15 Surprising Facts About Salzburg, Austria You Should Know

Did you know that Salzburg city is about 19.2 km (11.9 miles) from the German-Austrian border? We have enlisted such fascinating facts for you.

The city got its name because of a lot of salt mining that happened here in the past. ‘Salz’ in German means ‘salt’ and ‘burg’ means a ‘castle’. The city derived its name from the large scale salt trade that took place over river Salzach. It also is located on the banks of the Salzach River. 

The historic center of the city of Salzburg is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The well-preserved buildings, baroque architecture, and beautiful urban fabric belong to the late Middle Ages to the 20th Century.

Hohensalzburg Castle, one of the famous attractions, was built in 1077. The 940-year-old castle can be reached by an exclusive cable car.

There’s an ancient brewery named Stiegl-Brauwelt that started in 1492. The place has now been converted into museum with a small brewery and a dinning room where people can take beer tasting tours.

Salzburg city boasts of the oldest running nunnery, Nonnberg Nunnery; among all the German-speaking countries, not only in Austria.

The city is associated with several renowned musicians and artists, of which Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart is the most associated as Salzburg is his birthplace.

The city is also known as the musical capital of the country because of its world-famous annual Salzburg Music Festival since 1920. It includes recitals, opera, church music, classical compositions, and theatrical performances.

Red Bull is from Austria and has its headquarters in Salzburg. It was originally inspired by the Thai energy drink Krating Daeng.

Salzburg's football team is one of the best in the country. It does boast of winning the Austrian Championship thrice in the 90s.

Mountain Cleaners' job is a real job here. Several brave men hang on their harnesses on steep walls to take care of falling loose rocks and protect people. The close proximity of the mountains may pose a problem to people but these heroes put their lives in danger to protect others.

Salzburg is the birthplace of the delicious Mozart balls, known as Mozartkugel. Also, there are more than 10 different companies selling different kinds. The company named Mirabell is the largest producer in Austria.

Though the film “The Sound of Music” was shot mostly in Salzburg, many Austrian citizens saw the film much later after it was released. It also didn’t get much love from the Austrians.

The tourism sector is booming hence every third resident is said to work in the sector.

The unemployment rate is the lowest than all the Austrian cities.

During a plague outbreak in the 14th century, almost one third population of Salzburg died. The plague wiped out almost half of the population of Europe.