Salzburg - Salzkammergut
Transcription
Salzburg - Salzkammergut
INSIDER’S GUIDE When in ... Salzburg 246 www.theaddressmagazine.com Photo: Tourismus Salzburg GmbH Claudia Juestel An elegant, cosmopolitan Alpine city with medieval architecture, baroque churches and a fairytale castle, Salzburg is one of the most beautiful towns in the Alps. The city is not only famous for its awe-inspiring architecture, but also as the birthplace of the composer Mozart and as being the setting for the musical ‘The Sound of Music’. Grandeur notwithstanding, the city has become increasingly avant-garde with modern art installations and cutting-edge cultural events. Salzburg is not to be missed by anyone visiting Europe and Austria in particular. We asked Claudia Juestel, originally from Salzburg and founder of Adeeni Design Group, to share some of her favourites. www.theaddressmagazine.com 247 Restaurant Ikarus Hotel Sacher Salzburg Salzburg lies on the northern edge of the Alps and is set against snowcapped mountains to the south and west, and tree-topped rolling green hills to the north and east. In every direction, beautiful nature envelopes this magical place. Right in the middle of town, you can experience what the glaciers left behind millions of years ago – the Salzach River, which cuts through its centre, flanked by the Festungsberg, the Mönchsberg and Kapuzinerberg mountains. Charming medieval and baroque houses are built right against their cliffs. The Mönchsberg and Festungsberg are the more visited of the three, with the fortress perched on the highest crest of the latter, presenting an unparalleled panorama of Salzburg and its surroundings. The Mönchsberg stretches along the left bank of the Salzach and presents a few interesting sights, including, along its base, the catacombs, 248 the Neutor – a tunnel with a baroque portal connecting the old town to its western districts – and on its plateau, a number of small castles, the Museum der Moderne, and other lookout points and small forests and meadows, perfect for a leisurely stroll away from the hustle and bustle of the popular downtown. Right across the river, the Kapuzinerberg, named after its Capuchins cloister, offers even more quietude on its steep walking path called the Bastaiweg. Hike along the historic fortifications and city walls up to the Franziskischlössl, a small baroque castle on the top, that offers not only amazing views, but also great Austrian food and drink. The Kapuzinerberg is abundant with nature. Its forest provides not only Salzburg’s “green lungs”, it also is the home of rare alpine plants and a number of native animals, including deer, chamois and ravens. So don’t miss this bounty of nature during your visit. www.theaddressmagazine.com Where to stay Best Luxury Hotel Sacher Salzburg Conveniently located on the right bank of the Salzach River in the centre of Salzburg, many of its rooms have the most picturesque views of the old town, the fortress and the mountains beyond. The hotel was completed in 1866 by Carl Freiherr von Schwarz, an aristocratic builder and city planner, and named Hotel Österreichischer Hof (Hotel Austrian Court). During the occupation from 1945 to 1955, it served as the home of American officers stationed in Salzburg. In 1988, the Gürtler family, owners of the Hotel Sacher in Vienna, purchased the hotel and renamed it the Hotel Sacher Salzburg in the year 2000. Since its opening almost 150 years ago, it has welcomed some of the most famous and prominent heads of state and cultural icons from around the world. Among them were Richard Strauss, Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands, the Aga Kahn, the Dalai Lama, Julie Andrews and Placido Domingo. The hotel is still popular today, with influential patrons who are looking for old-fashioned and discreet service in a formal and traditional atmosphere. Even Fido is welcome! Every one of the 113 rooms and suites has a different décor comprised of silklined walls, beautiful carpets, antiques and original works of art, combined with modern technology and conveniences. The hotel offers a number of restaurants, a bar and a traditional Austrian café with an extensive selection of pastries. And you do not have to travel to Vienna to taste the original Sacher Torte. www.sacher.com www.theaddressmagazine.com 249 Best Value Hotel & Villa Auersperg Enjoy the intimacy of a historic Neo-Renaissance villa built in 1892, surrounded by gardens, right in the historic centre of town. Rooms are decorated with a mix of modern and classical furnishings. The generous breakfast buffet, which can be enjoyed on the terrace during warm weather, is a must. This small hotel also has a rooftop spa with a sun