This palace in Mirabellgarten was built in 1606 by the Prince-Archbishop
Wolf Dietrich for his mistress Salome Alt, who supposedly bore him 15 children.
In her honor he named it Altenau palace. However his successor, Markus Sittikus
von Hohenems, renamed the palace Mirabell six years later. Baroque architect
Johann Lukas von Hildebrandt remodeled the palace in 1727 but it was the film
director Robert Wise who fully realized its potential when he featured its
attractive gardens, resplendent with statuary, flowers and fountains, in his
1964 film The Sound of Music. The square in front of the palace is best
known for its market, the so-called 'Schranne'. Farmers from all over the
province meet here once a week to sell their high quality produces.
Visiting Salzburg
Salzburg Airport
handles international flights from most European cities as well as other
destinations inside Austria.
Besides that, the trains, which are well kept and efficient inside Austria,
are to be preferred to busses, which are mainly used to get to out of the way
places. The Salzburg Card, sold in most hotels and tourist offices, is a great
deal as it provides free admittance to many of the city’s museums and sites as
well as the efficient bus system.