Salzburg at night, Austria by Brandon Burns

1. Hohensalzburg Castle

At over 900 years old, Hohensalzburg Castle is Europe’s largest fully-preserved castle. There is not much to report in regards to its history, as it was never attacked. In the past it has served as a refuge for the archbishops, a military barracks, and a prison. The only time opposing forces occupied it was when it was given up to Napoleon without a fight. It is well worth the visit even if just for the views, they are the best in the city. You can either walk to the top, or catch a funicular.

Photo of Hohensalzburg Castle, Salzburg, Austria by Kristopher W

2. St Peter’s Church and Cemetery

St Peter’s Church houses the oldest continuously active monastery on German/Austrian soil. It was founded in 696AD, and the building you see today was built in the 17th C. Inside the nave are Fresco’s depicting the life of St Peter. The cemetery is well known for two things. Firstly it is where the scene from the Sound of Music was set when the Von Trapp family were hiding from the Nazi’s. Also, towards the back of the cemetery there are seven black wrought iron crosses. These crosses are connected to a famous legend, claiming these graves belong to Sebastian Stumpfegger and the seven wives here murdered. There is no proof of validity to this story, but everyone loves a legend! There are also catacombs inside the cliffs open to the public.

Photo of St Peter’s Church and Cemetery, Salzburg, Austria by Michael Dawes

3. Salzburg Cathedral

Mozart was baptised here, and he was the court organist and concert master of the church for many years. The church is renowned for its 4000 pipe organ, and the acoustics of the church. The church adjoins the Kapitelplatz and Residenzplatz which are both main squares of the Salzburg.

Salzburg Cathedral, Austria by barnyz

4. Mozart’s Birthplace

This is the original house where Mozart’s family lived from 1747 to 1773. Mozart was born here on Jan 27, 1756. Today the rooms once occupied by the Mozart family and are home to a museum. The most famous exhibits include Mozart’s childhood violin, his concert violin, his clavichord, the pianoforte, and portraits of the family.

Photo of Mozart’s Birthplace, Salzburg, Austria by Matthias

5. Mirabellgarten

The Mirabellgarten is a large garden considered to be one of the most beautiful gardens in Europe. The gardens were originally constructed in 1606 by Wolf Dietrich who built them for his mistress and her 15 children. The office of the Salzburg Mayor is situated here, and it recognisable as the gardens for the setting of the song ‘Do Re Me’ in the movie the Sound of Music.

Mirabellgarten, Salzburg, Austria by TheGoodReverend

6. St Augustiner Brewery

The St Augustiner Brewery is just outside the main part of town, situated above a 17th century Abbey. The beer was originally brewed by the Augustinain Hermits who founded the Abbey, and great lengths are taken to ensure the beer is still brewed the same way it was hundreds of years ago. The beer hall inside the brewery has plenty of seating, and there are food stalls offering traditional Austrian snacks and food. In the summer months there is a great beer garden for visitors to enjoy. If you are not interested in beer, the only other drink they serve is lemonade. It is a self-serve system were you buy tokens from a cashier, then help yourself to the ceramic beer steins. Each time you hand a token in, your stein will be filled with beer, and there are cleaning stations so that you can clean your stein before your next refill. The brewery has a great mix of locals and tourists alike, and it is likely you will strike up a friendly conversation with a group of people sitting nearby.

Photo of St Augustiner Brewery and beerhall, Salzburg, Austria by Barry Adams

This guest post was written by TravAddict, an Adventure Tour website featuring cheap tours to Europe, and other parts of the world.

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Photo licensed under the Creative Commons, created by Sebastian Bergmann

The church was built on the site, where according to legend, was St. Peter sentenced to death, 400 years before. At that time, the Emperor Nero, persecuted all Christians. The people started to build a church originally only as a place where they could store “Vincoli” – the chains that St. Peter was bound with in Jerusalem.

