Salzburg State

Salzburg (, ; , also known as ''Salzburgerland''; ) is an Austrian federal state. In German it is called a , a German-to-English dictionary translates that to ''federal state'' and the European Commission calls it a ''province''. In German, its official name is , to distinguish it from its eponymous capital Salzburg. For centuries, it was an independent Prince-Bishopric of the Holy Roman Empire. It borders Germany and Italy.

Geography

Location

Salzburg State covers an area of . It stretches along its main river — the Salzach – which rises in the Central Eastern Alps in the south to the Alpine foothills in the north. It is located in the north-west of Austria, close to the border with the German state of Bavaria; to the northeast lies the federal state Upper Austria; to the east the federal state Styria; to the south the federal states Carinthia and Tyrol. With 561,714 inhabitants, it is one of the country's smaller federal states in terms of population.

Running through the south are the main ranges of the Alpine divide (incl. the Hohe Tauern mountains) with numerous three-thousanders. The Dachstein massif and the Berchtesgaden Alps ranges of the Northern Limestone Alps border Salzburg State to the east and north.

Regions

The federal state is traditionally subdivided in five major regions (''Gaue''), congruent with its political districts (''Bezirke'', see administrative divisions).

* In the northern part:
** Flachgau (Salzburg city and environs), the flat () Salzburg Basin around the confluence of Salzach and Saalach, stretching from the slopes of the Salzkammergut Mountains in the east to the Untersberg massif and the Chiemgau Alps in the west.
** Tennengau (district capital Hallein), named after the Tennen Mountains, including the broad Salzach Valley south of Salzburg and the surrounding ranges of the Limestone Alps.
* The southern, mountainous (colloquially ''Innergebirg'') part is divided into:
** Pinzgau (Zell am See) in the southwest,
** Pongau ( St. Johann im Pongau) on Salzach and Enns, and
** Lungau (Tamsweg) in the southeast, separated by the Niedere Tauern range.

Major cities and towns

Salzburg municipalities with town privileges:

* Salzburg (pop. 148,521)
* Hallein (20,022)
* Saalfelden (16,046)
* St. Johann im Pongau (10,740)
* Bischofshofen (10,352)
* Zell am See (9,683)
* Seekirchen am Wallersee, Seekirchen (9,945)
* Neumarkt am Wallersee (5,846)
* Oberndorf bei Salzburg (5,600)
* Mittersill (5,443)
* Radstadt (4,864)

Wals-Siezenheim, a common municipality with about 12,000 inhabitants, is known as 'Austria's largest village'.

History

Salt mining has played an important role in the region's development; ''Salzburg'' means "salt city".

Salzburg as an independent state

Independence from Bavaria was secured in the late 14th century. The Archbishopric of Salzburg was an independent prince-bishopric and Imperial State, State of the Holy Roman Empire until German Mediatisation in 1803.

Electorate of Salzburg

The territory was secularized and, as the Electorate of Salzburg, given as compensation to Ferdinand III of Tuscany, Ferdinand III, former Grand Duke of Grand Duchy of Tuscany, Tuscany, the brother of Emperor Francis II, Holy Roman Emperor, Francis II.

The end of independence

Following the Austrian defeat at Battle of Austerlitz, Austerlitz in 1805, Salzburg was annexed by Austria as compensation for the loss of Tyrol to the Kingdom of Bavaria, and Ferdinand was transferred to the Grand Duchy of Würzburg.

Bavarian Salzburg

After Austria's defeat in 1809, the federal state was handed over to Bavaria in 1810.

The country divided between Bavaria and Austria

In 1816, following the defeat of Napoleon I of France, Napoleon and the provision of adequate compensation to Bavaria at the Congress of Vienna, it was returned to Austria with the exception of the north-western Rupertiwinkel which remained Bavarian. The Salzburger Land was administered as the department of Salzach from Linz, the capital of Upper Austria. In 1849 the Duchy of Salzburg was established as a crown land of the Austrian Empire and, after 1866, Austria-Hungary.

World War I

Salzburg participated in World War I, as part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. 49,000 Salzburgers were called to arms, of whom 6,000 were killed.

Post-World War I Austrian republics

In 1918 after World War I, the Duchy of Salzburg was dissolved and replaced with the Salzburgerland, State of Salzburg, as a component part initially of German Austria and subsequently of the First Republic of Austria, the separate state which was mandated by the Allies of World War I, Allied powers.

Salzburg in Germany

As a result of ''Anschluss, Germany's annexation of Austria'' in 1938, Austria, including Salzburg State, was incorporated into Nazi Germany.

American control

After the defeat of Nazi Germany in 1945, the Allies of World War II, Allies occupied the territory of Austria, being recognized as an independent territory under their rule. Salzburg State was occupied by the United States.

Salzburg as an Austrian federal state

In 1955, Austria was again declared an independent state and Salzburg was once again one of the reconstituted federal states of the Second Republic of Austria.

