''Mozartplatz'', formerly known as ''Michaelsplatz'', is a square in the historic centre (''Altstadt'') of

Salzburg Salzburg (, ; literally "Salt-Castle"; bar, Soizbuag, label=Bavarian language, Austro-Bavarian) is the List of cities and towns in Austria, fourth-largest city in Austria. In 2020, it had a population of 156,872. The town is on the site of the ...

Austria Austria, , bar, Östareich officially the Republic of Austria, is a country in the southern part of Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine states, one of which is the capital, Vienna, the most populous ...

. In the centre of the square is a statue in memory of the composer

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (27 January 17565 December 1791), baptised as Joannes Chrysostomus Wolfgangus Theophilus Mozart, was a prolific and influential composer of the Classical period. Despite his short life, his rapid pace of composition r ...

, who was born in the city and after whom the square is now named. The square was created by Prince-Archbishop

Wolf Dietrich von Raitenau Wolf Dietrich von Raitenau (26 March 1559 – 16 January 1617) was Prince-Archbishop of Salzburg from 1587 to 1612. Life Raitenau was born at Hofen Castle in Lochau, near Bregenz in Further Austria, the son of the Habsburg colonel Hans Werne ...

who ordered the demolition of a number of houses on this site in the early 17th century. Originally the centre-piece of the square was a

baroque The Baroque (, ; ) is a style of architecture, music, dance, painting, sculpture, poetry, and other arts that flourished in Europe from the early 17th century until the 1750s. In the territories of the Spanish and Portuguese empires including t ...

fountain with a statue of St. Michael, but this was removed in 1841 to make way for the statue of Mozart. On the north side of the square, the low ''Imhofstöckl'' houses the city's

tourist information office A visitor center or centre (see American and British English spelling differences), visitor information center, tourist information center, is a physical location that provides tourist information to visitors. Types of visitor center A visi ...

. Behind the ''Imhofstöckl'' is part of the old city wall, which dates from the time of Prince-Archbishop

Paris Lodron Paris Lodron or Paris of Lodron (''German'': Paris Graf von Lodron), 13 February 1586 - 15 December 1653, was the Prince-Archbishop of the Prince-Archbishopric of Salzburg from 1619-1653. Early life He was born 13 February 1586 in the Castel ...

(1619-1653). Opposite, on the south side, is the ', home to the

Salzburg Museum Housed in the ' (to which it moved in 2005), the Salzburg Museum is the museum of artistic and cultural history of the city and region of Salzburg, Austria. It originated as the Provincialmuseum and was also previously known as the Museum Carolino- ...

. On the east side of the square, three houses have a uniform facade and date from the 17th century. Of thse, number 8 was the home of

Constanze Mozart-Nissen Maria Constanze Cäcilia Josepha Johanna Aloysia Mozart ( née Weber; 5 January 1762 – 6 March 1842) was a trained Austrian singer. She was married twice, first to Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart; then to Georg Nikolaus von Nissen. She and Mozart had si ...

, Mozart's widow. On the west side are the Salzburg Christmas Museum and the Café Glockenspiel, and in the south-west corner the ''Mozartplatz'' opens into the adjacent ''

Residenzplatz ''Residenzplatz'' is a large, stately square in the historic centre (''Altstadt'') of Salzburg in Austria. Originally named ''Hauptplatz'', it is now named after the ''Alte Residenz The Salzburg Residenz, also known as the Alte Residenz or Old R ...

''.

Mozart Memorial

In the centre of the ''Mozartplatz'' is the ''Mozartdenkmal'' (Mozart Monument), a statue of the composer by

Ludwig Schwanthaler Ludwig Michael Schwanthaler, later ennobled as Ritter von Schwanthaler (26 August 1802 – 14 November 1848), was a German sculptor who taught at the Academy of Fine Arts, Munich. Biography Schwanthaler was born in Munich. His family had been ...

. The statue was to be unveiled in 1841 on the 50th anniversary of Mozart's death. However, this was delayed because a

Roman mosaic A Roman mosaic is a mosaic made during the Roman period, throughout the Roman Republic and later Empire. Mosaics were used in a variety of private and public buildings, on both floors and walls, though they competed with cheaper frescos for the ...

had been found on the site selected for the statue. After the mosaic had been excavated, the statue was eventually unveiled on 4 September 1842. The marble pedestal on which the statue sits was donated by King

Ludwig I of Bavaria en, Louis Charles Augustus , image = Joseph Karl Stieler - King Ludwig I in his Coronation Robes - WGA21796.jpg , caption = Portrait by Joseph Stieler, 1825 , succession=King of Bavaria , reign = , coronation ...

. A copy of the Roman mosaic can still be found at the foot of the statue, and bears an inscription: "hic habitat (felicitas), nihil intret mali", meaning "Here lives (the luck or happiness), nothing evil might enter".

References

{{Coord, 47.798902, N, 13.047622, E, source:dewiki_region:AT-5_scale:1200_type:landmark, format=dms, display=title Streets in Salzburg Tourist attractions in Salzburg