High above the city of Salzburg, on a mountain named Festungberg (a mouthful to be sure) sits the Hohensalzburg Fortress (an even bigger mouthful), the largest fully preserved castle in central Europe. Construction began in 1077. Expanded over the centuries, the imposing structure took on it's current appearance in 1500. At one point in the interior of the castle you can see a portion of the original exterior wall and windows, discovered during renovations. During another renovation a cache of gold coins was discovered, which are on display in a room adjacent to the exposed original wall. The reason for their being hidden is unknown. The purpose of the fortress was as a residence and place of safety for both royals and the Archbishop, who, at times, held almost as much, if not more, power than the crowned ruler.
A funicular railway was constructed to ferry tourists from the city below to the fortress but we decided to ascend the old fashioned way, on foot. Stairs, interspersed with packed earth pathways take you to the summit. The path offers beautiful views of the city below as you move upward. Some of the grades on the paths are quite steep and even an experienced hiker such as myself found the climb a little challenging at times. Eventually you enter the Horse Gate, fortified by a heavy wooden red and white striped door. Going through a couple of other gates, you weren't going to get into this place unnoticed, you enter the castle grounds.
The grounds are a mixture of chapels, servants quarters, kitchens, workshops and the rooms which housed the royals and religious leaders. The royals rooms are richly decorated. There are three main ones which adjoin one another. In the banquet hall the ceiling is a marvel of painted and carved woodwork. Shields are depicted on the wooden roof beams. Heavy, wood doors, also carved and painted, separate the rooms. Colors cover the walls and ceilings of each. There is a receiving room, with an elaborate ceramic radiator, ubiquitous in this area of Europe, and a bedroom. Off of the royal bedroom is the royal latrine, essentially a bench with a hole in it covered by a lid, like a medieval version of an en suite. There is a display of what would have been found in a 16th century kitchen as well as information on what foods were consumed. Huge stores of food were kept at the fortress to stave off starvation in the event of an extended siege. In the tallest tower of the fortress, which, from it's top, provides expansive views of the surrounding area, one encounters a medieval torture chamber. Chains and manacles dangle from the walls. There is a metal headgear, a rope and pulley and a hole in the floor covered by a grate whose purpose one can only imagine, if one was of a grisly enough mindset to care to.
And, from one particular terrace, there is a spectacular and breathtaking sight.
No comments:
Post a Comment