Salzburg Carillon
News
The carillon (Salzburger Glockenspiel) is not accessible during the winter months. Public tours will be offered again from mid-March 2025.
The Salzburg Carillon in the tower of the Neue Residenz in the Old Town chimes three times a day, entertaining both locals and tourists with its charming melodies.
Prince Archbishop Johann Ernest von Thun und Hohenstein bought the 35 bells from Antwerp bell founder Melchior de Haze around 1695. It was almost 10 years before they chimed in Salzburg for the first time in 1704. The tower of the carillon has to be raised and reinforced so it could support the weight of the bells. In 1702, local gunsmith Franz Sulzer and bellfounder Benedikt Eisenberger produced the drive mechanism and the brass cylinder into which court clockmaker Jeremias Sauter drilled the 7,964 holes required to run it. Today, it is powered by an electric motor, but can also be operated mechanically.
The Salzburg carillon currently plays around 40 music pieces, 16 of which are attributed to Johann Michael Haydn. The pieces by Leopold and Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart are arrangements from the 19th century. The melodies are played daily(except Good Friday and Holy Saturday) at 7am, 11am and 6pm.
From March to October, there are guided tours of Salzburg carillon.