terrace, and offers massages, meditation, yoga, sauna and steam room. www.auersperg.at Where to eat Best Breakfast Café Sacher Do not miss the old-fashioned selection and ambience of the Café Sacher, whose traditional interior with parquet floors, raspberry-red damask-covered walls loaded 250 with historical photos, and old-fashioned furnishings are reminiscent of childhood visits to Viennese coffee houses. Choose from an à la carte menu of typical Austrian breakfast fare, including eggs prepared in several ways, cold cuts and cheeses, a variety of jams, accompanied by a selection of breads, and your choice of tea or Sacher’s own coffee blend. You may want to finish off your morning with something sweet from their extensive patisserie. www.sacher.com Triangel Only a stone’s throw from the festival house, this informal restaurant has naturally long been a favourite of music lovers. This is where the city’s natives rub shoulders with visiting musicians for simple but delicious ecologically conscious Austrian fare at reasonable prices, which can also be savoured outside during warm weather. How about a venison platter and cheese dumplings with stewed fruits? www.triangel-salzburg.co.at Best Brunch Itzlinger Hof One Sunday a month, the Itzlinger Hof serves up a jazz brunch, where guests feast on a generous buffet while listening to live jazz provided by local bands. Salzburg may be more known for classical music, but it has a long history as a town in love with jazz, so this is a popular way to start a Sunday. www.itzlinger-hof.at www.theaddressmagazine.com Best Lunch Carpe Diem Best Splurge-worthy Dinner Restaurant Ikarus Dietrich Mateschitz, founder of Red Bull, is known to have many passions. At Hangar 7, a modern aircraft hangar at the Salzburg Airport, he combined three of them, namely sports, art and food. The glass-covered structure is a marvel in engineering, having kept the steel supports as slim as possible for ultimate trans- parency and appearance of weightlessness. The light-filled building includes a large gallery that showcases the company’s collection of planes and sports cars. It hosts regular exhibitions by artists from around the world, two bars and a gourmet restaurant called Ikarus. Its success has been built on an international culinary tour where each month a different awardwinning guest chef brings his or her unique style to Salzburg. Among them have been Jean-Georges Vongerichten, Rasmus Kofeod, Daniel Patterson, Pascal Barbot, Tanja Grandits, and Ryan Clift. Ikarus has been a huge treat for the sometimes more conservative residents of Salzburg, introducing them to the unique culinary expressions these chefs bring from their own cultures. www.hangar-7.com Best Gourmet Dinner with Atmosphere Brunnauer im Magazin Given the central location of Mönchsberg Mountain, builders took advantage of every www.theaddressmagazine.com 251 Brunnauer im Magazin inch when planning homes. They often affixed the structures to its tall cliffs, with some of them also having caves carved into the conglomerate stone, which were ideal for storage with their constant temperature, as well as shelters during wartime. Restaurateurs Claudia and Raimund Katterbauer purchased a traditional residence close to the Mönchsberg and connected it to the mountain with modern architecture, offering a variety of dining experiences in the sheltered courtyard, on a viewing terrace, in a private glass-enclosed floating room and inside a cave. At the helm in the kitchen, award-winning chef Richard Brunnauer wields his knives and spoons, creating modern dishes that blend international flavours with Austrian traditions. To learn how it is done, guests may sign up for Magazin’s cooking classes, available throughout the year. The restaurant also boasts a gourmet shop that carries everything from cheeses, charcuterie, condiments, spices, coffee, tea and a large selection of wines, to modern home accessories from around Europe. Magazin was created as a lifestyle concept, which the owners have expanded into another more informal and less expensive location at the Europark shopping mall. www.magazin.co.at Best Authentic Austrian ‘Wirtshaus’ Wilder Mann “Wirtshaus” (innkeeper’s house) or “Gasthaus” (guest house) are terms for a casual tavern that serves rustic local food paired with hearty libations. The Wilder Mann (wild man) is hidden away in a small passageway off Salzburg’s most important shopping street, the Getreidegasse. The building is almost 800 years old, but the tavern was first recorded in 1884. Hence the dark and cosy interior shows its medieval origins and alpine location, with 2-foot-thick white stucco walls decorated with antlers, 252 rich beamed wood ceilings