Festung Hohensalzburg

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  • , full €4.00, Admission price to courtyard; interior and audioguide €7.50
  • Mar-Jun 09:00-18:00, Jul-Sep 09:00-19:00, Oct-Feb 09:00-17:00

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Lonely Planet review

The 11th-century Festung Hohensalzburg (Hohensalzburg Fortress) is the high point (literally and metaphorically) of a visit to Salzburg, offering a stupendous northern city view from its 120m (400ft) elevation. The view to the south is of Alpine peaks, including the 1853m (6080ft) Untersberg.

One of Europe's largest castles, it has never been captured by enemy forces. Many archbishops extended the fortress over the centuries but the greatest influence on its present structure was Leonhard von Keutschach, Archbishop of Salzburg from 1495-1519. His symbol was the turnip, which accounts for the fact that this strange motif appears 58 times around the castle.

It takes about 15 minutes to walk up the hill from the old town or you can use the funicular adjacent to St. Peter's Cemetery. The funicular fare includes entry to the castle grounds from where you can enjoy the views, but it is worth paying an extra fee for the complete tour of the interior. Be sure to make your way around gruesome torture chambers, the lookout tower and impressive State Rooms, as well as two small museums. Below the castle on the eastern side, you can see the 1300 year-old Benedictine convent, Stift Nonnberg, the oldest convent in German-speaking lands. The real Maria, of The Sound of Music fame, was a teacher in the convent school. She was married to Captain von Trapp in its ancient church.