(Grain Lane) is a busy shopping street in the historic ''

Altstadt ''Altstadt'' is the German language word for "old town", and generally refers to the historical town or city centre within the old town or city wall, in contrast to younger suburbs outside. '' Neustadt'' (new town), the logical opposite of ''Al ...

'' (Old Town) 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, a UNESCO

World Heritage Site A World Heritage Site is a landmark or area with legal protection by an international convention administered by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). World Heritage Sites are designated by UNESCO for ...

since 1996. It is known for the birthplace of

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 ...

at No. 9, where he lived until the age of 17. The narrow street is characterised by numerous high townhouses side by side with its wrought iron guild signs.

Overview

''Getreidegasse'' runs parallel to, but one block back from, the

Salzach The Salzach (Austrian: �saltsax ) is a river in Austria and Germany. It is in length and is a right tributary of the Inn, which eventually joins the Danube. Its drainage basin of comprises large parts of the Northern Limestone and Central ...

river and today is part of a large

pedestrian zone Pedestrian zones (also known as auto-free zones and car-free zones, as pedestrian precincts in British English, and as pedestrian malls in the United States and Australia) are areas of a city or town reserved for pedestrian-only use and in whi ...

in the Old Town quarter. First mentioned as (derived from '' traben'' 'to trot') about 1150, when it led from the historic Salzburg trade centre to the northwestern suburb of Mülln, its name was changed several times before it became the ''Getreidegasse''. The citizens received

staple right The staple right, also translated stacking right or storage right, both from the Dutch ''stapelrecht'', was a medieval right accorded to certain ports, the staple ports. It required merchant barges or ships to unload their goods at the port and to ...

s by the prince-archbishops in the 14th century, whereafter several large trading houses began to display their goods along the road. Subsequently, ''Getreidegasse'' became a favoured residential area for Salzburg patricians and public officials. Many buildings contain picturesque passageways and courtyards. A large number of the historic residential houses have been turned into commercial premises in recent decades. While ''Getreidegasse'' is one of the city's most popular

tourist Tourism is travel for pleasure or business; also the theory and practice of touring, the business of attracting, accommodating, and entertaining tourists, and the business of operating tours. The World Tourism Organization defines tourism ...

attractions, several attempts have been made by the Salzburg city administration to retain the street's authentic character. Every day, one can see the famous "puppet woman" (') with her brown basket on this street who has been selling puppets there since 1987.

Notable residents

August Bebel Ferdinand August Bebel (22 February 1840 – 13 August 1913) was a German socialist politician, writer, and orator. He is best remembered as one of the founders of the Social Democratic Workers' Party of Germany (SDAP) in 1869, which in 1875 mer ...

(1840–1913), politician, worked as an apprentice in a woodturner's workshop on No. 3 from 1859 to 1860 *

(1756-1791).

Mozart's birthplace Mozart's birthplace (German: or ) was the birthplace of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart at No. 9 Getreidegasse in Salzburg, Austria. The Mozart family resided on the third floor from 1747 to 1773. Mozart himself was born here on 27 January 1756. He was ...

at No. 9 was the home of his parents Leopold and

Anna Maria Mozart Anna Maria Walburga Mozart (née Pertl; 25 December 1720 – 3 July 1778) was the mother of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756–1791) and Maria Anna Mozart (1751–1829). Life Youth She was born in St. Gilgen, Archbishopric of Salzburg, to Eva R ...

since their marriage in 1747. His sister Maria Anna (''Nannerl'') was also born here; the family moved to nearby Hannibalplatz (present-day Makartplatz) in 1773. The International Mozarteum Foundation has operated a Mozart museum in the building since 1880. *

Adrian Ludwig Richter Adrian Ludwig Richter (September 28, 1803June 19, 1884) was a German painter and etcher, who was strongly influenced by Erhard and Chodowiecki. He was a representative of both Romanticism and Biedermeier styles. He was the most popular, and ...

(1803–1884), painter, stayed on No. 21 in summer 1823 * Salome Alt (1568–1633), mistress to Prince-Archbishop

Wolf Dietrich 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 ...

, was documented as owner of a brewery house on No. 33 about 1620

References

External links

*
Getreidegasse – Salzburg Guide
{{coord, 47, 48, 00, N, 13, 02, 38, E, display=title, region:AT-5_type:landmark_source:dewiki Pedestrian streets in Austria Shopping districts and streets in Austria Streets in Salzburg Tourist attractions in Salzburg