Hohensalzburg Castle/Fortress Salzburg

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While we were in Salzburg, we toured the Hohensalzburg Castle which overlooks the city. We took a cable car ride to get to the top. It is one of the largest medieval castles in Europe. Refurbishment began in the late 19th century and, with the opening of the cable car in 1892, it became a major tourist attraction. It held Italian prisoners of war during World War I and Nazi activists in the 1930s. The powder tower houses a huge mechanical organ of over 200 pipes. The organ is known as the Salzburg Bull and was built in 1502 and renewed in 1735. From the castle courtyard, there are magnificent views over the city and surrounding countryside. In one photo you can see the cable car. There were a number of gun turrets. The bedchamber had a toilet in one corner. The upper part of the panels were decorated with gilded buttons and rosettes. Some of the walls were exposed to show how they would have appeared early in the history of the castle. I loved the glazed majolica stove in the Golden Chamber. The lower part of the stove is decorated with fantasy flowers or fruits. These were inspired by the expeditions of European seafarers at the end of the 15th and beginning of the 16th century. The arrangement of plates was situated in the chapel which had a very attractive ceiling. It must have been so difficult to build the castle up on top of the hill. In the diagram, you can see a 'horse-works' which was used to work massive winches which brought materials up from below.