Mirabell Palace & Garden

Prince-Archbishop Wolf Dietrich von Raitenau had the Palace (originally called Schloss Altenau) built in 1606 for his mistress Salome Alt and their 15 children. His successor, Marcus Sittikus, banished mother and children from the palace, which he re-named "Schloss Mirabell" [from the Italian mirabile "wonderful" and bella "beautiful"]. Eventually, under Prince-Archbishop Franz Anton Harrach, the site was reconstructed as a baroque palace complex. Especially worth a visit is the Marmorsaal [marble hall], formerly the prince-archbishop's banqueting hall, with its marble pillars, opulent stucco and ceiling frescos. Leading up to it is the "angels' staircase", created by the Austrian sculptor Georg Raphael Donner. The white marble balustrade is decorated with a host of putti.

Today, the Mirabell Palace houses the offices of the Salzburg mayor and the municipal administration. The Marmorsaal is now considered one of the finest wedding halls in the world. Leopold Mozart and his children Wolfgang and Nannerl performed here. Besides hosting weddings, conferences and awards ceremonies, the Marmorsaal provides an enchanting setting for concerts.

Under Archbishop Johann Ernst Thun, the Mirabell Garden was reshaped around 1690 according to plans drawn up by baroque architect Johann Bernhard Fischer von Erlach. The basic geometrical form characteristic of the Baroque age is still recognisable. The visual alignment towards Cathedral and Fortress lends the garden a grandiose effect, at the same time incorporating it into the historic townscape.

• The large parterre with the central fountain and the four groups of figures by Ottavio Mosto, symbolising the four elements: fire, air, earth and water.
• The small parterre with the Pegasus fountain. The copper Pegasus figure, forged in 1661 by Caspar Gras, was commissioned by Archbishop Guidobald von Thun for a horse-pond on the Kapitelplatz. After gracing several different squares in the Old Town, the famous sculpture was placed here in 1913.
• The Heckentheater [hedge theatre] in the western section of the garden – one of the oldest hedge theatres north of the Alps. Folkloric and other events are held here in summer.
• The Zwergerlgarten [dwarf garden] dates from the reign of Archbishop Johann Ernst Graf Thun. Originally comprising 28 dwarfs of white Untersberg marble, it is the oldest dwarf garden in Europe. 17 of the original dwarfs are still preserved.

Besides the Felsenreitschule and the Nonnberg convent, the Mirabell Garden is one of the principal settings in the Hollywood musical The Sound of Music. In the film, Maria and the children dance around the Pegasus fountain behind Mirabell Palace, singing the song "Do-Re-Mi". At the end of this scene, the Trapp family line up on the steps leading to the Rosenhügel [rose hill] for the finale. The unique view through the Mirabell Garden to the Palace has since become world-famous.