A Peaceful Walk on Salzburg’s City Mountain
I love returning to my hometown of Salzburg and a walk around the Mönchsberg is a must. The path from the banks of the Salzach that leads across the Mozartsteg, through the city centre, and up the city mountain is as unspectacular as it is wonderful. Because here, above the rooftops of the Old Town, you find yourself surrounded by silence.
Time Out on Salzburg’s City Mountain
"Let’s go up the Mönchsberg!" is a suggestion locals will often make when they fancy going for a walk. Having grown up in Salzburg, this is something I have heard a lot, as my mother regularly enticed me to go on walks.
Although reluctant at first (the prospect of a walk is never very appealing to children), the Mönchsberg always managed to deliver. In winter there are hills to toboggan down, and in summer various secret paths, caves, and exciting lookouts transform the Mönchsberg into one big play area. In spring the delicate leaves of beech, sycamore, linden, and oak trees cast a fresh green shimmer over the entire Mönchsberg, and in summer you walk through a fiery, colourful sea of leaves.
To the Mönchsberg From All Directions
Working up an Appetite on the Mönchsberg: From Sausage Stands to Gourmet Temples
The Salzburg "Bull Washers"
The rural population of the 16th century was discontent – too few rights, too many taxes. This led to peasant rebellions against the rich archbishops and Salzburg came under siege. When the defensive walls around Hohensalzburg Fortress withstood the initial attack, the rebels decided to starve the people in the fortress into submission.
The siege was kept up for a long time until only one bull remained that had not yet been slaughtered. That is when the imprisoned came up with a cunning plan: they drove the brown-spotted bull onto the city wall, so that the enemy could see it from below. The next day the animal was paraded again, but painted white, and the day after that painted black. Assuming the city had plenty of cattle and food left, the besiegers withdrew. And that’s why the people of Salzburg are fondly referred to as "bull washers" to this day.