DomQuartier Salzburg

The tour through the DomQuartier impressively conveys the interplay of 1300 years of history, art, music, and architecture.

The Residence served as the residence and place of representation for the Prince-Archbishops for centuries. The festive rooms reflect two centuries of art and style history from the Renaissance through Baroque to Classicism. Moreover, they are an authentic experiential site of Salzburg's music history: The first opera north of the Alps was staged in the Carabinieri Hall. In the conference room, Wolfgang Amadé Mozart gave his first Salzburg court concert at the age of seven; as a court musician to the Prince-Archbishop, he composed for these rooms and also performed here - besides the Cathedral, they were his immediate professional sphere of activity.

The Residence Gallery was founded in 1923 and features changing exhibitions of Dutch, Italian, French, and Austrian masterpieces from the 16th to the 19th centuries.

The Cathedral Archway Terrace connects the Residence with the Cathedral and offers an unparalleled view of the Baroque heart of Salzburg, with its unique ensemble of Cathedral and Residence, along with Cathedral, Residence, and Chapter Square. The transformation of Salzburg into a representative Baroque city with an Italian flair began around 1600 under Prince-Archbishop Wolf Dietrich von Raitenau and was continued and completed by his successors. Since 2024, a digitally animated video presentation of Salzburg's architectural history can be seen in the Cathedral Archway Corridor.

The North Oratory of the Cathedral hosts changing exhibitions in four rooms arranged in a row. The stucco work dates back to the consecration year of the Baroque Cathedral (1628). Particularly noteworthy is the so-called Rupert Oratory, whose altar and ceiling paintings depict scenes from the life of Saint Rupert.

The DomQuartier tour leads across the Cathedral Organ Gallery, where the main organ is located. From here, the entire interior of the Salzburg Cathedral, one of the grandest monumental buildings of the early Baroque period, can be perceived in all its splendor.

The Cathedral Museum in the South Oratory opened in 1974 and showcases art treasures from 1300 years of church history. The core of the museum is the Cathedral treasure. Precious liturgical items such as chalices and monstrances can be seen, as well as Gothic and Baroque paintings and sculptures from churches and monasteries in Salzburg. The most significant exhibit is the Rupert Cross, the largest preserved metal cross of the early Middle Ages. It is regarded as one of the oldest known Christian artworks in Austria.

The Art and Curiosity Cabinet was established by Prince-Archbishop Guidobald Graf Thun and was meant not only to astound high guests with exotic or quirky objects from art, nature, and technology, thus showcasing the wealth of the country. The marble floor, stucco ceiling, and display cases are still original. Through purchases and loans, the Art and Curiosity Cabinet was reconstructed in 1974 in the spirit of a Baroque cabinet of curiosities.

The Long Gallery is 70 meters long and adorned with elaborate stucco work on the ceiling. It is considered one of the earliest gallery buildings north of the Alps and served as the Prince-Archbishop's picture gallery until 1803. Today, it showcases large-format paintings from the art collection of the Abbey of St. Peter.

The St. Peter Museum in the Wallistrakt displays selected art treasures from the collection of the Abbey of St. Peter, the oldest monastery in the German-speaking world. In addition to liturgical items, paintings, or musical instruments, the centerpiece of the St. Peter's treasury is the "Mitra pretiosa" (circa 1480), which, with its rich adornment of gemstones and pearls, is on par with the crowns of secular rulers of that time.