History Museums Walking Tour in Salzburg

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1 Copyright by GPSmyCity.com - Page 1 - History Museums Walking Tour in Salzburg The city of Salzburg is famous for its cultural and history museums. The collections of preserved documents, paintings, sculptures, and other items are unique. Visitors to Salzburg will find many fascinating interactive exhibits. Take this walking tour and become acquainted with Salzburg's history museums. Guide Location: Austria» Salzburg # of Attractions: 8 Tour Duration: 2 hour(s) Travel Distance: 2.7 km Please note: This walk is also featured in the ios app "Salzburg Map and Walks" on itunes App Store and the Android app "Salzburg Map and Walks" on Google Play. The apps provide GPS navigation to guide you from one tour stop to the next, so you will never be lost. The apps offer additional walking tours in Salzburg. Check them out! GPSmyCity offers self-guided walking tours in over 1,000 city around the world. Please visit gpsmycity.com for more walking tour offers. List of attractions included in this self-guided walking tour: A) Stift Nonnberg Nunnery B) Fortress Museum C) Cathedral Museum D) Panorama Museum E) Salzburg Museum F) Miracle's Wax Museum G) Toy Museum H) Museum of Natural History Copyright by GPSmyCity.com - Page 1 -

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3 Copyright by GPSmyCity.com - Page 3 - A) Stift Nonnberg Nunnery (must see) The Stift Nonnberg Nunnery is the oldest functioning convent in the world. The church of the convent, the Maria Himmelfahrt is the second oldest church dedicated to the Virgin Mary in Salzburg. The Stifit Nonnberg Nunnery was established between 713 and 715 by St. Rupert. He placed it under the control of his sister St. Erentrudis who became the first Abbess. The complex that makes up the Stift Nonnberg Nunnery includes the Maria Himmelfahrt church, the cloisters, a hall with pillars, the convent, the kitchen court, the dining hall, the St. John s Chapel, the Pieta Chapel and other small buildings. The Maria Himmelfahrt church was built in It is a simple gothic structure with a baroque principal altar and side altars dating back to The principal altar depicts the Virgin Mary between St. Rupert and St. Virgil. At the back of the church are Roman frescoes painted around The Romanesque West Tower was constructed in the 12th century and was remodeled in baroque style during the 19th century. It contains a crypt containing the tomb of the first abbess St. Erentrudis. The St. John s Chapel has a magnificent winged gothic altar donated by the Prince Archbishop Wolf Dietrich. The convent also houses a museum that is open occasionally to scholars and researchers. Maria von Trapp, the author of the book, The Story of the Trapp Family Singers that later became the well known Hollywood movie, The Sound of Music was a novice at the nunnery. Address: Nonnberggasse 2, Salzburg, 5020 Austria Image Courtesy of Wikimedia and Altzinger B) Fortress Museum (must see) The Fortress Museum forms part of the Hohensalzburg Fortress, the largest fort in Central Europe. The history of the fortress and the lifestyle of those who lived in the castle are portrayed through the exhibits at the museum. The Fortress Museum was expanded and refurbished in the year 2000 and work was completed in the year The Hohensalzburg Fortress is the largest preserved medieval castle in Europe. The museum forms part of the castle keep. It has many objects from excavations around Salzburg including Roman coins, ceramics and artifacts and the remains of a Roman wall. There is a medieval heating system and 12th century Romanesque Copyright by GPSmyCity.com - Page 3 -

