The wall peepers from Mirabell Gardens

But only very few people know that Mirabell Gardens harbors a curious little secret.

From the wall behind the Pegasus fountain, two faces carved in stone flash out between the rose tendrils. You have to look closely to spot these two heads. In autumn and winter, however, when the vines become a little thinner, they are easy to spot.

How did the faces end up in the wall?
There are several theories on this.
One theory is that they are the heads of statues that used to be on the roof of the castle. It is possible that the statues fell victim to the great city fire of 1818 and the heads were then worked into the wall near the castle in order to save at least some of the statues.

The picture-book setting of the former pleasure garden

The famous Mirabell Gardens are just a stone’s throw away from the Hotel am Mirabellplatz Salzburg.

You will be reminded of a picture book setting when you take the stairs from the Kurgarten – where Maria Trapp and the children sang the song “Do-Re-Mi” in the movie “The Sound of Music” – and enter the former pleasure garden of Prince Archbishop Wolf Dietrich and his Salome Alt.

Hohensalzburg Fortress rises on the horizon, while Mirabell Gardens in front of you resemble a work of art made up of meticulously arranged, colorful flowers. The unique charm of this special garden – from the Pegasus Fountain to the Dwarf Garden, from the Orangery to the Hedge Theater – attracts countless visitors year after year. And the locals also love their “garden”.

The Steingasse, a tank and the brothel

For our next insider tip, we walk to the historic Steingasse, one of the oldest alleyways in the old town on the right. With its medieval charm, the narrow alleyway is a tip in itself.
It’s also good to know that Joseph Mohr, the writer of the famous Christmas carol “Silent Night! Holy Night!”, is said to have lived at Steingasse 31.

But what we would like to show you is a piece of exciting contemporary history. Go as far as the film culture center “Das Kino”. Right at the corner of the cinema, where Steingasse narrows again, you will see a piece of wall that has been broken out. This is exactly where American soldiers got stuck in their tanks during the last days of the Second World War. In the end, the soldiers even had to be cut out in order to free them from their predicament.

Some say behind closed doors that the soldiers wanted to pay a visit to the traditional brothel “Maison de Plaisier” in Steingasse. However, there is no evidence of this.

Buddha and the power place on the Mönchsberg

Now we would like to take you up to the Mönchsberg.

Astupa aroundfour meters high was erected between Richterhöhe and Festungsberg in 2001. A stupa is a Buddhist symbol for the fully realized spirit. This stupa, which is said to be located on a place of power, was consecrated by Lama Sherab Gyaltsen Rinpoche – a Nepalese who is considered one of the most important meditation masters in Nepal.

But it’s not just the stupa that makes a walk up the Mönchsberg worthwhile.
Because when you hike the few meters up to the Richterhöhe, a breathtaking panorama opens up before you. The Salzburg basin lies before you in all its glory, while the legendary, mystical Untersberg mountain rises up in the south.

A special place to meditate or simply enjoy the view.

Curiosities in the Getreidegasse:

How the shark got to the ceiling

Let’s move briefly to the other side of the Salzach.

There is also something curious hidden in a passageway in the Getreidegasse, the so-called “Schatz-Durchhaus”.
If you stop in the middle of this passageway and look up, you will see a dried-up shark and a whale rib.

What are they doing there?
In the 18th century, the merchant and seafaring Mayr family, who did business with countries in the eastern Mediterranean, came up with the idea of drawing people’s attention to their diverse and exotic goods.
This is how the first advertisement was created.

This decoration, also known as the “flying monster”, made another high-profile appearance many decades later: in a production of “Faust” under Max Reinhardt at the Salzburg Festival.

BEAUTIFUL VIEWS:

Discover Salzburg on the run

If you want to enjoy the beautiful backdrop of Salzburg’s old town and do something for your fitness at the same time, our running tips are the best advice.

The spacious riverside promenades along the Salzach offer magnificent views of historic buildings, the Hohensalzburg Fortress and Salzburg’s local mountains.

Our two running routes of 3.8 and 5.7 km respectively can be started directly at our Salzburg hotels and take you to the Salzach in just a few minutes’ walk/run.

Download our map for the running routes directly onto your cell phone or pick up a copy at reception.

To the running plan