Marguerite's Travels

The ceilings of old European churches never fail to awe, and that of the Salzburg Cathedral is no exception. There has been a church here since the 8th century but the current one dates back "only" to the 17th. Mozart was baptized in the Cathedral and the baptismal font remains there. Concerts are performed in the Cathedral, and I was forced to enjoy a pretzel while people watching at one of the many tables set up in the plaza in honor of Octoberfest.

This is one of the doors into the Cathedral. The doors were created in the late 1950s when the Cathedral underwent restoration after it was damaged during WWII. There are 3 doors representing the three divine virtues: faith, hope, and love. This is the Gate of Hope (Tor der Hoffnung) by Ewald Matare. It is my favorite of the three.
 

The Pieta was sculpted by Anna Chromy. It is a version of the sculptor's much larger Cloak of Conscience and Tolerance. The inscription on the base says, "The empty mantle as a symbol of that which survives us: the love we gave, the works we created, the suffering we bore." It also states that it was inspired by Mozart's Giovanni and Hoffmannsthal's Jedermann.
 

Fortress Hohensalzburg towers over the city. It was built in 1077 but expanded over the years, its current appearance dates to 1500. The expansions were mainly done for defense purposes, it only came under siege once (unsuccessfully) in 1525. Until 1861, it was used for military purposes.

I don't know if the mountains in the background are actually in Austria. But I love the way they form the backdrop to these buildings. If I moved here, it would take me years to get over just staring at the mountains in the distance!