4 Copyright by GPSmyCity.com - Page 4 - arcades. Objects include a medieval gold treasure, arms and armory, instruments used for torture, a reproduction of the castle kitchen, reproductions of castle furniture and musical instruments used by military bands. There are sections dedicated to specific events like the siege of the castle in 1526 and the life of Prince Archbishop Leonhard von Keutschach who renovated the castle and made it the magnificent structure it is today. Visitors can explore the museum by themselves or take one of the many guided tours where each exhibit is explained in detail. They can also take in spectacular views of the city from its windows. Hours: daily 9:30 am - 5 pm Address: Mönchsberg 34, 5020 Salzburg, Austria Image Courtesy of Wikimedia and Andrew Bossi C) Cathedral Museum (must see) The Cathedral Museum is located in the galleries of the Salzburg cathedral. The southern oratories or galleries that house the museum have magnificent baroque décor and command spectacular views of the city and the interiors of the cathedral including the nave and aisles. The Cathedral Museum was founded in The purpose was to display exhibits dedicated to the 1300 year history, life and culture of one of the oldest archbishoprics in Europe. The collections are from the cathedral itself as well as other parish churches that came under the Archdiocese. The oratories where the museum is located were once used as chapels. Exhibits displayed in the museum include medieval sculptures, textiles, medieval gold artifacts that formed part of the treasure owned by the archbishops, the sacred dove of Limoges, a precious jewel studded monstrance and the 8th century and St. Rupert s Cross, the oldest exhibit in the collection. There is a cabinet of curiosities that has a collection of objects that are not related to religion like fossils, stuffed animals and scientific instruments. The long gallery built between 1657 and 1661 has many notable religious paintings by well known artists including the reliefs of Georg Rapael Donner and works by Johann Michael Rottmayer and Paul Troger. Hours: Daily except Tuesday, 10:00 A.M. 5:00 P.M. Copyright by GPSmyCity.com - Page 4 -

5 Copyright by GPSmyCity.com - Page 5 - Address: Residenzplatz 1 / Domplatz 1a 5020 Salzburg, Austria Image Courtesy of Flickr and NH53 D) Panorama Museum The Panorama Museum is a unique museum that displays a single work of art. It displays one of the last few 360 degree panorama paintings left in the world. The Panorama Museum contains a panoramic picture of historic Salzburg painted by artist, Johann Michael Sattler ( ). The painting is 26 meters wide and covers an area of 130 square meters. It was established as a branch of the Salzburg Museum. An underground tunnel connects the two museums. The Museum has a visitor s platform where telescopes are positioned to give visitors a detailed view of the important buildings and neighborhoods in the city. Computer screens enable visitors to navigate through the city and learn more about many of the buildings and attractions in Salzburg. The panorama painting depicts Salzburg in the early 1800s in great detail. It not only shows the city but many significant surrounding areas of Salzburg. It has become famous for the realistic depiction of the city as it once was. Today, modern methods like projections and animations have been added to show visitors how different locations in the city have changed since the execution of the painting. Around the panorama are other landscape paintings called Cosmoramas by the son of Johann Michael Sattler, Hubert Sattler who was also an accomplished 19th century landscape artist. Hours: Mon-Sun 9 am to 5 pm Address: Rezidenzplatz 9, Salzburg, Austria Image Courtesy of Wikimedia and Johann Michael Sattler Copyright by GPSmyCity.com - Page 5 -

6 Copyright by GPSmyCity.com - Page 6 - E) Salzburg Museum (must see) The New Residence of the Archbishops of Salzburg houses the Salzburg Museum. It is a repository of the history, art and culture of the city from the time when it was the Roman city of Juvavum to the modern day. The New Residence on Mozart Square in Salzburg is a magnificent building where the Prince- Archbishops lived and entertained guests when they ruled the city. It took over a hundred years to build and four archbishops in succession embellished its appearance. The Salzburg Museum was housed in the New Residence from the year The Salzburg Museum has four major sections with an array of exhibits. Its purpose is not only to inform visitors but also to entertain them. One section is devoted to the life and works of well known men and women of Salzburg who made their contributions in the fields of art, science, architecture, literature, music and photography. Another section is dedicated to the historical development of the city s art and culture from the reign of the archbishops to the early twentieth century. There is a medieval collection and objects unearthed by archeological excavations like a painted Roman wall and a Celtic jug. Temporary exhibitions are held in the Kunsthalle or the Art Hall. It is located in the inner courtyard of the New Residence and is a multipurpose hall with an illuminated ceiling. Hours: Tuesday to Sunday 9 am to 5 pm Address: Mozartplatz 1, Salzburg, Austria Image Courtesy of Wikimedia and Andrew Bossi F) Miracle's Wax Museum The Miracles Wax Museum in Salzburg is located next to Mozart s birthplace. It shows the history of the city when it was a flourishing center of art, culture and commerce through animated wax figures. The Miracles Wax Museum has over 77 wax figures displayed on three floors. It was opened in the year The 18th century city of Salzburg is recreated in wax with old houses, streets, shops and churches. The historic street, Getreidegasse is re-created in a realistic manner making visitors literally walk down memory lane. There are also several re-created rooms that were found in Salzburg during the time of Mozarts. There is a special Copyright by GPSmyCity.com - Page 6 -

