See also
*
Alte Residenz
*
Hohenwerfen Castle
Hohenwerfen Castle (german: Festung Hohenwerfen, lit=Hohenwerfen Fortress) is a medieval rock castle, situated on a precipice overlooking the Austrian market town of Werfen in the Salzach valley, approximately south of Salzburg. The fortress i ...
*
Salzburg Cathedral
References
External links
Hohensalzburg FortressHohensalzburg Castle 900th anniversary coinSalzburg Tourist Office*
Digital reconstruction of the castlethrough time
Fortress Hohensalzburg In Views
{{Authority control
Castles in Salzburg
11th-century establishments in Austria
Tourist attractions in Salzburg
Museums in Salzburg
Historic house museums in Austria
Military and war museums in Austria
Establishments in the Prince-Archbishopric of Salzburg