Outstanding Universal Value
Brief synthesis
Salzburg is an outstanding example of an ecclesiastical city-state,
peculiar to the Holy Roman Empire, from Prussia to Italy. Most
disappeared as political and administrative units in the early 19th
century and adopted alternative trajectories of development. No other
example of this type of political organism has survived so completely,
preserving its urban fabric and individual buildings to such a
remarkable degree as Salzburg.
Salzburg is the point where the Italian and German cultures met and
which played a crucial role in the exchanges between these two cultures.
The result is a Baroque town that has emerged intact from history, and
exceptional material testimony of a particular culture and period. The
centre of Salzburg owes much of its Baroque appearance to the Italian
architects Vincenzo Scamozzi and Santino Solari.
The Salzburg skyline, against a backdrop of mountains, is
characterized by its profusion of spires and domes, dominated by the
fortress of HohenSalzburg. It contains a number of buildings, both
secular and ecclesiastical, of very high quality from periods ranging
from the late Middle Ages to the 20th Century. There is a clear
separation, visible on the ground and on the map, between the lands of
the Prince-Archbishops and those of the burghers. The former is
characterized by its monumental buildings - the Cathedral, the
Residence, the Franciscan Abbey, the Abbey of St Peter - and its open
spaces, the Domplatz in particular. The burghers' houses, by contrast,
are on small plots and front onto narrow streets, with the only open
spaces provided by the three historic markets. Salzburg is rich in
buildings from the Gothic period onwards, which combine to create a
townscape and urban fabric of great individuality and beauty.
Salzburg is also intimately associated with many important artists and musicians, preeminent among them Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart.
Criterion (ii): Salzburg played a crucial role in
the interchange between Italian and German cultures, resulting in a
flowering of the two cultures and a long-lasting exchange between them.
Criterion (iv): Salzburg is an exceptionally
important example of a European ecclesiastical city-state, with a
remarkable number of high-quality buildings, both secular and
ecclesiastical, from periods ranging from the late Middle Ages to the
20th century.
Criterion (vi): Salzburg is noteworthy for its
associations with the arts, and in particular with music, in the person
of its famous son, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart.
Integrity
The historic centre of Salzburg contains all the key elements that
define the ecclesiastical city-state. The overall coherence is
vulnerable to the adverse impact of new developments in the buffer zone
and setting.
Authenticity
The centre of Salzburg has retained its historic townscape and street
pattern to a high degree. Against the background of the surrounding
hills, its architectural monuments, such as the Cathedral and the
Nonnberg Convent, have retained their dominating roles on the skyline.
The town has generally managed to preserve its historic substance and
fabric, although it is vulnerable to new constructions which are not
entirely sympathetic to the coherence of its Baroque form.
Protection and management requirements
Management occurs at national, regional and local level. The property
is protected at both Federal and Provincial level. A number of other
specific laws regarding particular matters (such as water management)
also apply. In addition, consensual management is practiced, where
property owners and relevant cultural societies can also bring about
individual actions.
A management plan was elaborated in the year 2008 and finished by the
end of January 2009 and sent to all authorities. This addresses the way
new structures are integrated into the city's fabric and planning and
how the impact of new urban development projects can be monitored and
assessed to ensure the coherence and integrity are not compromised.
Over the last 40 years there has been an increasing collective
awareness regarding the heritage value of the urban fabric. The Commune,
and individual owners, take responsibility for the day-to-day
management processes. This is based on advice and direction provided by
the City's expert staff, in addition to guidance offered by the Federal
Office for Protection of Monuments. Funds are available from the Federal
State of Austria and through the Historic Centre Maintenance Fund
(which is financed by the City and the Province).
Long Description
Salzburg is of outstanding universal value as an important
example of a European ecclesiastical city-state which preserves to a
remarkable degree its dramatic townscape, its historically significant
urban fabric, and a large number of outstanding ecclesiastical and
secular buildings from several centuries. It has preserved an
extraordinarily rich urban fabric, developed from the Middle Ages to the
19th century when it was a city-state ruled by a prince-archbishop. Its
flamboyant Gothic art attracted many craftsmen and artists before the
city became even better known through the work of the Italian architects
Vincenzo Scamozzi and Santini Solari, to whom the centre of Salzburg
owes much of its Baroque appearance.
The city skyline, against a backdrop of mountains, is characterized
by its profusion of spires and domes, dominated by the fortress of
Hohensalzburg. There is a clear separation, visible on the ground and on
the map, between the lands of the Prince-Archbishops and those of the
burghers - the former characterized by monumental buildings and open
spaces, the latter on small plots fronting on narrow streets, with the
only open spaces provided by the three historic markets.
Salzburg is rich in buildings from the Gothic period onwards, which
combine to create a townscape and urban fabric of great individuality
and beauty. The cathedral (St Rupert and St Virgil) is the pre-eminent
ecclesiastical building and the spiritual city centre. Archaeological
excavations during the reconstruction following severe bomb damage in
the Second World War have revealed much about the predecessors of the
present building, back to its foundation in the 8th century as a
three-aisled basilica. The second cathedral, in the same form but much
enlarged, was built in 1181, but this was virtually destroyed by fire in
1598, to be replaced by the present structure. The original plan was
the work of Vincenzo Scamozzi, a pupil of Andrea Palladio; the present
building, the work of Santini Solari, the court master-builder,
preserves many of Scamozzi's features.