and checked curtains. Dishes are authentically Austrian, with standards such as goulash, roast pork with bread dumpling and cabbage salad, and smoked pork with potatoes and sauerkraut. Beverages that go well with such hearty fare are Almdudler, a tasty Alpine soda with herbs, and Most, a fermented apple cider. To digest all this richness, finish off the meal with a glass of Schnaps, an eau de vie made from a variety of fruits. www.wildermann.co.at Best Fast Food Cafés Vienna became the centre of coffee culture after the Turkish army was defeated during the 17th century and left behind valuable trunks of coffee beans outside its city walls. But Salzburg has a well-established café society, too. Guests often stay for hours, enjoying coffee and pastries or a glass of wine and small bites, while catching up on local news and international gossip and fashion from the newspapers and magazines offered to guests. Cafés are still the social centre, and to mention only one would be an injustice. Best Café for Old-fashioned Atmosphere Café Tomaselli One of Salzburg’s most famous and oldest cafés, the Café Tomaselli was founded in 1705 and since then has been frequented by many famous literary figures, intellectuals, musicians and composers, including Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. Today, the place retains its traditional look and caters to everyone from locals of all ages, to tourists from all over the world. Thanks to its prime location in the heart of town and two terraces that allow visitors to take in the daily happenings around the squares and streets Bosna and Leberkäse There are two things I cannot live without when I return to Salzburg. One is Bosna; the other is Leberkäse. Bosna originated in Salzburg, and although there have been many copies, there is only one location that serves the real deal. It is at the Balkan Grill, a tiny spot located inside the first passageway between the Getreidegasse and Karajan Square. I am talking about the most delicious grilled pork sausage, sprinkled with a secret mixture of spices, placed on a perfectly toasted bun, soft on the inside and crunchy on the outside, and filled with chopped onions, mixed with parsley and a squirt of Austrian tarragon mustard. This perfect snack is very popular, and they frequently sell out before they close. There have been trips where I sadly had to go without. My second favourite fast food, Leberkäse, translates to “liver cheese”, although it contains neither. It is made from very finely ground pork and beef mixed with garlic, onions and spices, and in flavour it may be closest to baloney. Although it can be eaten cold, butcher shops that bake it daily generally serve it hot, cutting a thick slice and serving it on a roll with nothing else than perhaps a couple of slices of pickle. Every butcher and most large grocery stores will serve it. Simply delicious! www.theaddressmagazine.com www.theaddressmagazine.com 253 Stieglkeller Café Tomaselli near the cathedral, this is a most popular spot. Literally everyone will walk by at some point. This is where patrons come to slow down, read, catch up with friends and watch the people. But let’s not forget that the Tomaselli also offers a great selection of snacks, pastries, ice cream sundaes and coffee specialities, served the old-fashioned Austrian way: on a metal tray with a glass of water, by waiters in black bow ties. www.tomaselli.at Best Café for Pastries Café Fingerlos A little off the beaten path from where most of the well-known cafés are located, this modern café and patisserie is best known for its amazing and colourful array of house-made pastries, the result of traditional recipes updated by modern techniques. It is also a popular spot for 254 Afro Café breakfast, which is presented most beautifully in varied dishes or on tiered trays. Café Fingerlos is definitely worth straying from the beaten path. for live entertainment on the first Tuesday of the month, acts that perform everything from jazz to swing and salsa. Franz-Josef-Straße 9 5020 Salzburg www.carpediemfinestfingerfood.com Best Café for Modern Atmosphere Best Café for Funky Atmosphere Carpe Diem Red Bull is not Dietrich Mateschitz’s only popular beverage. His Kombucha soda, Carpe Diem, offered in a few flavours, is also sold around the world. He opened a café and restaurant of the same name in the Getreidegasse. The restaurant specialises in gourmet finger food and occupies the upper floor, while the downstairs and the terrace are dedicated to the café and bar, a preferred meeting place for the chic crowd taking a shopping break with a cup of coffee or a glass of Champagne. Carpe Diem also is the venue Afro Café For a very different