7 Copyright by GPSmyCity.com - Page 7 - room with wax exhibits dedicated to Mozart s famous work, The Magic Flute. The Miracles Wax Museum is equipped with state of the art audio and video guides to help visitors navigate the sections of the museum. Visitors can obtain an audio guide from the reception for a self guided tour around the wax exhibits and each corridor is designed as a historic street in the city. The background sounds in the audio guide and the moving and talking wax figures make visitors get the feeling that they have taken a ride on a time machine and are touring Salzburg in the 18th century. Hours: Monday - Sunday: 9am to 7pm Address: Getriedegasse 7, Salzburg, Austria Image Courtesy of Flickr and currybet G) Toy Museum (must see) The Spielzeugmuseum or Toy Museum displays the largest collection of toys in Austria. It has both conventional and interactive displays. The Toy Museum is housed in a building that was once a public hospital. The building is a beautiful old Baroque structure. Besides an impressive collection of toys, the museum has workshops where toys are made and the Kasperltheater Puppet show has been hosted on Tuesday and Wednesday afternoon for the entertainment of young visitors for the last 25 years. Exhibits are arranged in an area of over 800 square meters. Toy collections at the museum include antique dolls, wooden and tin dolls from around Austria, toys used by children from the baroque age to the twenty first century and a small exhibition of miniature musical instruments. There are exhibits that are over 250 years old. There is a vast collection of paper theater and paper opera characters, a unique collection of model trains, a collection of handmade dolls houses and circus toy displays. One room has a model railroad with two locomotives that carry passengers and goods around the city at the press of a button. There is also a section dedicated to photography equipment. Another attraction for children is a group of gnomes called Fidis that live in the museum depot. Hours: Tuesday-Sunday 9 am-5 pm Address: Bürgerspitalgasse 2, Salzburg, Austria Copyright by GPSmyCity.com - Page 7 -

8 Copyright by GPSmyCity.com - Page 8 - Image Courtesy of Wikimedia and Andreas Praefcke H) Museum of Natural History (must see) The House of Nature in Salzburg is one of the best natural history museums in Europe. It is a modern facility with a design based on the concept of an adventure museum. The house of Nature was founded in 1927 by professor of zoology, Eduard Paul Tratz. He opened the museum with his personal collection. Professor Tratz continued to function as its curator until It is housed in a former convent which was abandoned in The House of Nature has over 80 rooms with animated exhibits and natural habitats. Many study groups with interests in various life science disciplines like entomology, ornithology, botany and astronomy meet and interact at the museum. Exhibits at the museum include a range of stuffed animals, rocks and stones. There are replicas of giant dinosaurs including a moving simulation of an Allosaurus and a reconstructed dinosaur egg. It has dioramas showing landscape forms from across the world and a space hall where visitors can feel the impact of a meteor falling on earth or experience the landing on the moon. Large models of the human body and an aquarium with forty parts representing different fish from different marine habitats are other attractions at the House of Nature. Hours: Mon-Sun 9 a.m. - 5 p.m. Address: Museumsplatz 5, Salzburg, Austia Image Courtesy of Flickr and currybet Copyright by GPSmyCity.com - Page 8 -