Salzburg is on the banks of the
Salzach River, at the northern boundary of the
Alps.
The mountains to Salzburg's south contrast with the rolling plains to
the north. The closest alpine peak, the 1,972‑metre-high
Untersberg, is less than 16 kilometres (10 miles) from the city centre. The
Altstadt, or "old town", is dominated by its
baroque towers and churches and the massive
Festung Hohensalzburg. This area is surrounded by two smaller mountains, the
Mönchsberg and
Kapuzinerberg, which offer green relief within the city. Salzburg is approximately 150 km (93 mi) east of
Munich, 281 km (175 mi) northwest of
Ljubljana,
Slovenia, and 300 km (186 mi) west of
Vienna.
Climate
Salzburg is part of the
temperate zone. The
Köppen climate classification specifies the climate as either
oceanic climate (Cfb) or
humid continental
(Dfb), depending on which isotherm for winter means are used. With the
more regular −3 °C (27 °F) one for the coldest month, Salzburg would be a
four-season oceanic climate with significant temperature differences
between seasons. Due to the location at the northern rim of the Alps,
the amount of precipitation is comparatively high, mainly in the summer
months. The specific
drizzle is called
Schnürlregen in the local dialect. In winter and spring, pronounced
foehn winds regularly occur.
| [hide]Climate data for Salzburg-Flughafen (LOWS) |
| Month |
Jan |
Feb |
Mar |
Apr |
May |
Jun |
Jul |
Aug |
Sep |
Oct |
Nov |
Dec |
Year |
| Record high °C (°F) |
20.1
(68.2) |
21.7
(71.1) |
24.9
(76.8) |
27.9
(82.2) |
32.2
(90) |
35.6
(96.1) |
38.6
(101.5) |
35.6
(96.1) |
32.1
(89.8) |
28.2
(82.8) |
23.5
(74.3) |
18.6
(65.5) |
38.6
(101.5) |
| Average high °C (°F) |
3.2
(37.8) |
5.6
(42.1) |
10.4
(50.7) |
14.3
(57.7) |
19.9
(67.8) |
22.2
(72) |
24.4
(75.9) |
24.2
(75.6) |
20.1
(68.2) |
14.8
(58.6) |
7.8
(46) |
4.0
(39.2) |
14.2
(57.6) |
| Daily mean °C (°F) |
−0.8
(30.6) |
0.7
(33.3) |
4.8
(40.6) |
8.5
(47.3) |
13.8
(56.8) |
16.5
(61.7) |
18.6
(65.5) |
18.3
(64.9) |
14.3
(57.7) |
9.3
(48.7) |
3.6
(38.5) |
0.4
(32.7) |
9.0
(48.2) |
| Average low °C (°F) |
−4.0
(24.8) |
−2.9
(26.8) |
0.7
(33.3) |
3.8
(38.8) |
8.4
(47.1) |
11.5
(52.7) |
13.5
(56.3) |
13.5
(56.3) |
10.1
(50.2) |
5.5
(41.9) |
0.6
(33.1) |
−2.5
(27.5) |
4.9
(40.8) |
| Record low °C (°F) |
−25.4
(−13.7) |
−21.8
(−7.2) |
−21.6
(−6.9) |
−3.9
(25) |
−2.1
(28.2) |
2.0
(35.6) |
3.7
(38.7) |
4.3
(39.7) |
−1.6
(29.1) |
−8.0
(17.6) |
−17.8
(0) |
−26.8
(−16.2) |
−26.8
(−16.2) |
| Average precipitation mm (inches) |
59.9
(2.358) |
54.7
(2.154) |
78.7
(3.098) |
83.1
(3.272) |
114.5
(4.508) |
154.8
(6.094) |
157.5
(6.201) |
151.3
(5.957) |
101.3
(3.988) |
72.6
(2.858) |
83.0
(3.268) |
72.8
(2.866) |
1,184.2
(46.622) |
| Average snowfall cm (inches) |
24.0
(9.45) |
23.9
(9.41) |
21.7
(8.54) |
2.9
(1.14) |
0.1
(0.04) |
0
(0) |
0
(0) |
0
(0) |
0
(0) |
0
(0) |
12.1
(4.76) |
27.8
(10.94) |
112.5
(44.29) |
| Average precipitation days (≥ 1.0 mm) |
10.1 |
9.5 |
11.9 |
11.8 |
12.1 |
15.0 |
14.4 |
13.2 |
10.8 |
9.3 |
10.8 |
11.8 |
140.7 |
| Average snowy days (≥ 1.0 cm) |
15.4 |
11.7 |
6.1 |
1.4 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0.1 |
5.1 |
13.1 |
52.9 |
| Mean monthly sunshine hours |
67.0 |
91.9 |
130.0 |
152.6 |
196.4 |
193.9 |
221.1 |
202.8 |
167.7 |
129.7 |
81.2 |
62.8 |
1,697.1 |
| Source: Central Institute for Meteorology and Geodynamics[12] |
Population development
| Historical population |
| Year |
Pop. |
±% |
| 1869 |
27,858 |
— |
| 1880 |
33,241 |
+19.3% |
| 1890 |
38,081 |
+14.6% |
| 1900 |
48,945 |
+28.5% |
| 1910 |
56,423 |
+15.3% |
| 1923 |
60,026 |
+6.4% |
| 1934 |
69,447 |
+15.7% |
| 1939 |
77,170 |
+11.1% |
| 1951 |
102,927 |
+33.4% |
| 1961 |
108,114 |
+5.0% |
| 1971 |
129,919 |
+20.2% |
| 1981 |
139,426 |
+7.3% |
| 1991 |
143,978 |
+3.3% |
| 2001 |
142,662 |
−0.9% |
| 2011 |
145,367 |
+1.9% |
| 2013 |
145,871 |
+0.3% |
| 2015 |
148,420 |
+1.7% |
| 2016 |
150,887 |
+1.7% |
| Source: Statistik Austria[13] |
Salzburg's official population significantly increased in 1935 when the city absorbed adjacent
municipalities. After
World War II, numerous
refugees
found a new home in the city. New residential space was constructed for
American soldiers of the postwar occupation, and could be used for
refugees
when they left. Around 1950, Salzburg passed the mark of 100,000
citizens, and in 2006, it reached the mark of 150,000 citizens.