spin on café society, one of my favourite places is the Afro Café, which is part gourmet Mecca, part hipster café, and part social project. Advertising executive Johannes Kastner, along with the founder of the Afro Café in Johannesburg, South Africa, Grant Rushmere, and Dietrich Mateschitz created the Afro Coffee Company in 2007 as a hymn to the African soul, believing that African coffees and teas should no longer be exported solely as raw materials, but should instead be offered as independent, high-quality branded products. www.theaddressmagazine.com The Afro Café became its retail outpost and coffee bar. Here, guests can shop for branded coffee and tea products, tabletop accessories and keepsakes, as well as sample modern African dishes, accompanied by a variety of beverages from the brand. The space is decorated in collaboration with Monique Fagan, founder of the KEAG social project (Kommetjie Environmental Awareness Group) in Cape Town, South Africa, where the goal it is to create jobs for young African designers and artists. With the help of residents from the townships, rubbish was collected from the local beaches and transformed into pieces of art, which create the urban-chic African atmosphere of this casual and colourful hangout. Check their website for occasional special events ranging from jazz to blues and African music. www.afrocoffee.com www.theaddressmagazine.com 255 Stieglkeller Where to drink Best Beer Garden Stieglkeller Just as important in Austria as the coffee are wine and beer, and Salzburg has a number of popular beer gardens and breweries. The largest is Stiegl, which is Austria’s leading privately owned brewery, producing amazing beers that are sold around the world. Its owners are strong supporters of local traditions, sports and the arts. Stiegl-Brauwelt, on the edge of town, with its brewery shop, museum, casual restaurants and beer garden, is well worth a visit. But for the best atmosphere of all the city’s beer gardens, visit the Stieglkeller right below the fortress. Up on a slope of Mönchsberg Mountain, the 256 Stieglkeller overlooks the baroque centre of town. If the weather does not allow for outdoor seating, the interior’s various rooms in alpine décor surely will not disappoint visitors as they enjoy the varied beers the Stiegl brewery has to offer, along with samplings from their generous traditional Austrian menu. www.taste-gassner.com Best Bar With A View Steinterasse Perched on top of the Hotel Stein, the bar’s terrace and large glass windows allow for one of the city’s best panoramas, day and night and in any weather. Here, locals of all ages mingle with visitors, nibbling on bites from the contemporary menu and sipping one of count- www.theaddressmagazine.com Hotel Sacher Salzburg less cocktails. My favourite is Aperol Spritzer, a combination of Aperol, white wine and sparkling mineral water. www.hotelstein.at Where to shop Best Food Market Friesacher Heuriger Friesacher is Salzburg’s largest and most famous Heuriger, a name for a wine tavern serving the most recent year’s wine in a rustic setting. Friesacher not only offers Austrian wines, but also classic French vintages to accompany a traditional buffet of dishes made from farm-grown and regional ingredients. The environment is casual and provincial, with alpine touches everywhere. Feinkost Kölbl This small gourmet shop is a great stop for a quick snack and a glass of Prosecco or freshly squeezed fruit juice, or to stock up on international delicacies. Feinkost Kölbl has been selling fine foods since 1959, and the selection includes ample choices of charcuterie and cheeses, oils and vinegars, condiments, honeys and jams, teas and freshly ground coffees, as well as wines and spirits, including eau de vies from the Styrian Alois Gölles distillery, also well known for exceptional speciality vinegars. www.friesacher-heuriger.com www.koelbl-feinkost.at Best Wine Bar www.theaddressmagazine.com 257 Best Coffee 220 Grad 220 Grad, which gets its name from the brewing temperature, is a small coffee roastery, store and café, hidden away on a tiny side street in the historic centre of town. As a result, it’s mostly locals frequenting the place, for its assortment of fine coffees and the cosy and modern atmosphere of the café. www.220grad.com Best Wine Store Alte Vinothek A meeting place for foodies and wine lovers, the Alte Vinothek, owned by restaurateurs Claudia and Raimund Katterbauer, delivers on both libations and food. In addition to over 800 wines from Austria, Italy, Spain and France, its gourmet shop carries charcuterie and Italian antipasti, fresh bread from the Rosenmayer specialty bakery, unique cheeses, and homemade pasta, which can all