Salzburg

Ed Chamberlin finds the city even more magical in winter. Photography by Alexander Short

CITY SOUL

“SO, HAVE YOU NOTICED ALL THE MOZART stuff around here?” Roland Neulinger, manager of Carpe Diem Finest Fingerfood, asks us with an ironic grin. Of course we have! We’ve only been here eight hours and already we’ve seen Mozart mugs, hats, umbrellas, T-shirts, tablecloths and more for sale.

Salzburg is understandably very proud of its famous composer, but can boast many other renowned faces from history too. One Salzburger I walked around town with just after arriving dropped so many names that the town sweepers had to follow after us to clean up the mess. “And this is the Marionettentheater, where James Joyce lodged during his time in Salzburg,” he began. “And across there, Hotel Bristol (4 on map), where Sigmund Freud led the first Psychoanalytic Congress in 1908,” he continued. “And here you see the Mirabell Gardens, where parts of The Sound of Music were filmed.”

And this after walking barely 20 metres. Yes, Mozart was born and lived here; yes, Joyce resided in Salzburg for a while; yes, Freud kick-started modern psychology here; and, yes, The Sound of Music was part-filmed in Salzburg – a fact that attracts tens of thousands of visitors to the Mirabell Gardens every summer.

But it is deep midwinter now, and a different atmosphere envelops the city. Christmas markets selling Glühwein and wooden toys fill the many squares, the warm glow of cafés and restaurants beckons passers-by and everyone has skiing on their minds.

This year, unexpected snowfall in the Alps kicked the ski-season off to its earliest start in over a decade, and Salzburg’s proximity to resorts such as Zell am See, 90 minutes south-west of the city, make for great “city and slopes” holidays. Check out our James Bond skiing photoshoot at Zell am See on pages 60–65 for a taste of the mountain landscape.

But back in Salzburg, we’re at Hotel Sacher (1 on map), the city’s most famous hotel. Sacher is one of Austria’s most prestigious names: Franz Sacher was the inventor of the renowned Sachertorte, a rich, dark chocolate cake served with whipped cream, and his son Eduard founded the Hotel Sacher in Vienna. Keeping the recipe secret, these two hotels boast being the only places in the world to serve the original Sachertorte. Staying at the hotel is even more luxurious than eating the cake, but non-guests can always drop into the café for a slice nonetheless.

That’s not the only original confectionery you’ll find in Salzburg either. Mozart balls (there he is again!) were first developed here in 1890, by confectioner Paul Fürst, and the chocolate-covered spheres of pistachio-marzipan and nougat won a gold medal at the Paris Exhibition of 1905. Official Mozart balls are only available at Fürst’s various outlets, including Café Fürst (20 on map) by the Alter Markt.

On the Alter Markt you also find what is paradoxically described as Austria’s oldest “Viennese-style” coffee house, Café Tomaselli (18 on map). Opened in 1703, it serves the fantastic Tomaselliums Café – a mocha, Mozart liqueur and whipped cream cuppa. Then there’s the Alte f. e. Hofapotheke (15 on map), a charming pharmacy with perfectly preserved rococo medicine cabinets from the 1760s.

But Salzburg doesn’t trade purely on past glories. Dotted around town are a number of sculptures and artworks, organised and installed by the Salzburg Foundation (www.salzburgfoundation.at ) with the goal of “supplementing the city’s long-standing cultural tradition by contemporary artistic statements”.

Marina Abramovic’s Spirit of Mozart shows a number of metal frame chairs, one of which towers 10 metres above the others; Stephan Balkenhol’s Sphaera sculpture on Kapitelplatz depicts a man standing atop a large golden sphere staring out to space; and Anthony Cragg’s amorphous statues are dotted around town, with a number of them residing in the gardens of the Museum der Moderne (13 on map), Salzburg’s haven for modern art that overlooks the city on Mönchsberg.

But when Salzburg does trade on its history, it does so with rare class and tact. Nowhere is this more stunningly true than in the veritable time machine that is Stiftskeller St

Peter (7 on map). Dating back to 803AD, it’s the oldest restaurant in central Europe, and utterly essential to complete your Salzburg experience. The ancient walls of the venue have been hewn into the hillside, and you can see the exquisitely preserved décor in the many rooms of the main restaurant.

