'Salzburg' is a
state or ''Land'' of
Austria with an area of 7,154 km², located adjacent to the
German border. With 529,085 inhabitants it is one of the country's smaller states in terms of population. The capital city is
Salzburg.
Salzburg comprises five districts, known as ''Bezirke'' or vernacularly ''Gaue'':
★
Pinzgau (district capital in
Zell am See)
★
Pongau (
Sankt Johann im Pongau)
★
Lungau (
Tamsweg)
★
Tennengau (
Hallein)
★
Flachgau/Bezirk Salzburg und Umgebung (Salzburg and environs)
The city of
Salzburg is its own administrative district.

Districts of Salzburg.
Geographic location
The ''Salzburger Land'' (the Austrian state of Salzburg) - with its primary river, the
Salzach - lies between
Upper Austria,
Styria,
Carinthia,
Tyrol and
Bavaria (
Germany).
Running through the south are the main ranges of the
Central Alps (incl. the
Hohe Tauern mountains) with numerous 3,000m peaks. The
Dachstein Massif and the
Berchtesgaden Alps border the Salzburger Land to the east and north.
History
Salzburg was an independent
Archbishopric within the
Holy Roman Empire (see
Archbishopric of Salzburg) until the Imperial reorganization of
1803, when it was given as compensation to Grand Duke
Ferdinand III of
Tuscany, the brother of Emperor
Francis II. Following the Austrian defeat at
Austerlitz in
1805, Salzburg was annexed by Austria as compensation for the loss of
Tyrol to
Bavaria, and Ferdinand was transferred to
Würzburg. After Austria's defeat in
1809, the province was handed over to Bavaria in
1810. In
1816, following the defeat of
Napoleon and the provision of adequate compensation to Bavaria at the
Congress of Vienna, it was returned to Austria with the exception of the north-western 'Rupertigau' which remained Bavarian. Salzburg has been an Austrian state ever since.
Architecture
It goes virtually without saying that salt plays a major role in the history of Salzburg - after all, it's what gives the city and state their names. Because of its vast salt deposits, the state made quite a name for itself and attained great wealth.
Salt, often referred to as "White Gold", made so much possible. It financed the construction of numerous buildings, for example. And in this latter regard, the archbishops of Salzburg undoubtedly set the tone.
The
Salzburg Cathedral was the first Baroque building in the German-speaking artistic world. Two other important buildings initiated by the Salzburg archbishops were
Hohenwerfen Castle and
Hohensalzburg Fortress. The first
Archbishop of Salzburg was Arno (
785 -
821), in whose honor the world-famous hiking circuit - the Arnoweg - is named.
The predominant stylistic elements of Salzburg architecture have their origins in the Baroque and the Rococo periods.
Salzburg's historic "Old Town" was named by
UNESCO as a
World Heritage Site.
Miscellanea
★ Tourist Regions: 21
★ Resort Towns: 115
★ Guest Beds: 192,000
★ Lakes: 185
★ Biggest lake:
Wolfgangsee
★ Longest river:
Salzach
★ Highest mountain:
Grossvenediger elev. 3,666 m
★ Hiking paths: 7,200 km
★ Hill farms: 1,800 - 550 of them serving refreshments
★ National parks: 1
★ Marked cycle paths: 2,000 km
★ Mountainbike trails: 3,000 km (incl. cross-border routes)
★ Golf courses: 13
★ Ski slopes: 1,700 km
★ Cross-country ski trails: 2,220 km
★ Night slopes: 14
★ Winter hiking paths: 2,500 km
Ski resorts
Flachau,
Wagrain,
St. Johann,
Zell am See,
Obertauern,
Bad Gastein,
Rauris
Cities and Towns
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Bad Gastein
★
Bischofshofen
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Hallein
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Saalfelden
