''Residenzplatz'' is a large, stately square in the historic centre (''Altstadt'') of

Salzburg Salzburg (, ; literally "Salt-Castle"; bar, Soizbuag, label= Austro-Bavarian) 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 ...

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 ...

. Originally named ''Hauptplatz'', it is now named after the ''

Alte Residenz The Salzburg Residenz, also known as the Alte Residenz or Old Residence, is a palace located at Domplatz and '' Residenzplatz'' in the historic centre (''Altstadt'') of Salzburg, Austria. First mentioned about 1120, for centuries the Prince-Archbi ...

'' (Old Residence) of the Prince-Archbishops of Salzburg. It is one of the city's most popular places to visit. Residenzplatz, Salzburg 1

The ''Residenzplatz'' is enclosed by

Salzburg Cathedral , native_name_lang = , image = Salzburg Cathedral 1.jpg , imagesize = , imagelink = , imagealt = , landscape = , caption = , pushpin map ...

(''Salzburger Dom'') to the south and the ''Alte Residenz'' to the west. To the east is the ' (New Residence), a

Renaissance The Renaissance ( , ) , from , with the same meanings. is a period in European history The history of Europe is traditionally divided into four time periods: prehistoric Europe (prior to about 800 BC), classical antiquity (800 BC to AD ...

building erected from 1588 onwards, with its prominent bell tower. Several historic private houses (''Bürgerhäuser'') frame the square to the north, among them the temporary home of the Baroque painter Johann Michael Rottmayr at No. 2, where he stayed while creating the ceiling frescoes in the ''Alte Residenz'' around 1690. The adjacent '' Mozartplatz'' leads to

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- ...

History

The ''Residenzplatz'' was laid out from 1587 onwards at the behest of 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 ...

, after he ordered the abandonment of the cemetery of the former monastery that previously lay to the north of Salzburg Cathedral. Remnants of the medieval cemetery were recently discovered underneath the square's surface. Raitenau also had a large number of private houses demolished to provide space. Then called ''Hauptplatz'' (Main Square), the new public plaza coincided with the reconstruction of Salzburg Cathedral, according to plans laid out by the Italian architect

Vincenzo Scamozzi Vincenzo Scamozzi (2 September 1548 – 7 August 1616) was an Italian architect and a writer on architecture, active mainly in Vicenza and Republic of Venice area in the second half of the 16th century. He was perhaps the most important figure t ...

. Currently, the square is about to be refurbished, including a new paving and a monument commemorating a

Nazi book burning The Nazi book burnings were a campaign conducted by the German Student Union (, ''DSt'') to ceremonially burn books in Nazi Germany and Austria in the 1930s. The books targeted for burning were those viewed as being subversive or as representi ...

conducted at the site on 30 April 1938.

Fountain

The ''Residenzbrunnen'' in the centre of the square was designed by Tommaso di Garona and erected between 1656 and 1661. The upper basin is topped by a

Triton Triton commonly refers to: * Triton (mythology), a Greek god * Triton (moon), a satellite of Neptune Triton may also refer to: Biology * Triton cockatoo, a parrot * Triton (gastropod), a group of sea snails * ''Triton'', a synonym of ''Triturus' ...

statue ejecting the waters upwards. It is made of

Untersberg The Untersberg is the northernmost massif of the Berchtesgaden Alps, a prominent spur straddling the border between Berchtesgaden, Germany and Salzburg, Austria. The highest peak of the table-top mountain is the Berchtesgaden Hochthron at . ...

limestone (''Untersberger Marmor''). It is considered the largest Baroque fountain in Central Europe.

Events

The square hosts regular events: *Open air cinema: Every summer in July and August the square is transformed into an open-air cinema. Typically, taped performances of the

Salzburg Festival The Salzburg Festival (german: Salzburger Festspiele) is a prominent festival of music and drama established in 1920. It is held each summer (for five weeks starting in late July) in the Austrian town of Salzburg, the birthplace of Wolfgang Ama ...

are shown *Annual kermesse (''Kirtag'') celebrating the feast of Saint Rupert on September 24 *Salzburg

Christmas market A Christmas market, also known as ''Christkindlmarkt'' (literally: ''Christ Child Market'', but the term "Christkind" usually refers to an angel-like "spirit of Christmas" rather than literally the Christ Child), ''Christkindlesmarkt'', ''Chris ...

during Advent. In the 1980s and 1990s, several rock concerts by Joe Cocker,

Tina Turner Tina Turner (born Anna Mae Bullock; November 26, 1939) is an American-born Swiss retired singer and actress. Widely referred to as the " Queen of Rock 'n' Roll", she rose to prominence as the lead singer of the Ike & Tina Turner Revue before ...

Neil Young Neil Percival Young (born November 12, 1945) is a Canadian-American singer and songwriter. After embarking on a music career in Winnipeg in the 1960s, Young moved to Los Angeles, joining Buffalo Springfield with Stephen Stills, Richie Fur ...

, and others were held on ''Residenzplatz''.

References

{{Coord, 47.798425, N, 13.0463666667, E, source:dewiki_region:AT-5_scale:1200_type:landmark, format=dms, display=title Streets in Salzburg Tourist attractions in Salzburg