Mirabell Castle and its gardens

Schloss Mirabell, formerly known asSchloss Altenau, was built on the orders of Prince-Archbishop Wolf Dietrich of Raitenau. The clergyman, who suffered from gout as a result of a vascular accident, wanted to build himself a refuge away from the narrow streets of the town, to rest in the company of his mistress, Salomé Alt. The union between a clergyman and a merchant's daughter was not looked upon favourably, and Raiteneau's successor, Mark Sittich von Hohenems, expelled Salomé Alt and her family from the premises once he came to power.

The new archbishop took the opportunity to rename the castle with a name inspired by the Italian "mirabile", meaning "incredible" or "marvellous". He also commissioned Johann Lukas von Hildebrandt to carry out major renovation and extension work, which today gives the castle a superb Baroque style. This architect, who trained at the imperial court in Rome, had the expertise to combine Italian and French styles, both renowned for their splendour.

Later, in 1690, the Mirabell garden was redesigned by Archbishop Johann Ernst von Thun. Its geometric French parterres are characteristic of the Baroque period. You'll be enchanted by the variety of colours, the "hedge theatre" in the western part, and the rose garden (with over 3 dozen varieties in bloom!).

The garden also boasts a number of noteworthy works of art. These include the Pegasus fountain, built in 1913 by Kaspar Gras from Innsbruck.

It is itself surrounded by four groups of statues by Ottavio Mosto (1690) representing the 4 elements: fire, air, earth and water. Other unusual works include the 18 little figures in the garden dating from the 17th century, which inspired the concept of the "garden gnome" much later.

On a different note, the garden gained renewed fame when it was used as a film location for the Hollywood musical The Sound of Music. Remember the scene: Maria and the children dancing around the fountain dedicated to Pegasus, in front of the castle, singing "Do Re Mi"!

The interior of the castle can also be seen, but only in part, as some of the rooms now house Salzburg's municipal offices.

You will still be able to see the "Staircase of the Angels", so called because it leads the future bride and groom to the place where their union becomes official.

The staircase leads to the 'Marble Hall', a room originally built for the prince-archbishops' banquets and now used for weddings. The Marble Hall was also the setting for several performances given by Leopold Mozart and his children, Wolfgang and Nannerl.

In keeping with tradition, the château continues to organise regular classical music concerts. Almost every day, music lovers can reserve seats to enjoy music by Haydn, Schubert, Beethoven and, of course, Mozart.

The acoustics are top-notch, as are the concerts, which are given by the Salzburg Concert Society (Salzburger Konzertgesellschaft), renowned for its expertise since 1992.