Steep Walls of the Hohensalzburg Fortress
I somehow completed visiting the Salzburg Residenz and the Cathedral in one go. The archbishop’s palace visit somehow included a visit to the cathedral museum which was perfect for me. It seems that I hit two birds with one stone. I was at the Kapitelplatz wondering where I should go next. It wasn’t totally dark yet so I think I can still squeeze something in. It was then that I noticed the huge structure looming over the town – the Hohensalzburg Fortress.
Going in the Funicular to the Hohensalzburg Fortress
I first saw this structure just before I entered the city. From afar, you can clearly see that there is a large castle like structure which rises above the city. I knew that this was a place which I would be visiting and since I was already nearby, I thought this would be a good time to visit. The fortress is actually on top of a hill in the middle of the city. This served as a fortress of the prince archbishop who was pretty much in charge of Salzburg. Keep in mind that this was a time when the church had a lot of political power so castles for archbishops weren’t really that strange.
The fortress is built on top of a hill so visitors would need to climb up to visit the castle. To make this easier, there is a funicular which takes visitors from the city to the fortress. This is all part of the ticket. Although it is possible to walk from the foot of the hill to the fortress via steep flight of stairs, the weather wasn’t looking that great so I thought it would be better to just take the funicular instead of risking getting wet from a sudden storm. That’s my story and I’m sticking with that.
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