Top 10 Interesting Facts about Fortress Hohensalzburg

Fortress Hohensalzburg seen from north-east, the City of Salzburg, Austria photo by Andreas Stiasny – Wikimedia commons

Top 10 Interesting Facts about Fortress Hohensalzburg

Austria is a lovely Central European country with an astonishing collection of majestic palaces and castles. The Hohensalzburg Fortress is one of many magnificent castles in Austria that have been preserved for visitors to admire.

Hohensalzburg Fortress, commonly known as Hohensalzburg Castle, is an extremely well-preserved castle in Salzburg, Austria, and one of the largest remaining medieval fortresses in central Europe.

The Hohensalzburg Fortress in Austria is one of Central Europe’s largest preserved castles. Visitors can enjoy breathtaking views of the countryside as well as guided tours of the baroque state rooms, lookout towers, and museum collections.

This enormous monument is a unique manifestation of the prince bishops’ quest for recognition, as well as a show of the political authority and power they wielded. Here are the top 10 interesting facts about the fortress.

1. Hohensalzburg was built in 1077 by Gebhard von Helfenstein

Archbishop Gebhard von Helfenstein commenced construction on the fortification in 1077. The initial concept was a simple bailey with a timber wall. The archbishops of Salzburg were already prominent political actors in the Holy Roman Empire, and they expanded the fortress to defend their interests.

During the Investiture Controversy, Helfenstein’s conflict with Emperor Henry IV influenced the fortress’s construction, with the Archbishop siding with Pope Gregory VII and the German anti-king Rudolf of Rheinfelden.

2. It is the largest preserved fortress in central Europe

Nocturnal view of the fortress of Salzburg photo by Greymouser – Wikimedia commons

The Hohensalzburg Fortress is one of the largest castles in Europe and the largest preserved fortress in central Europe. The fortress is not without a reason the largest of its kind in Europe with a surface of 7,000 m² (0.7 ha).

It took centuries for the fortress to be built and to give it the majestic appearance it has today.

Check out the most captivating castles you can visit during your stay in Paris.

3. Hohensalzburg sits atop the Festungsberg at an altitude of 506 m

View from one of the Salzach pedestrian crossings towards “Festungsberg” in Salzburg/ Austria. photo by Stephantom – Wikimedia commons

It is located 506 meters above sea level on the Festungsberg, a small hill in the Austrian city of Salzburg. It was built at the request of the Prince-Archbishops of Salzburg.

Gebhard I of Helffenstein, the archbishop of the time, commissioned the construction of a fortress above the city of his dwelling in 1077. As denoted by its name, which translates to “High Salzburg Fortress”, Hohensalzburg Fortress sits high atop Salzburg and is an imposing white stone structure with large battlements and turrets.

4. Its original purpose was to protect the principality from hostile attacks

The fortifications were constructed to safeguard the prince bishops and the principality from assault. The fortress’s original function was to safeguard the principality and the archbishops against foreign attacks.

The Prince-Archbishopric of Salzburg was a Holy Roman Empire ecclesiastical principality and state. It was the secular region administered by the archbishops of Salzburg, as opposed to the considerably bigger Catholic diocese established by Saint Boniface in the German stem duchy of Bavaria in 739.

Salzburg, the old Roman city of Iuvavum, served as the archbishopric’s capital.

5. Hohensalzburg Fortress has never been captured by enemies

It is said that enemies have never been able to take Hohensalzburg Fortress; nevertheless, attempts to take it have also been few and of questionable force.

The castle was only besieged once, during the German Peasants’ War in 1525, when a coalition of miners, farmers, and townspeople attempted to depose Prince-Archbishop Matthäus Lang but failed to take the fortress. Throughout its history, no enemy has been able to capture the fortress of Salzburg.

6. The fortress was gradually expanded during different centuries

Inner Courtyard of Hohensalzburg Fortress, Salzburg, Salzburg, Austria photo by Zairon – Wikimedia commons

Throughout the years that followed, the fortress gradually expanded. Prince-Archbishop Burkhard II von Weißpriach ordered the construction of the ring walls and towers in 1462.

During his reign from 1495 to 1519, Prince-Archbishop Leonhard von Keutschach developed the fortress further. His coadjutor Matthäus Lang von Wellenburg, who would later succeed Leonhard, described the Reisszug, a very early and crude funicular railway that offered freight access to the fortress’s upper courtyard, in 1515.

The line remains, albeit in an improved version, and is likely the world’s oldest working railway. Fears of Turkish invasion prompted the construction of the existing external bastions, which began in the 16th century and was finished in the 17th.

The appearance we recognize today is owed to Archbishop Leonhard von Keutschach, who undertook intensive building activities in and around the year 1500.

7. Hohensalzburg fortress was used as a prison

Aside from its role as a municipal fortification, the fortress was also utilized as a casern or a prison, such as during WWI.

It was used as a prison in the early 20th century, housing Italian prisoners of war during World War I and Nazi activists before Germany annexed Austria in March 1938.

8. Hohensalzburg fortress presents panoramic views of Salzburg

View from Hohensalzburg Fortress, Salzburg, Salzburg, Austria photo by Zairon – Wikimedia commons

The castle is still a prominent landmark and a distinguishing component of Salzburg’s world-famous skyline. Visitors can enjoy breathtaking countryside views and guided trips here.

The panorama tour, which travels from the salt magazine via the dungeon to the viewing platform of the Reckturm [tower], has to be one of the most spectacular views in the city. Following that, the trip takes visitors through the battlements to the iconic Salzburg Bull.

Visitors may take in the breathtaking view of Salzburg’s roofs and the alpine panorama. This magnificent 11th-century castle perches on a hill on the outskirts of Salzburg. The fortress of Hohensalzburg stands tall above the city’s Baroque towers.

9. It became a tourist attraction after it was abandoned as a military restricted area

It became a tourist attraction once it was abandoned as a military-restricted restricted area. With the Festungsbahn funicular railway, which opened in 1892 leading up from the town to the Hasengrabenbastei, the Hohensalzburg Fortress became a prominent tourist attraction. It is still one of Europe’s best-preserved castles.

10. It was selected as the main motif for the Austrian Nonnberg Abbey commemorative coin

The Hohensalzburg Fortress was adopted as the main motif for the Austrian Nonnberg Abbey commemorative coin, which was unveiled on April 5, 2006. This was the first coin in the “Great Abbeys of Austria” series.

It depicts Nonnberg Abbey’s Benedictine convent. The fortification and the Kajetaner church may be seen on the hilltop in the backdrop. In 1977, the Austrian Mint also struck a coin commemorating the 900th anniversary of the Hohensalzburg Fortress.

Also, check out some facts about Schönbrunn Palace and Gardens in Austria.