Knopferlmayer offers more than 3000 different buttons. | © Falstaff / Joerg Lehmann

Handcraft & Tradition

Salzburg is one of the most beautiful towns in the world. For centuries, this has been the declared opinion of prince-archbishops, musical geniuses, explorers, festival founders, artists, local residents and visitors. A stroll through the picturesque lanes of the Old Town will reveal old craft workshops buzzing with life. A survey.

Christian Wieber: When sparks fly

For 23 years, Christian Wieber and his wife Regina have been running the metal workshop founded in 1415. This is a story of passionate commitment to the craft, and of tradition with a future. Wieber and his team forge or restore latticework, gratings, grave crosses, keys, locks and more recently portals, Nirosta products, railings and handrails. In the "Schafmannhaus", in a hidden courtyard accessed from the Getreidegasse, a skilled craft is plied. The domain of the master-smith feels like a journey back in time, for much remains as it was hundreds of years ago: the old vault, the courtyard, the marble paving – but still, much has changed. The tourists, for instance, who occasionally stray in here, who marvel and perhaps take away one of the antler-shaped coat-hooks, like those used in the famous five-star Goldener Hirsch Hotel.

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Andreas Kirchtag: A roof over your head

The first documentary mention of an umbrella appears in a letter written in 800 by Abbot Alcuin of Tours to Archbishop Arno of Salzburg: "I am sending you a protective canopy to keep the rain from your venerable head." At no. 22 Getreidegasse, fine walking-length umbrellas "Made in Salzburg" have been produced for decades. The shop is at street level; above, with a roof terrace, is the workshop where umbrellas and parasols of all sizes are manufactured – each one unique, "for no piece of wood is the same as another", says Andreas Kirchtag, who purchases annually 500 kg of select woods, including cherry, oak, walnut, blackthorn and ash. In the course of a year, these become part of 400 umbrellas of the finest design – individual items for special occasions, the umbrella-maker's creations, as the mood takes him. "Anyone who pays for one of our umbrellas is not going to lose it", laughs Andreas Kirchtag. After all, such exquisite pieces have their price.

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Verena Stockinger: The button king

The Old-Town explorer finds a further journey through time at no. 1 Rathausplatz. In 1758, button-maker and trimmer Johann Mayer started out with a little wooden stall on the Staatsbrücke [main bridge]; fifty years later, he moved into the town hall building – and there it is still, Mayer's kingdom of buttons and haberdashery, where time has apparently come to a standstill. The interior is like a museum, reminiscent of earlier ages, and the 3,000 or more different buttons in boxes bound with elastic bands prove a real treasure trove. Then there's all you need for sewing, knitting and embroidery. At a time when things are no longer immediately thrown out, but repairs attempted, this long-established shop in the heart of the Old Town is once more in vogue. Frau Stockinger, née Mayer, grew up here. Her childhood was spent in a colourful world of buttons, braids, lace and tassels. Fortunately, her son Ulrich, also immersed in this inimitable world, is ready to take over the business.

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Michael und Susanne Sporer: 120 passionate years

Sporer belongs to Salzburg, like Mozart and the Festival. In 1903, Franz Sporer opened a tavern selling spirits; soon afterwards, he moved it into the narrowest house in Getreidegasse, number 39, where spirits are still sold, but now produced in the architecturally striking workshop at no. 15 Michael-Walz-Gasse. The original building attracts visitors with its special selection of fine distillates, many of them now renowned in-house products, such as the Original Sporer Punch, first mentioned in a recipe book dated 1927. Michael Sporer, who runs the business with his wife Susanne, is in the family's fourth generation, and also has the innovative gene in his DNA. Why not try his fantastic vermouth, lemon liqueur or Sporer Bitter (his version of the famous Campari) – this hibiscus-orange bitter is a masterpiece that almost puts the original in the shade. A new creation marked the 120th anniversary in 2023: the Sporer Elixir, a perfect digestif, or with tonic, a summer aperitif.

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St. Peter's Bakery: Our daily bread

Flour, water and salt – that's all master-baker Franz Grabmer needs for his famous St Peter's bread. The sourdough bread from the abbey bakery is almost a culinary emblem of the town, and always a special tip for those who think they've seen everything. The baker is a purist – his products contain few top-quality ingredients: stone-ground rye flour from his own mill, wheat flour from the abbey and Salzach mill. Wood for the oven comes from the abbey's own forests, energy from the Almkanal. "The entire production process is carried out on site – the bakery is also the salesroom. You can see what you're eating", says Franz Grabmer. The range of products is small but choice: Gewürzweckerl and Vintschgerl [seasoned bread rolls], divine milk bread and brioches, and fruit loaf in the Christmas season – that's all. The bakery, over 700 years old, has always provided the bread for St Peter's Abbey, and it has remained something special.

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Hildegund Schirlbauer: Salzburger Heimatwerk

"The Heimatwerk is a platform for the creative work of local artisans, with skilled knowledge in traditional costume, and its wide and varied range offers a representative showcase of our beautiful Salzburg region", says Hildegund Schirlbauer, manager of the Heimatwerk cultural institution. Since 1946, the Heimatwerk has been committed to its three principal imperatives: quality, authenticity and sustainability, and the promotion of traditional costume, handicrafts, local customs and music. Here you will find everything you need for your dream dirndl – including specialist advice. Where required, experienced dressmakers are on hand to take measurements and create the costume in the in-house tailoring shop. The Heimatwerk is up to date, as demonstrated by the innovative online shop, which offers everything to do with traditional costume, decoration and accessories. "The Zeitgeist currently encourages a greater appreciation of quality and craftsmanship. This is in line with our concept – though not as a trend, but as our basic principle."

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