Salzburg

Salzburg is a city in Austria. A river called the Salzach flows through it.

High mountains rise beyond the city.

Salzburg is a city in Austria and the capital of the state that shares its name. Statistics Austria estimated 157,834 people in the city on 1 January 2026.

The city grew where the Salzach River passes between rocky outcrops, such as the Mönchsberg and the Festungsberg. Universalis says the Salzach gap is the best gateway to the Tauern mountains, while the basin opens easily toward Munich and Linz.

Statistics Austria (via City Population): the statutory city of Salzburg had 139,426 people in 1981, 142,808 in 2001, 154,604 at the census of 31 October 2021 and an estimated 157,834 on 1 January 2026; the state of Salzburg had an estimated 573,526 on the same date.

Universalis (Paul Guichonnet): the Salzburg basin, at the edge of the Flachgau's subalpine lowland, opens without natural obstacles toward Munich and Linz; glaciers left isolated outcrops of dolomitic limestone and conglomerate, the Festungsberg (542 m), the Kapuzinerberg (650 m) and the Mönchsberg (502 m), between which the Salzach cut its bed, giving an easy crossing and strong defenses.

Look at the green domes and tall towers! High up behind them is a huge white fortress.

Green mountains rise in the distance, under fluffy clouds.

This photo was taken from the Mönchsberg in May 2009, looking over Salzburg's old town. Roofs crowd together below. In the middle rise green domes and towers, and on the high ground behind stands the long white Hohensalzburg Fortress, with green mountains beyond.

UNESCO says Salzburg's skyline, with mountains behind it, is full of spires and domes and is dominated by the fortress. Universalis says the fortress stands 120 meters above the Salzach.

Commons: 'Salzburg, Aussicht vom Mönchsberg, Blick über die Altstadt' (view from the Mönchsberg over the old town), May 2009, self-photographed by Andreas Praefcke, GFDL and CC BY 3.0.

UNESCO (site 784, inscribed 1996, 236 ha): the skyline, against a backdrop of mountains, is characterized by its profusion of spires and domes, dominated by the fortress of Hohensalzburg. The archbishops' district holds the monumental buildings (the Cathedral, the Residence, the Franciscan Abbey, the Abbey of St Peter) and open spaces such as the Domplatz; the burghers' houses stand on small plots along narrow streets. Wikidata gives the fortress's inception as 1077.

The famous composer Mozart was born in Salzburg. Today the city is full of music and festivals.

Salzburg is the birthplace of the composer Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, and UNESCO says his name has been linked with the city ever since. Universalis says Salzburg is devoted to music, with its Mozarteum music school, founded in 1880, and festivals held since 1920 that draw visitors from around the world.

Universalis also describes a university and a varied manufacturing industry, though the city is best known for visitors who come for its art and music.

Universalis: the city is the seat of a university and has a varied, highly developed manufacturing sector that has spread to suburbs such as Wals-Siezenheim, Elsbethen and Grödig; its world renown, however, comes from cultural tourism: the homeland of Mozart, it is devoted to music, with its conservatories (the Mozarteum, 1880) and, since 1920, festivals that draw a large international audience.

UNESCO: Salzburg's meeting of north and south may have helped spark the genius of Mozart, whose name has been associated with the city ever since. Wikidata places Mozart's birthplace (a building and museum) about 370 m northwest of the Cathedral.