Salzburg is famously renowned for its musical and cultural
heritage, and known internationally as the setting for
the classical film 'The Sound of Music'. Austria's fourth largest
city and birthplace of Mozart, Salzburg lies at the northern
boundary of the Austrian Alps, on the banks of the River
Salzach. Up until 1816 Salzburg led a separate life to the rest of
Austria existing as an independent city state ruled by a sequence
of powerful Prince Archbishops. The Archbishops' influence turned
Salzburg into the most Italianate city north of the Alps.
Spread out below the Hohensalzburg fortress, the churches,
squares and alleyways of the city's beautiful Old Town are
incredibly well-preserved, dominated by fabulous examples of
baroque architecture, and are recognised as a UNESCO World Heritage
Site.