Architecture
Sigmund Haffner Gasse - Rathaus.
Romanesque and Gothic
The
Romanesque and
Gothic churches, the
monasteries and the early carcass houses dominated the
medieval city for a long time. The Cathedral of
Archbishop Conrad of Wittelsbach was the largest
basilica north of the
Alps. The choir of the
Franciscan Church Hall, construction was begun by
Hans von Burghausen and completed by
Stephan Krumenauer,
is one of the most prestigious religious gothic constructions of
southern Germany. At the end of the Gothic era the Collegiate church
"Nonnberg", Margaret Chapel in
St. Peter's Cemetery, the St. George's Chapel and the stately halls of the "Hoher Stock" in the
Hohensalzburg Castle were constructed.
Renaissance and baroque
Inspired by
Vincenzo Scamozzi, Prince Archbishop
Wolf Dietrich von Raitenau began to transform the medieval town to the architectural ideals of the late
Renaissance.
Plans for a massive cathedral by Scamozzi failed to materialize upon
the fall of the archbishop. A second cathedral planned by
Santino Solari rose as the first early
Baroque church in Salzburg. It served as an example for many other churches in Southern
Germany and
Austria.
Markus Sittikus and
Paris von Lodron continued to rebuild the city with major projects such as
Hellbrunn Palace,
the prince archbishop's residence, the university buildings,
fortifications, and many other buildings. Giovanni Antonio Daria managed
by order of Prince Archbishop Guido von Thun the construction of the
residential well. Giovanni
Gaspare Zuccalli,
by order of the same archbishop, created the Erhard and the Kajetan
church in the south of the town. The city's redesign was completed with
buildings designed by
Johann Bernhard Fischer von Erlach, donated by Prince Archbishop Johann Ernst von Thun.
After the era of Ernst von Thun, the city's expansion came to a halt,
which is the reason why there are no churches built in the
rococo style.
Sigismund von Schrattenbach
continued with the construction of "Sigmundstor" and the statue of holy
Maria on the cathedral square. With the fall and division of the former
"Fürsterzbistums Salzburg" (Archbishopric) to
Upper Austria,
Bavaria (Rupertigau) and
Tyrol (Zillertal Matrei) began a long period of urban stagnancy. This era didn't end before the period of promoterism (
Gründerzeit) brought new life into urban development. The builder dynasty
Jakob Ceconi and
Carl Freiherr von Schwarz filled major positions in shaping the city in this era.
[15]
Classical modernism and post-war modernism
Residential and studio house Lechner in the old town
Buildings of classical
modernism
and in particular the post-war modernism are frequently encountered in
Salzburg. Examples are the Zahnwurzen house (a house in the
Linzergasse 22 in the right center of the old town), the "Lepi" (a
public baths in
Leopoldskron) (built 1964) and the original 1957
constructed congress center of Salzburg, which was replaced by a new
building in 2001. An important and famous example of architecture of
this era is the 1960 opening of the
Großes Festspielhaus by
Clemens Holzmeister.
Contemporary architecture
Adding
contemporary architecture
to Salzburg's old town without risking its UNESCO World Heritage status
is problematic. Yet some new structures have been added: the
Mozarteum at the baroque
Mirabell garden (Architecture Robert Rechenauer),
[16]
the 2001 Congress house (Architecture: Freemasons), the 2011 Unipark
Nonntal (Architecture: Storch Ehlers partners), the 2001 "Makartsteg"
bridge (Architecture: HALLE1), and the "Residential and studio house" of
the architects
Christine and
Horst Lechner in the middle of Salzburg's old town (winner of the
architecture award of Salzburg 2010).
[17][18]
Other examples of contemporary architecture lie outside the old town:
the Faculty of Science building (Universität Salzburg – Architecture
Willhelm Holzbauer) built on the edge of free green space, the
blob architecture of Red Bull
Hangar‑7 (Architecture: Volkmar Burgstaller
[19]) at Salzburg Airport, home to
Dietrich Mateschitz's Flying Bulls and the Europark shopping mall. (Architecture:
Massimiliano Fuksas)