be tried in their tasting room, complete with white table cloths. Simply ask Sommelier Karl Seitner for suggested pairings. www.altevinothek.at Best Spice Shop Schuhbeck Renowned Bavarian chef Alfons Schuhbeck has built an empire with his cooking school and multiple restaurants. His passion for spices led to a book and a number of spice shops around Germany and Switzerland. Recently, he also opened an outpost in Salzburg’s newly renovated town hall. It carries a huge variety of spices, salts, oils, mustards, specialty sugars, jams and teas. Try one of their unique spice mixtures for specific Schuhbeck recipes such as Bavarian bread, Bruschetta, meat loaf, Paella, cheese, ginger bread and apple pie. music as well as made-to-measure traditional folklore clothing, . www.schuhbeck.de Best Local Fashion Best Local Treasures Salzburger Heimatwerk This cultural institution is appropriately located in the Neue Residenz, a Renaissance building designed in the late 16th century as the residence for the city’s richest prince archbishop, Wolf Dietrich of Raitenau, and his family. It is a platform to present the best of the region’s craftsmen and artisans, with regular exhibitions and a shop presenting a variety of products. The Salzburger Heimatwerk sells Austrian gourmet foods, fabrics, table linens and tabletop items, home décor, books and 258 www.theaddressmagazine.com Ludwig Reiter www.sbg.heimatwerk.at Stassny and Gössl “Trachten” are traditional Austrian clothes that can be found in many stores around town. Since they have become chic again, you will see many locals wearing them. Stassny in the Getreidegasse carries a number of high-end Alpine lines including my favourite, the Kleider Manufaktur Habsburg, with its modern interpretations of what nobility from the AustroHungarian Empire wore to hunting parties, gala dinners, tea and garden parties, polo tournaments, horse riding and travel. Stassny also provides bespoke options for men, women www.theaddressmagazine.com 259 and children, ranging from Dirndls, blouses and shirts, to hunting jackets and pants. Founded in 1947, Gössl is best known for its blouses with intricate smocking and embroidery. It owns more than 30 stores around Austria and exports to countries all over the world. Its headquarters are located in a gorgeous 17th-century estate, originally called Rupertihof and renamed Gwandhaus (clothes house) by the Gössl family. Situated near Hellbrunn Palace in an area known for some of the most beautiful villas, it is part retail shop, part museum, part event space, part factory, and includes a gourmet shop, as well as a restaurant and café with a garden that boasts stunning vistas of the mountains. www.stassny.at www.goessl.com Best Shoes Ludwig Reiter The world-renowned shoemaker got its start in Vienna in 1885, and the name Ludwig Reiter has since become synonymous with handmade shoes in the classical Viennese style. The company has collaborated with designers such as Helmut Lang, as well as with Viennese theatres, fitting performers with their shoes. One of the 20 stores in Austria, the Salzburg shop in the historical Goldgasse sells sports, casual and formal shoes for men and women, hand bags and accessories, as well as offering custom options for the most discerning customers. www.ludwig-reiter.com Best Leather Accessories Gürtelmacher Schliesselberger The Schliesselberger family has been tanning and manufacturing leather goods since 1820. Today, locals come for their extensive line of belts, wallets, handbags and suspenders, but also to have custom belts made within just a few days. Choose from a variety of pigskins, cowhides, calfskins, suede, deerskins, and embossed leathers, discuss stitching options 260 www.theaddressmagazine.com and colours, add a unique buckle, and voilà, you have a belt like no one else. They will even make you a one-of-a-kind collar for your cat or dog. www.guertelmacher.at Best Necessity Kirchtag When visiting Salzburg, one is often surprised by the famous “Schnürlregen” (string rain), which can happen any time of year. As well, superheavy downpours, the kinds that make you duck under an awning and wait them out, are not uncommon. So having a fashionable collection of umbrellas is a must for anyone living here. For over a hundred years, Kirchtag has been Salzburg’s source for handmade umbrellas and canes. The handles are made from one of 25 woods, including local species such as elm, ash and pear wood, as well as exotic options, such as rosewood, ebony, Makassar ebony, wenge and snakewood. The selection of fabrics is also generous, so there really is something for everyone. Or you can bring your own fabric, provided it’s waterproof. A custom umbrella