Salzburg Residenz Palace

The Salzburg Residenz is the original palatial home of the city's ruling Prince Archbishops. Long after they moved on to the grandeur of the Neue Residenz—across the central square of the Residenzplatz—this remained the place for official business. Now its state rooms and reception halls are open to the public, and it has become a window into the life of Salzburg's most powerful rulers.

The first foundations of the Residenz were laid in the 12th century, but it was several centuries before anything approaching a palace rose up. Prince Archbishop Wolf Dietrich von Raitenau (a ruler who energetically reworked Salzburg along the lines of what he knew from Rome) made the Residenz what it is today. He built the Carabinierisaal Hall, connected the Residenz to the Franziskanerkirche Church, and opened up the surroundings, levelling the squares of the Residenzplatz and the Domplatz.

Later Prince Archbishops added new wings and extra floors, creating the imposing building seen from the square. But it is on the inside where the true splendour of the lives of the Prince Bishops is revealed. The palace runs to over 180 rooms, including such splendid halls as the Audienzsaal, with its magnificent tapestries and ceiling frescoes.

Both the Ratszimmer (or Council Room) and the Rittersaal (or Knight's Hall) received the Mozart magical 'touch'. He played his first court concert in the Ratszimmer, aged only six. These rooms continue to be used for musical concerts, an experience not to be missed in Mozart's home city, given their superb acoustics.

During the 19th century, after the Prince Archbishops had been evicted from their palaces, the Residenz served as the occasional summer home of the Austrian royal family. It now is home to an excellent collection of Dutch (and other European) paintings, from the 16th to 19th centuries. Rembrandt, Brueghel and Rubens are just some of the masterpieces on display in the Residenzgalerie. The Prince Archbishops may no longer be in Residenz, but today the Masters certainly are.