Viewpoint on the Fortress

The viewpoint over the fortress

The Salzburg audio-guided tour offers you, from this bridge that crosses the Salzach, an unobstructed view over the famous Hohensalzburg fortress, one of the essential sites of the city and of all Austria.

One of the largest medieval castles in Europe

Perched on the hill of the Festungsberg, the Hohensalzburg fortress is among the largest medieval castles in Europe, with its two hundred and fifty metres in length and one hundred and fifty metres in width. Its construction began in 1077, at the request of the archbishop Gebhard von Helfenstein, to defend the city and assert its power. Centuries of enlargements have given it its present appearance. Besieged in the sixteenth century, taken by the French troops in 1800, then converted into a prison in the twentieth century, it has crossed more than ten centuries of history.

What there is to see

From this bridge, the fortress can be discovered in all its majesty, dominating the city from the top of its hill. To visit it, you can climb for about twenty minutes on foot or take the funicular, whose origin goes back to a first passage built in 1515 to convey freight up to the courtyard of the castle. One of the best-preserved castles in Europe, it promises a magnificent panorama over Salzburg and its surroundings.

Practical information

This viewpoint can be discovered from one of the bridges crossing the Salzach, in the centre of Salzburg, and can be contemplated freely at all hours and on the level. The fortress, on its hill, can be reached on foot in about twenty minutes or by the funicular; it can generally be visited all year round according to hours varying with the season.

When was the Hohensalzburg fortress built?

Its construction began in 1077 at the request of the archbishop Gebhard von Helfenstein; centuries of enlargements have given it its present appearance.

How to reach the fortress?

On foot in about twenty minutes or by the funicular, whose origin goes back to a passage built in 1515 to convey freight.