The Benedictine Abbey of St Peter, founded in the closing years of
the 7th century, contains in its church the only High Romanesque
structure in Salzburg, mostly dating from the early 12th century. The
main body of the church has undergone many modifications since the 12th
century. Of special significance are the cemetery and catacombs of the
abbey. The Nonnberg Benedictine Nunnery is the oldest convent north of
the Alps, founded around the same time as the Abbey of St Peter. The
present massive complex, on the eastern peak of the Mönchberg, is a
striking feature of the townscape, with its dominating church roof and
Baroque dome.
The Hohensalzburg Fortress, a Roman structure on this steep rock fan
overlooking the city, was replaced in the Middle Ages by a wooden fort.
The first stone building dates from the early 12th century and this was
enlarged with towers, bastions and outer wards in the 15th century.
Massive reconstruction and extension works were initiated at the
beginning of the 16th century and continued to the late 17th century.
The creation of the Archbishop's Residence, begun in the early 12th
century, lies in the heart of the old town. The present layout dates to
the major rebuilding carried out by Archbishop Wolf Dietrich von
Raitenau in the early years of the 17th century. The buildings are
grouped round two courtyards.
In addition to its architectural heritage Salzburg is especially
noteworthy for its associations with the arts, and in particular with
music in the person of its famous son, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart.
Source: UNESCO/CLT/WHC
Historical Description
No doubt because of its location at the narrowest point of the
Salzach valley and sheltering between mountain ridges, Salzburg was the
site of a substantial prehistoric settlement, and it became the natural
choice for a Roman Settlement, Municipium Claudium Juvavum , at
the intersection of three major Roman roads. What remained after the
barbarian incursions from the 5th century onwards was granted in 696 by
the Bavarian Duke Theodo to the Frankish missionary bishop Hrodbett, at
the same time endowing the Abbey of St Peter at the foot Of the
Monchsberg and the Nonnberg nunnery that he had founded with large
tracts of land. The abbot Of St Peter’s alS0 served as bishop. As a
secular counterweight a ducaI palace was built between the
ecclesiastical district and the river. The early medieval development of
the town was in the area between the palace and the river. Churches
proliferated and scholars were attracted to the town.
Two significant events took place at the end of the 10th century. The
abbacy and archbishopric were separated in 987, and in 996 the burgher
town was awarded the right to levy tolls and hold markets. In 1077
Archbishop Gebhard built the fortress of Hohensalzburg, as a symbol of
his power. The town continued to grow, spreading along a north-west
street parallel with the river. Massive stone walls were built in the
1120s, to replace the earlier wooden Palisades.
The growing town was ravaged by fire in 1167 and a major rebuilding
of the cathedral took Place. Later medieval fires led the burghers to
replace their wooden houses with substantial stone buildings of the
Inn-Salzach burgher type. With the advent of the Gothic period around
1300 ecclesiastical and lay Proprietors vied in embellishing their town.
The Late Gothic art of Salzburg acquired a renown that went far beyond
the town itself, and many famous artists lived and worked there in the
15th and 16th centuries.
Wolf Dietrich von Raitenau, who was appointed Archbishop in 1587,
remodeled the entire City, directing his attentions in particular to the
residence and the cathedral, with their associated structures. Salzburg
escaped the ravages of the Thirty Years’ war in the first half of the
century, partly because of the new defences added by Archbishop Paris
Lodron and partly because Of the Archbishop’s Clever policy Of
neutrality. He was responsible for the foundation of the university in
1622. During this period of prosperity the burghers copied the Style of
the Princely buildings in the drastically remodeling of their houses.
The townscape was enhanced in the closing years of the 17th century
with the advent of the Baroque Style, used for a number of notable
buildings and a series of monumental fountains that grace the squares Of
Salzburg. This period also saw a flowering of the town as a cultural
centre of the Enlightenment. Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart was born in
Salzburg in 1756 and lived there until driven away by the Archbishop of
the time, Hieronvmus Count Colloredo.
Ecclesiastical rule ended with the Napoleonic Wars in 1803, and it
became an Electorate, Covering Berchtesgaden, Passau, and Eichstatt as
well; its first ruler was Ferdinand Ill of Tuscany, who had been driven
out of his own Grand Duchy. The war was catastrophic for the economy of
Salzburg, which took Several decades to recover. It was not until the
railway was built between Salzburg and Linz, extending to Munich, that
it began to improve, with the advent of investors from Bavaria as well
as elsewhere in Austria. There was a renewed surge of building activity
that continued into the Present Century, culminating in the buildings of
the Festspielhaus.
Salzburg suffered from aerial bombardment in World War II. Post-war
reconstruction Went hand-in-hand with expansion, and a number of
distinguished works of contemporary architecture were added to the
town’s rich stock from many periods.
Source: Advisory Body Evaluation