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Seekirchen
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St. Johann im Pongau
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Sankt Gilgen
★
Zell am See
List of all Cities, Towns and Villages
A ★ Abtenau ★ Adnet ★ Altenmarkt im Pongau ★ Anif ★ Annaberg-Lungötz ★ Anthering | B ★ Bad Gastein ★ Bad Hofgastein ★ Bad Vigaun ★ Bergheim ★ Berndorf bei Salzburg ★ Bischofshofen ★ Bramberg (am Wildkogel) ★ Bruck an der Glocknerstraße ★ Bürmoos | D ★ Dienten am Hochkönig ★ Dorfbeuern ★ Dorfgastein |
E ★ Eben im Pongau ★ Ebenau ★ Elixhausen ★ Elsbethen ★ Eugendorf | F ★ Faistenau ★ Filzmoos ★ Flachau ★ Forstau ★ Fusch an der Großglocknerstraße ★ Fuschl am See | G ★ Goldegg ★ Golling an der Salzach ★ Göming ★ Göriach ★ Großarl ★ Großgmain ★ Grödig |
H ★ Hallein ★ Hallwang ★ Henndorf am Wallersee ★ Hintersee ★ Hof bei Salzburg ★ Hollersbach ★ Hüttau ★ Hüttschlag | K ★ Kaprun ★ Kleinarl ★ Koppl ★ Köstendorf ★ Krimml ★ Krispl ★ Kuchl | L ★ Lamprechtshausen ★ Lend im Pinzgau ★ Leogang ★ Lessach ★ Lofer |
M ★ Maishofen ★ Maria Alm (am Steinernen Meer) ★ Mariapfarr ★ Mattsee ★ Mauterndorf ★ Mittersill ★ Muhr ★ Mühlbach am Hochkönig | N ★ Neukirchen am Großvenediger ★ Neumarkt am Wallersee ★ Niedernsill ★ Nußdorf am Haunsberg | O ★ Oberalm ★ Oberndorf bei Salzburg ★ Obertrum am See |
P ★ Pfarrwerfen ★ Piesendorf ★ Plainfeld ★ Puch bei Hallein | R ★ Radstadt ★ Ramingstein ★ Rauris ★ Rußbach am Paß Gschütt | S ★ Saalbach-Hinterglemm ★ Saalfelden ★ Salzburg ★ Sankt Andrä im Lungau ★ Sankt Georgen bei Salzburg ★ Sankt Gilgen ★ Sankt Johann im Pongau ★ Sankt Koloman ★ Sankt Margarethen im Lungau ★ Sankt Martin am Tennengebirge ★ Sankt Martin bei Lofer ★ Sankt Michael im Lungau ★ Sankt Veit im Pongau ★ Scheffau am Tennengebirge ★ Schleedorf ★ Schwarzach im Pongau ★ Seeham ★ Seekirchen ★ Straßwalchen ★ Strobl ★ Stuhlfelden |
T ★ Tamsweg ★ Taxenbach ★ Thalgau ★ Thomatal ★ Tweng | U ★ Unken ★ Unternberg ★ Untertauern ★ Uttendorf | V ★ Viehhofen |
W ★ Wagrain ★ Wald im Pinzgau ★ Wals Siezenheim ★ Weißbach bei Lofer ★ Weißpriach ★ Werfen ★ Werfenweng | Z ★ Zederhaus ★ Zell am See |
Visitors attractions
★
Grossglockner Hochalpenstrasse: a panoramic road, called ''Grossglockner High Alpine Road''
★
Salzkammergut: a lake district belonging to
Salzburg,
Upper Austria and
Styria
★
Liechtensteinklamm: Salzburg is home to one of the longest and deepest gorges of the
Alps, the ''Liechtensteinklamm''. It is located near
Sankt Johann im Pongau or ''St.Johann/Pg.'', a small town in the middle of the state.
Sports
★
Salzburgring, a permanent racing circuit, north west of the city of
Salzburg
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Ski Amadé
★
Kitzsteinhorn, skiing the year round on a glacier
★ Icespeedway in
St. Johann im Pongau
External links
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Salzburg State Tourist Board
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Salzburg State Government
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Travel Information on Salzburg, provided by Locals
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Salzburg Travel Guide
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Tourist information for all cities and villages in the country of Salzburg
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Hotels and tourist information for Salzburg, Vienna, Austria
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Tourist attractions in Salzburg
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Pictures from Salzburg