But for a singular experience, book a table for the Mozart Dinner, which takes place every evening at 8pm. In the baroque hall, lit almost exclusively by candlelight, a night out in Mozart’s time is recreated, as a string quintet and opera singers in full 18th-century regalia serenade you. A menu comprising 18th-century recipes is also laid out before you as the musicians play movements from Don Giovanni and The Marriage of Figaro, accompanied by the breathless silence of stunned guests. If you are sceptical about Mozart, or about classical music in general, experiencing this will dispel all doubts. I was amazed by how powerful this music was when heard “in the flesh”. Prices per head at the time of writing are €48, excluding wine.

So to answer Roland Neulinger’s question about “all the Mozart stuff”, yes, we have noticed it, and it’s wonderful. His restaurant, Carpe Diem Finest Fingerfood (6 on map), has an interesting trick up its own sleeve. Aside from the hearty menu of mains (including the most tender venison we’ve ever tasted), the “Cone Variations” are possibly unique. Presented on a custom rack, these Cornetto-style appetisers take the classic ice-cream template and fill the top with savouries: chicken wings, steak tartare and even burgers. You may raise a dubious eyebrow, but the Cone Variations are an unexpected delight. After dinner, head downstairs to the bar for cocktails and the occasional live band.

Alternatively, just around the corner is the colourful quirkiness of Afro Café (16 on map), in which vibrant African furniture props up talkative students and nighthawks. Grab an Afro Café product from their shop; they sell branded T-shirts, coffee and bags. Nearby Republic Café (17 on map) plays electronica, hip-hop and dance late into the night.

Carpe Diem is part of the Red Bull empire, another famous name associated with Salzburg. Founder Dieterich Mateschitz lives in Salzburg, and has bestowed upon the city a magnificent bar/restaurant/art gallery complex called Hangar-7 (11 on map, closed 23 December–4 January). As the name suggests, it’s a futuristic aircraft hangar adjacent to Salzburg Airport, and upon entering you are surrounded by Mateschitz’s aircraft collection: a B-25 Mitchell, a Douglas DC-6B and even a recreation of one of Leonardo da Vinci’s ingenious designs. At the restaurant, Ikarus (9 on map), a new head chef is drafted in to take over the kitchen for a month at a time. December sees Paul Pairet of French restaurant Mr & Mrs Bund in Shanghai, and the new year welcomes Stefano Baiocco of Grand Hotel a Villa Feltrinelli at Gargnano, Italy. If you’re thirsty rather than hungry, the Threesixty Bar is positioned dizzyingly high above the action, attached to the ceiling of the dome.

Easier to access is the Mayday Bar, whose nifty touchscreen bar top allows tech-savvy drinkers to place orders, and even send flirtatious messages to that mysterious girl on the other side of the bar. Being situated near the airport, visiting Hangar-7 may be either the first or last thing you do in Salzburg. So at least make sure it’s one of the two.

PUT IT ON THE CARD

With so much to see in Salzburg, you may be worried about half your costs going towards entrance fees. When you arrive, pick up a Salzburg Card, available in almost all hotel lobbies and tourist information centres. It gives you free entry to sights, as well as discounts on cultural events. Depending on how long you are staying for, buy the 24-hour card for €22 (children, €11), the 48-hour card for €30 (children, €15), or the 72-hour card for €35 (children, €17.50).

These cards give free entrance to the Mozart Museums, Salzburg Museum (14 on map), the Hohensalzburg Fortress, Salzburg Zoo, the Stiegl Brewery where the local beer is brewed, art galleries and cruises on the Salzach river. In addition, you can hop on and off the local buses and ride the cable cars and the funicular railway.

Make sure you take into account how many cultural attractions you are likely to visit – but if you are planning to see as much of the city as you can, this card will help you get the most out of your trip.

FOR MORE DETAILS, CALL TEL: +43 (0)662 889870, OR VISIT WWW.SALZBURG.INFO

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