City Detail

Salzburg (Austrian German: [ˈsaltsbʊʁk], German: [ˈzaltsbʊʁk] (listen); literally "Salt-Castle"; Austro-Bavarian: Soizbuag) is the fourth-largest city in Austria. In 2020, it had a population of 156,872.The town is on the site of the Roman settlement of Iuvavum. Salzburg was founded as an episcopal see in 696 and became a seat of the archbishop in 798. Its main sources of income were salt extraction, trade and gold-mining. The fortress of Hohensalzburg, one of the largest medieval fortresses in Europe, dates from the 11th century. In the 17th century, Salzburg became a center of the Counter-Reformation, with monasteries and numerous Baroque churches built. Salzburg's historic center (German: Altstadt) is renowned for its Baroque architecture and is one of the best-preserved city-centers north of the Alps. The historic center was enlisted as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1996. The city has three universities and a large population of students.