But much more attractive relics in the church is a monumental statue of Moses situated at the end of the right side of the aisle. Michelangelo was supposed to create a total of 42 sculptures for the tomb of Pope Claire II., but finally only one statue was completed. The pope gave Michelangelo also another work in the Sistine Chapel, so he didn’t have much time to complete his tomb. After his death, no one had an interest in wasting money for the celebration, so Michelangelo decided to create at least the first sculpture as a powerful and soulful figure of Moses. And this is how one of Michelangelo’s greatest masterpieces grew up.

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Basilica San Pietro in Vincoli is located in the centre of Rome, just few steps from Colosseum. Walk up the hill towards the park and you are there. However this church is not in every city guide, you certainly should not miss this great piece of art. If you will be stressed from all those crowds, this is the best place you can relax.

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Kaunas is located in central Lithuania, about 100 km west of Vilnius, at the confluence of rivers Neris and Nemunas, which are two largest rivers of Lithuania. According to a legend the city was founded by a son of two young lovers Milda and Daugerutis, who was begotten in a cave near the present city of Kaunas. Archaeologists are of the opinion that Kaunas was founded in the 13th century, but the first written mention dates from 1361.

Today Kaunas is an important shipping port, with nice architecture and many museums. The historical center is located around the square Rotušės aikštė. Vilniaus gatvė paved street is the main artery crossing the magical Old Town. In the 13th century, this street was even connected with the capital city of Vilnius. In the vicinity of this street you can visit the museum of folk music and instruments. Perhaps the most expressive building is the Cathedral of St. Peter and Paul from 1410, which has a baroque look. Inside the cathedral there are nine altars and the tomb of Kaunas’ priest and poet Maironise.

Do not miss the visit to remains of Kaunas castle, there is repaired tower, the walls and moat. The castle was founded in the 13th century and served as an important base on the western border of Lithuania.

In Kaunas there are nine view-points, which offer beautiful views of the Old and New Town.

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The Pantheon is the resting place of Italian kings – Vittorio Emanuele II. and Umberto I. The Pantheon is marked as ingenious construction. In the middle of the dome of the Pantheon there is a giant circular opening through – thanks to its unique architecture – never rains inside the building. This opening serves as a sundial, and every noon sun shines on the front door of Pantheon.

Pantheon has, from architectural point of view, really very interesting ceiling. Elements of this architecture appear in the Vatican museums, and also in the St. Peter’s Basilica in the Vatican.

On the building facade you can see the same inscription as had the original building from 27BC: “M•AGRIPPA•L•F•COS•TERTIVM•FECIT” which means “Marcus Agrippa, son of Lucius, Consul for the third time, built this”. Pantheon has survived for centuries until today, and now it is the best preserved Roman building, plus permanent used.

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While Emperor Constantine had given the area to Pope Miltiades back in 313 A.D., the establishment of the city did not occur until 1929 with the signing of the Lateran Treaty. The area which today comprises of the Vatican City has been the home of the popes since 1377. Previously, the popes had lived in Avignon.

St. Peter’s Basilica, Vatican City / Photo by admin

The Mediterranean climate means that during the summer months, the weather is dry and hot around the Vatican City. In the winter months however, there is a regular presence of rain. Because of the size of the St Peter’s Basilica, a hazy mist regularly forms around the city throughout the year.

Situated along the western banks of the Tiber River, the first walls built around the Vatican City were done so by order of Leo IV between 847 and 855. However, these walls would later be expanded in 1534 by Paul III, again in 1559 by Pius IV. The current fortified walls surrounding the Vatican City were built between 1623 and 1644 by order of Urban VIII.

Today, a white line runs through the middle of St. Peter’s Square which is used to distinguish the Vatican City borders with Rome. There are also a number of other famous landmarks in Rome which are designated as part of the Holy See, but are not part of the Vatican City; the most notable of which is the Castel Gandolfo and several major basilicas which are scattered throughout the city of Rome.

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