******
The Hohensalzburg Fortress, one of the best preserved fortified complexes in Europe, has dominated the city of Salzburg since the year 1000. Founded as a strategic garrison due to its happy position, over the centuries it has been transformed into a luxurious representative building, with richly furnished rooms. Currently the fortress is open to visitors with its wonderful salons, two museums, the typical brewery and the restaurant where you can try the local gastronomic specialties.
Schloss Hohensalzburg History
Above Salzburg, the city of Mozart, it stands the Hohensalzburg Fortress with its mighty walls, one of the largest preserved fortified complexes in Europe dating back to the 11th century. The impressive construction reflects the ambition of representation and the demonstration of the authoritarian and political power of the archbishop princes of the past. Yet the fortress never had to test its defensive function. The archbishop princes lived mainly in the Salzburg Residence, the palace in the heart of the historic center.
For centuries the steep rocky cone was particularly appreciated for its strategic position at the northern edge of the Alps. In 1077, Archbishop Gebhard I von Helffenstein had a fortified complex built above the city of the Residence for the first time. The reason for this first phase of construction was the investiture struggle between the German emperor Henry IV and Pope Gregory VII, supported by the archbishopric of Salzburg.
Archbishop Gebhard was forced into exile in 1085, his successors ended the plans to follow. The Hohensalzburg Fortress underwent three construction phases, made necessary by the development of offensive weapons which had to be faced with increasingly fortified buildings. Hohensalzburg got its present appearance around 1500, following an intense period of construction under Archbishop Leonard von Keutschach. In 1501, during his reign, the building for residential purposes called "Hoher Stock" was built, several tanks were built and the existing towers were made higher.
The main building of the fortress is at the same time the oldest part of Hohensalzburg and it served as main residence for the archbishops. In 1077 Archbishop Gebhard built a dwelling tower there, which over the centuries became more and more a building with the appearance of a prestigious palace.
Around 1500, Archbishop Leonard von Keutschach had the Hoher Stock transformed into a princely castle with sumptuous rooms. It was protected by the massive bastion of the castle, constituting, from a strategic point of view, a small fortress within the Hohensalzburg fortress.
Today the Hoher Stock looks like a four-story building. Some rooms on the third floor - the princely rooms - are still furnished today as at the time of the archbishop princes. The other spaces house the Museum of the Raine Regiment, while the Fortress Museum is installed on the second floor, where there is a large collection of weapons, sculptures and paintings.
The richly decorated princely rooms are located on the upper floor of the Hoher Stock and were built under Archbishop Leonhard von Keutschach. The term "princely rooms" refers to three boardrooms: the Golden Room, the Golden Room and the Bedroom. where pomp and luxury showed all the power and wealth of Leonhard von Keutschach to his foreign subjects and guests.
Inside the Hohensalzburg Fortress there are also two renowned clubs that celebrate the local gastronomy: the fortress brewery and the Hohensalzburg Fortress restaurant, two renowned places that invite guests to take a break immersed in a special setting. Salzburg to enjoy with a breathtaking view of the city of Mozart.