Salzburg (state)

Salzburg (area 7154 km², population 520,000) is a state or Land of Austria, located adjacent to the German border. It is one of the country's smallest states in terms of population. The capital city is Salzburg.

Salzburg is comprised of 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.

Geographic location

The Salzburgerland (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 3,000-meter peaks. The Dachstein Massif and the Berchtesgaden Alps border the Salzburgerland 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 Treasure of World Cultural Heritage.

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

Liechtensteinklamm

Salzburg is home to one of the longest and deepest gorges of the Alps, Liechtensteinklamm. It is located near Sankt Johann im Pongau or St.Johann/Pg., a small town in the middle of the state.

External links

Salzburg (state) | NUTS 2 Statistical Regions of Europe