Salzburg is the fourth-largest city in Austria and the capital of the federal state of Salzburg. Salzburg’s “Old Town” with its world famous baroque architecture is one of the best-preserved city centers in the German-speaking world, and was listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1997. The city is noted for its Alpine setting.

It is the birthplace of Mozart and the setting for parts of the musical and film The Sound of Music. Salzburg is also a student city, with three universities. The city of Salzburg is nestled between two mountains Kapuzinerberg and Monchsberg and the River Salzach. It is a picturesque city with small alleyways, quaint colorful town houses, rich castles and palaces, with styled gardens and a large number of churches and monasteries.

The Fortress of Hohensalzburg, a 900 year old building which cannot be missed, is considered to be the most well-maintained Medieval Fortress in Europe. St. Sebastian is the city’s most impressive church, built in the Gothic style, with a well-tended cemetery. The city of Salzburg displays proof of the wealth and power of the Archbishop and the Catholic Church and is today home to approximately 150.000 inhabitants.

Salzburg really is just as lovely as the city portrayed in The Sound of Music. Salzburg has a long history going back to Roman times, but it was in the 16th century, thanks in great part to the strong will and grand vision of one of the city’s famous Prince Archbishop rulers, Wolf Dietrich von Raitenau, that it became the Salzburg we know today, with cobbled streets, narrow alleyways, elegant, secluded squares and fabulous architecture almost everywhere. Salzburg is the second city of Austria and the capital of the province bearing its name. Salzburg has a population of 150,000 and attracts close to 7 million visitors each year.