Discover the Hohensalzburg Fortress in Salzburg

The Hohensalzburg fortress was top of our list of things to do in Salzburg. Wherever you are in the town the fortress looms over you, dominating the town and all the inhabitants, a symbol of power of the Prince Archbishops who ruled over Salzburg. Their wealth was founded on the salt that was mined in the mountains around the city and brought down the river Salzach into the city.

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I hope you enjoy the video below about the HohenSalzburg Fortress

If you can’t see the video above, view it on my blog here

A day at the Hohensalzburg Fortress

With our Salzburg card we skipped the queue at the ticket booth and took the funicular that’s included in the ticket price. It takes you up the rock face to the castle at the top, rising higher and higher above the rooftops and church spires of Salzburg.

Back in the 16th century, there was already a type of railway here, so that freight could be hoisted up to the castle. If you prefer to walk you can take the path for a 30-minute stroll up to the top, or better still, save your legs and take the funicular up, then walk all the way down.

On reaching the top we followed our noses along the battlements, pausing only to take a few photos of the view. Then we climbed the steep steps to the small doorway higher up the wall.

A history of the Hohensalzburg Fortress

The castle was never conquered, although the townspeople had a go in the Peasant’s war of 1525. If it came under siege, this stairway would have been taken away, making the castle entrance virtually impregnable.

The building of the castle began in 1077 with a wooden structure and developed over the centuries to defend the power of the ruling Prince Bishops. In fact they mostly lived in comfort in the Residenz in the town at the foot of the fortress.

What to see in the Hohensalzburg Fortress

Through the doorway, there was another courtyard behind the lower one. It featured layers of defensive areas and courtyards behind the thick towering walls.

Our first stop was the room where the audio tour started. After waiting in line for 10 minutes or so we went through the turn-style as a group. Then we were each given an audio-guide, and were taken through as series of rooms by the guide.

The tour took us through richly panelled apartment rooms, one of which housed a model of how the castle had been built up over several centuries reaching its current form around 1500.

The torture chamber

Next there was a dark, stone walled room known as the torture chamber. The name was not so much because of what had gone on there, but because the torture implements that were stored there – well that’s all right then!

Next we climbed up to the watch tower for a panoramic view over the city of Salzburg. From here it was easy to work out the geography of the city, encircled by a series of rocky outcrops on one side and the river on the other.

After the tour we sat a while in the spacious courtyard, under a couple of shady old trees, just like a village square. We then took a look around the museum.

There was some medieval furniture, household objects and armour on display as well as some of those torture implements. These included what looked like a spiky pair of underpants – ouch! There was also a jester’s mask that I’m sure was no joke to wear.

Lost in the Hohensalzburg Fortress

After a while wandering through the succession of museum rooms, I managed to lose my husband and teenage son. I finished photographing everything that took my fancy, then went out of the museum but couldn’t find them anywhere.

I retraced my steps through all the courtyards, down as far as the funicular but they were nowhere to be seen. Half an hour later, by which time I was feeling tired and frustrated, they emerged from the museum where they had been sitting at the exit waiting for me – Grrr.

We all made friends again, but after all my racing around I felt I’d seen enough of the fortress, despite there being a very inviting outdoor cafe with a fabulous view.

We descended on the funicular and established ourselves outside the beer tent at the bottom. Then we soaked up the atmosphere of the brass band and the May Day festivities, to savour some of the tasty food in Salzburg with a plate of bratwurst and a weiss-bier.

Visitor Information for Salzburg

• The Salzburg Card will give you free entry to all the major attractions as well as free public transport in Salzburg
• For more information about things to do in Salzburg, visit the Official Salzburg Tourism website
• Check out these videos about holidays in Austria
• For more information about Holidays in Austria visit the Austrian Tourism Website
• If you’re looking for somewhere to stay in Salzburg, check out the charming White Horse Inn on Lake Wolfgang

Read Next

Discover the Das Grüne Hotel zur Post in Salzburg – a comfortable green gasthaus

More articles about Salzburg

• Riding the unicorns in the Mirabell Gardens – Salzburg
• Top 10 things to do in Salzburg, Austria
• The best things to do in Salzburg and Lake Wolfgang, Austria – Podcast

My thanks to the Austria National Tourism Office UK for sponsoring* our trip to Salzburg and Wolfgangsee.

* More info on my policies page

This article is originally published at Heatheronhertravels.com

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