18. Fortress Hohensalzburg

The Fortress is called Hohensalzburg , meaning High Salzburg. It was started in the 11th century (1077) by Prince Archbishop Gebhard. The fortress is built on 33,000 m². Gebhard was a close friend of the Pope, and between the Pope and the German Emperor an investiture war took place. Originally Gebhard built the fortress as protection from the German Emperor Heinrich IV.

Today the fortress is a tourist attraction; you can either walk up there or take the funicular railway. It is also possible to have a stroll form the fortress further along the Mönchsberg. Otherwise you can take the Mönchsberg elevator, mentioned earlier.

There are dinner concerts with chamber music within the fortress. Every year more than 1,000,000 tourists visit the fortress, making it the second most visited attraction in Austria, after the Schönbrunn Palace in Vienna.