Salzburg to take home: shopping for sustainable souvenirs

Alternatives to the Mozartkugel

Salzburg is, without question, a town of indulgence. Fine gourmet restaurants, local pubs, cosy beer gardens ... and of course the town is hardly imaginable without the handmade Mozartkugel, which was invented here. But if you want to take home a different piece of Salzburg and value sustainability, you'll be spoilt for choice with these souvenirs:

Stiftsbäckerei St. Peter: Brown bread, sustainable all round

For example, Salzburg's oldest bakery, the Stiftsbäckerei St. Peter at Kapitelplatz 8, where non-perishable sourdough bread is baked: with the fortress mountain behind them and the Almkanal right on the doorstep, all products are produced on site in an environmentally friendly and sustainable manner. The electricity is generated outside by the mill wheel, the organic rye for the wholemeal bread made from natural sourdough comes from the Waldviertel region and is ground on site, and the stone oven is fired by wood from the Abbey forests. 

"Actually, when I took over the Abbey Bakery as a tenant in 2006, I had only wanted to work for a few more years," says Franz Grabmer. At that time, he was 62 years old and had been managing director of the St. Peter Stifts- und Salzachmühle for more than 30 years. Plus, he had also completed an apprenticeship as a baker in his mid-forties. But the son of a miller's family, once again driven by ambition, had the mill wheel built for self-sufficient power supply, and when it began to rot a few years ago, he climbed into the Almkanal himself to fish out the remains. 

What makes his products, that tourists and locals alike buy in the historic vaults of the Benedictine archabbey, so special? "It's not the recipes that are the secret, it's the long proofing process." The dark rye bread, which keeps for a long time – perfect as a souvenir – is available in ½, 1 or 2 kilogram loaves or as 1-kilo rolls. The range also includes wonderfully fluffy brioche, spiced biscuits, Vintschgerl [spiced rye bread rolls], Milchbrotstriezel [milk loaf] and, during the Christmas season, fruit bread.

Making your own knife with a knifemaker

Richard Kappeller is also a man of the trade: his knives are popular with amateurs and professional chefs, hunters and collectors. They are high-quality and long-lasting – thus making them very sustainable. A few hundred metres away from the Stiftsbäckerei, Kappeller sells the products of his handcraft in his showroom at Getreidegasse 25. Actually, knife making was just his hobby, but then he acquired a taste for it, delved into the craft and turned his hobby into his profession. His workplace is his workshop in Salzburg-Gnigl, where he makes the precious individual pieces. "What is so beautiful about my craft? I work with so many different materials. For example, with desert ironwood from Arizona, a shrub that often lies buried under sand for hundreds of years." The knifemaker also shares his knowledge in a two-day course: interested people make their own knife under his guidance – a truly unique souvenir from Salzburg.

Heimatwerk Salzburg: Souvenirs with tradition

Now just stroll on to Residenzplatz 9 to shop for even more sustainable souvenirs in Salzburg: the Salzburger Heimatwerk offers traditional costumes as well as table linen made to measure, of course with your favourite fabrics made of organic cotton or linen, which you can choose right there on site. There are also many unique handmade items such as embroidered bread bags, Salzburg spice bouquets, wooden birds from the Lungau region, Schloegl candles – and much more. It's best to make enough time to browse!