Salzburg- The Fortress

Dominating the skyline above the City of Salzburg,
Hoensalzburg Fortress is one of the largest existing 11th Century Fortress Complexes in Europe.

Building began in 1077 and the Fortress that stands now was completed around 1500.

Access today is via a Funicular railway that was opened in 1892 in response to the increasing importance of Tourism.

It is the oldest of it's kind in Europe and capable of transporting 1800 passengers an hour.

Once inside we were able to wander through the complex - learning about the evolution of the Fortress over the centuries.

We found that the curators had a very good system where Visitors went through a turnstile that showed how many people were in a certain part of the Fortress at a time - crowd control at its best!

And on through one of the Best Ever Museum Displays I have come across!

How cool is this?
Reminds me of the old Hollywood Movies!

Another of the items on display (although through a locked door) is the Salzburg Stier.     (The Bull of Salzburg)

Installed in 1540 this is the Oldest Mechanical Pipe Organ still in Operation in the World.

With 138 Pipes, Windchest and Bellows it sent a characteristic F-Major Triad twice daily over the City of Salzburg to call the Peasants to work and announce the end of the Day.

It still plays at 7:05 am, 12:05 am and 6:05 pm each day.

Many Stairs later we emerged out on top of the Tower into Glorious Sunshine and the most Magnificent View!










The Distant Mountains calling to us to
"Come Explore More of Austria". . . .