takes about two weeks, but they can put a rush on the order if needed. If you are planning on enjoying some of Salzburg’s amazing hiking trails, a Kirchtag cane will be helpful and chic. How about one in ebony with a silver handle? www.kirchtag.com Best Music Shop Musikhaus Katholnigg Within a 3-minute walk from the festival house is Salzburg’s favourite shop for music aficionados. What started out as a piano manufacturer in 1847 is now the best resource for CDs, DVDs, and vinyl records, focusing on classical music, jazz, folk music, chansons, world music and cabaret. During the Summer Music Festival, Katholnigg hosts discussions and autograph signings with visiting guest artists. www.salzburg-cd.com www.theaddressmagazine.com Carpe Diem 261 Best Garden Furnishings & Décor Lederleitner Markus Lederleitner, Austria’s trendiest gardener, maintains a number of garden shops and nurseries. The one in Salzburg is located in a beautiful allée near Hellbrunn, and carries everything from plants and flowers, to hip outdoor furniture, lighting, accessories and tabletop items, a great selection of design books, and even stone floors, gazebos and pergolas. They have indoor/outdoor living covered! www.lederleitner.at Best Home Décor Gehmacher In 1789, the shop on the Alter Markt (old market) started as a purveyor of silk and wool fabrics, but since 1992, it has become the go-to place for traditional and transitional home décor from around Europe. Their assortment is comprised 262 of furniture, lighting and accessories from luxury manufacturers such as Flamant (France), tabletop items from, among others, Gmunder Keramik (Austria) and CASAgent (Denmark), table linens from top lines like Texteis Iris (Portugal), and lots of accessories, decorative art, as well as furnishings for children’s rooms. I love to pick up the odd trinket on my visits. www.gehmacher.at Best Antiques Antiquitäten Hiko-Antik This tiny shop in a medieval building next to the Gstättentor, a gate that was part of the 13th-century city walls, sells artwork and small antiques from private estates in the area. Their specialities are silver, Jugendstil, folk art, curiosity cabinet objects and Faïence. www.hiko-antik.at Best Pharmacy Best Gallery Alte Fürst-Erzbischöfliche Hofapotheke The former court pharmacy of the prince archbishop on the Alter Markt, one of Salzburg’s most attractive squares, is still dispensing drugs, ointments and elixirs today from its ornate gilded Rococo counters and cabinets. So if you are in need of any medication during your visit, why not get it from the most beautiful pharmacy in town? Thaddaeus Ropac Thaddaeus Ropac first fell in love with art during an early school trip to the Kunsthistorisches Museum (Museum of Art History) in Vienna. He initially honed his craft during an internship with Joseph Beuys in 1982 in New York, where he got to know some of the hottest artists working there at the time, including Jean-Michel Basquiat, www.hofapotheke.at www.theaddressmagazine.com Keith Haring and Robert Mapplethorpe. He opened his gallery in Salzburg a year later, and a second one in Paris in 1990. Today, Ropac is considered one of the most prominent art dealers around, curating major private and corporate collections and acting as an advisor to major museums and public institutions. The gallery’s headquarters, located in the neoclassical manor Villa Kast, is home to changing exhibitions of blue chip artists such as Georg Baselitz, Andy Warhol, Daniel Richter, Gerwald Rockenschaub, Alex Katz and Arnulf Rainer. Art makes for a great souvenir! www.ropac.net Best Souvenir Café-Konditorei Fürst Almost everyone brings back Mozartkugeln, the famous and delicious balls of milk chocolate filled with nougat and marzipan. There are a few versions by different manufacturers, but www.theaddressmagazine.com 220 Grad 263 Hotel Sacher Salzburg rooted in this history. Salt had a tremendous value and was called “White Gold”. Salzburg SALZ revives this long tradition trading in various salt-related products, including a collection of salts from around the world – each exhibiting a unique flavour – salt and pepper mills, salt lamps, and salt bricks to build healing rooms. What could be more appropriate than bringing home some salt from Salzburg? there are plenty of live concerts to be enjoyed year round. The musicians of the Salzburger Schloßkonzerte perform works by Mozart and his contemporaries 230 times a year in the elegant marble hall of the baroque Mirabell Palace, built by Archbishop Wolf Dietrich von Raitenau for his mistress, Salome Alt. It is a wonderful way to enjoy timeless music in a stunning period setting. www.salzburg-salz.at www.salzburger-schlosskonzerte.at What