SALZBURG | Mirabell Palace and the Mozart Residence

Autumn 2021. In theory we could travel to other continents, but destinations we had in mind such as Japan or the United Kingdom were impossible to plan ahead. Instead we organised a rail trip to Eastern Europe, travelling to Berlin, Gdańsk, Wrocław, Karlovy Vary, Pilsen, Bratislava, Poprad, Vienna, Linz and Salzburg. By travelling to Germany, Poland, Czechia, Slovakia and Austria, we explore an area which was in the (not too distant) past bonded together by the Holy Roman Empire of the German Nation and by Austria-Hungary.

After we explored Lokwelt and had lunch in Freilassing in Bavaria, we returned to Salzburg to explore a) the room at Hotel Sacher and b) roam around town.

Thus we walked to Mirabell Palace or Schloss Mirabell. The palace with its gardens is a listed cultural heritage monument and part of the Historic Centre of the City of Salzburg UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Presentation

Mirabell Palace was built in 1606 by prince-archbishop Wolf Dietrich Raitenau for his beloved Salome Alt. Today, it serves as the backdrop for the most romantic weddings you could possibly imagine. The Marble Hall is used for concerts. In 1815 the later King Otto of Greece was born in the Schloss.

In former times, the likes of Leopold Mozart and his children, Wolfgang and Nannerl, made music in the Marble Hall. Nowadays, it regularly hosts weddings, conferences and awards ceremonies. The Marble Hall also provides an atmospheric venue for the SchlossKonzerteMirabell concerts. The Angel Staircase, which leads up to the Marble Hall, is decorated with numerous cherubs.

Mirabell Palace looks back on a colorful history. Today, Mirabell Palace is home to municipal offices as well as those of the mayor of Salzburg.

The Mirabell Gardens were completely redesigned under archbishop Johann Ernst von Thun in 1690. The underlying geometrical form, which is typical for the Baroque period, is still clearly recognizable.

The geographical orientation towards the cathedral and fortress adds to the grandeur of the gardens – simultaneously incorporating them into the overall historical ensemble of the city.

Features of the garden

The Pegasus Fountain was installed in 1913.
Around the Grand Fountain are four groups of figures by Ottavio Mosto (1690). They symbolize the four elements: fire, air, earth and water.
The Palace Chapel of 1726, consecrated to St. Johannes Nepomuk, since 1921 church of the Old Catholics.
The Hedge Theater can be found in the western section of Mirabell Gardens. It is one of the oldest hedge theatres north of the Alps.
The Dwarf Garden originated during the rule of archbishop Franz Anton Fürst Harrach. It originally consisted of 28 dwarves (nowadays 17) made from white Untersberg marble and is the oldest of its kind in Europe.
The Rose Garden.
The Orangery functions today as a palm house.

The Gardens featured in the classic film ‘The Sound of Music‘. In the film, Maria and the children dance around the Pegasus Fountain in front of the palace, singing the song ‘Do Re Mi‘. At the end of the scene, the von Trapp family stand on the steps in front of the Rose Hill and sing the song’s final bars.

Mozart Residence

Not far from Hotel Sacher is the Mozart Residence (Mozarts Wohnhaus, Tanzmeisterhaus). Not to be confused with Mozart’s Birthplace or Mozarts Geburtshaus.

The Mozart family resided in the Dance Master’s House. Since 1711, a certain Lorenz Spöckner had been offering dancing lessons there for the nobility, in preparation for their life at court. Friends of the Spöckner family, the Mozarts moved into their apartment in 1773, shortly after their third journey to Vienna. The house on the Getreidegasse where Mozart was born had simply become too small for the family or to host social gatherings appropriately.

Destroyed in World War II and reconstructed, the mansion now houses a museum dedicated to Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and his family. The exhibition is somewhat basic but an good introduction to Mozart’s life, more than his music.