Demographics

The historical population is given in the following chart:

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color:skyblue width:22 shift:(-60,-5) fontsize:M anchor:till
bar:1869 from:0 till:153 text:153,159
bar:1880 from:0 till:164 text:163,570
bar:1890 from:0 till:174 text:173,510
bar:1900 from:0 till:193 text:192,763
bar:1910 from:0 till:215 text:214,737
bar:1923 from:0 till:223 text:222,831
bar:1934 from:0 till:246 text:245,801
bar:1939 from:0 till:257 text:257,226
bar:1951 from:0 till:327 text:327,232
bar:1961 from:0 till:347 text:347,292
bar:1971 from:0 till:405 text:405,115
bar:1981 from:0 till:442 text:442,301
bar:1991 from:0 till:482 text:482,365
bar:2001 from:0 till:515 text:515,327
bar:2011 from:0 till:532 text:531,721
bar:2021 from:0 till:561 text:560,710

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text:"Source: Statistik Austria"

Politics

Salzburg adopted its current provincial constitution in 1999. The provincial government (''Landesregierung'') is headed by a governor (Landeshauptmann), who is elected by a majority in the provincial parliament Landtag. Provincial elections are held every five years.

After World War II, most provincial governments were led by the conservative Austrian People's Party (ÖVP). ÖVP politician Josef Klaus (1910-2001), later chancellor of Austria, served as governor of Salzburg from 1949 till 1961. In 2004 Gabi Burgstaller became the first Social Democratic Party of Austria, Social Democratic (and first female) governor of Salzburg.

The last results, in 2023 Salzburg state election, April 2023 (Compared to 2018 Salzburg state election, 2018) were:

The current governor of Salzburg, Wilfried Haslauer (ÖVP), entered into coalition discussions with the FPÖ, after his proposition of a ÖVP-FPÖ-SPÖ coalition was rejected by the Social Democrats. Wilfried Haslauer, Haslauer said "I regret that we could not implement the Alliance for Salzburg". After successful coalition negotiations, the ÖVP and the FPÖ entered into a governing coalition with Haslauer as the Governor and :de:Marlene_Svazek, Marlene Svazek as the First Deputy Governo

Salzburg State has joined Lower Austria and Upper Austria as the third black-blue coalition provincial government. The ÖVP has four seats in the government, while the FPÖ has three. The current president (speaker) of the Salzburg federal state parliament is Brigitta Pallauf.

Government

Government ministers and their portfolios from the 2023 Salzburg state election, 2023 provincial election.

Governor Wilfried Haslauer (ÖVP

/h3>

* State Direction
* Finance and Asset Management
* Security
* Disaster Prevention
* Museums
* Research and Science
* European Affairs

1st Deputy Marlene Svazek (FPÖ

/h3>

* Nature and Environment Protection
* Business
* Early and Primary Education
* Hunting and Fishing
* Youth
* Families
* Integration
* Generations

2nd Deputy Stefan Schnöll (ÖVP

/h3>

* Economy and Tourism
* Communities
* Employment and Labour Market
* Infrastructure and Traffic
* Culture

Members of the provincial governmen

/h3>

* Josef Schwaiger (ÖVP): Agriculture, Personnel Management, Water, National Parks, Energy, Asylum Seekers
* Daniela Gutschi (ÖVP): Education, Health, Women and Diversity
* Christian Pewny (FPÖ): Social Services, Food, Consumer Protection, Regional Development, Apprenticeships
* Martin Zauner (FPÖ): Spatial Planning, Living, Sport, Basic Traffic

Administrative divisions

Districts

Salzburg State comprises six districts, known as ''Bezirke'' or vernacularly ''Gaue'':

* Hallein District (Tennengau region)
* St. Johann im Pongau District (Pongau region)
* Salzburg-Umgebung District (Salzburg environs) (Flachgau region)
* Tamsweg District (Lungau region)
* Zell am See District (Pinzgau region)

Salzburg, Salzburg city is its own administrative district.

Municipalities

The federal state is divided into 119 municipalities, including Salzburg, Salzburg City. 11 of them have city status (''Städte''), 25 are market towns (''Marktgemeinden'') and the other 83 are simple municipalities (''Gemeinden''). Below is a list of all the municipalities divided by district:

* Hallein District (Tennengau) (13 municipalities): Abtenau, Adnet, Annaberg-Lungötz, Bad Vigaun, Golling an der Salzach, Hallein, Krispl, Kuchl, Oberalm, Puch bei Hallein, Rußbach am Paß Gschütt, St. Koloman (Salzburg), St. Koloman, Scheffau am Tennengebirge.
* Salzburg-Umgebung District (Flachgau) (37 municipalities): Anif, Anthering, Bergheim, Austria, Bergheim, Berndorf bei Salzburg, Bürmoos, Dorfbeuern, Ebenau, Elixhausen, Elsbethen, Eugendorf, Faistenau, Fuschl am See, Großgmain, Göming, Grödig, Hallwang, Henndorf am Wallersee, Hintersee, Austria, Hintersee, Hof bei Salzburg, Koppl, Köstendorf, Lamprechtshausen, Mattsee, Neumarkt am Wallersee, Nußdorf am Haunsberg, Oberndorf bei Salzburg, Obertrum, Plainfeld, St. Georgen bei Salzburg, St. Gilgen, Schleedorf, Seeham, Seekirchen am Wallersee, Straßwalchen, Strobl, Thalgau, Wals-Siezenheim.
* St. Johann im Pongau District (Pongau) (25 municipalities): Altenmarkt im Pongau, Bad Gastein, Bad Hofgastein, Bischofshofen, Dorfgastein, Eben im Pongau, Filzmoos, Flachau, Forstau, Goldegg, Grossarl, Hüttau, Hüttschlag, Kleinarl, Mühlbach am Hochkönig, Pfarrwerfen, Radstadt, St. Johann im Pongau, St. Martin am Tennengebirge, St. Veit im Pongau, Schwarzach im Pongau, Untertauern, Wagrain, Werfen, Werfenweng.
* Tamsweg District (Lungau) (15 municipalities): Göriach, Lessach, Mariapfarr, Mauterndorf, Muhr, Ramingstein, St. Andrä im Lungau, St. Margarethen im Lungau, St. Michael im Lungau, Tamsweg, Thomatal, Tweng, Unternberg, Weißpriach, Zederhaus.
* Zell am See District (Pinzgau) (28 municipalities): Bramberg am Wildkogel, Bruck an der Großglocknerstraße, Dienten am Hochkönig, Fusch an der Großglocknerstraße, Hollersbach im Pinzgau, Kaprun, Krimml, Lend, Austria, Lend, Leogang, Lofer, Maishofen, Maria Alm, Mittersill, Neukirchen am Großvenediger, Niedernsill, Piesendorf, Rauris, Saalbach-Hinterglemm, Saalfelden, St. Martin bei Lofer, Stuhlfelden, Taxenbach, Unken, Uttendorf, Viehhofen, Wald im Pinzgau, Weißbach bei Lofer, Zell am See.

Economy

The federal state's gross domestic product (GDP) was 29 billion € in 2018, accounting for 7.5% of the Austria's economic output. GDP per capita adjusted for purchasing power was 46,500 € or 154% of the EU27 average in the same year. Salzburg is the federal state with the highest GDP per capita in Austria before Vienna.

Architecture

The Salzburg Cathedral was the first Baroque building in the German-speaking artistic world. Two other important buildings initiated by the Salzburg archbishops were Burg Hohenwerfen, Hohenwerfen Castle and Festung Hohensalzburg, Hohensalzburg Fortress. The first Archbishop of Salzburg was Arno of Salzburg (785–821), in whose honor the world-famous hiking circuit — the Arnoweg — is named.

The predominant stylistic elements of Salzburg's architecture have their origins in the Baroque architecture, Baroque and the Rococo periods.

Salzburg City's historic centre was named by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site.

Language

The official working language is Austrian German, and it can be heard especially in the cities and formal contexts. The vernacular language, typically spoken in informal settings and rural areas in Salzburg, is Bavarian language, Bavarian.

Visitors' attractions

* Eisriesenwelt: the largest ice cave in the world
* Grossglockner High Alpine Road, Großglockner Hochalpenstraße: a panoramic road, called ''Grossglockner High Alpine Road''
* Salzkammergut: a lake district situated in Salzburg State, Upper Austria and Styria
* Liechtensteinklamm: Salzburg is home to one of the longest and deepest gorges of the Alps, the ''Liechtensteinklamm''. It is located near Sankt Johann im Pongau or ''St.Johann/Pg.'', a small town in the centre of the federal state.
* Nonnberg Abbey: a Benedictine monastery that was immortalized in the movie ''The Sound of Music''

Sports

* Salzburgring, a permanent racing circuit, north east of the city of Salzburg
* Ski Amadé
* Kitzsteinhorn, skiing the year round on a glacier
* Icespeedway in St. Johann im Pongau
* Aperschnalzen, an old tradition of competitive whipcracking

Ski resorts

Altenmarkt im Pongau, Flachau, Wagrain, Sankt Johann im Pongau, St. Johann, Zell am See (Saalbach-Hinterglemm), Obertauern, Bad Gastein, Rauris, Lofer, Hochkönig, Krispl

Assorted statistics

* Tourist Regions: 21
* Resort Towns: 115
* Guest Beds: 192,000
* Lakes: 185
* Biggest lake: Wolfgangsee
* Longest river: Salzach
* Highest mountain: Großvenediger — elevation
* Hiking paths:
* Hill farms: 1,800 — 550 of them serving refreshments
* National parks: 1
* Marked cycle paths:
* Mountainbike trails (including cross-border routes):
* Golf courses: 13
* Ski slopes:
* Cross-country ski trails:
* Night slopes: 14
* Winter hiking paths:

Notes

References

External links

*

Salzburg Tourism

{{coord, 47.42, N, 13.22, E, display=title

Salzburg (federal state),
NUTS 2 statistical regions of the European Union
States of Austria