to do Best Classical Concerts Salzburger Schloßkonzerte Salzburg is a city renowned for classical music. Even outside the famous Salzburg Festivals, Best Museum for Art Museum der Moderne The museum has two locations. The smaller one is located in the historic Rupertinum, which originally served as a seminary for the Archdiocese of Salzburg. Since 1983, these enduring rooms have exhibited mainly graphic Carpe Diem the original can be found at Café-Konditorei Fürst, whose founder created the famous treat in 1890. www.original-mozartkugel.com Sporer For lesser-known gourmet creations, I can offer up other interesting options. I never miss a visit to the spirit shop Sporer in the Getreidegasse, where, in the tiny and dark interior, patrons have tasted all kinds of Schnaps (eau de vie), liqueurs and brandy since 1903. They sell their own varied brand, but also represent some hard-to-find Austrian distilleries. The best thing about Sporer is that, for a small fee, you can taste everything prior to purchasing a bottle. But be careful, those small sips are on the generous side, and given the strength of the spirits it can go to the head 264 quickly. Some of my favourites are Enzian Schnaps, from the rare alpine Enzian flower roots, Nuss Schnaps made from walnuts, and Hollerblüten Likör (elderflower liqueur), as well as their Hausmischung, which is their secret recipe herb bitter, a great digestive after consuming all that rich Austrian food. Knowing from experience, their bottles are very durable, and fare well during travel. www.sporer.at Salzburg SALZ Salzburg has a long tradition of mining salt, which goes back to the Celts (Kelts) living in the area from the 8th to the 6th centuries BC. Later, the archbishops of Salzburg accumulated tremendous wealth as a result of the salt trade. The name of the city, meaning “salt fortress”, and its river Salzach, meaning “salt river”, are www.theaddressmagazine.com www.theaddressmagazine.com 265 Museum der Moderne daily demonstrations of local crafts, such as glass painting, pottery, soap and candle making. You can also take a small train around the entire area, which is included in the ticket price. www.freilichtmuseum.com Best Way to see Salzburg in a Unique Way Photo: Ausseerland - Salzkammergut Night Watchmen Tour Just as in any other historic European town for the centuries prior to the invention of electricity, night watchmen protected the citizens. Take a trip back into medieval times and follow one of them into the dark, through the oldest parts of town, and learn the secrets of some of Salzburg’s lesser-known sights. www.nachtwaechter-salzburg.com Best Day Trip Salzkammergut works and photography. The larger of the two, designed by Swiss architect Luigi Snozzi, is situated atop the Mönchsberg, offering panoramic views of the city outside and a world class modern art collection inside. After perusing two levels of indoor and outdoor exhibition spaces, enjoy overlooking the historic city centre with a drink and bite at m32, the bar and restaurant in front of the museum, which is open for breakfast, lunch and dinner. www.museumdermoderne.at Best Museum for Nature Haus der Natur The House of Nature has delighted children and adults alike since 1924. Its permanent exhibitions encompass animals and plants from prehistoric times, as well as Africa and South America, dioramas of local habitats, the 266 human body, Alpine crystals and one entire hall dedicated to Salzburg’s own, mathematician and physicist Christian Andreas Doppler, best known for the discovery of the Doppler Effect. www.hausdernatur.at Best Museum for Local History Salzburger Freilichtmuseum To explore the area’s rural heritage, visit this outdoor museum spread out over more than 123 acres in a nature reserve on the outskirts of Salzburg, where the local government has collected and rebuilt over a hundred original farmhouses, barns, and mills from all areas of the province. There is a great variety in design, construction methods and interiors on display, and the buildings are furnished with authentic period pieces. The museum offers special exhibits and www.theaddressmagazine.com Salzkammergut The areas surrounding Salzburg have countless options for inspired day trips, such as the Eisriesenwelt Werfen, a 100-million-yearold extensive labyrinth of ice caves, or the Salzwelten in Hallein, the 7,000-year-old salt mines south of Salzburg, that cultivated the enormous wealth of the prince archbishops. But the Salzkammergut (salt chamber court), a resort area with many lakes and blessed with varied natural beauty, is a place to which I love to return often. It was the Emperor Franz Joseph’s favourite vacation spot. His holidays were spent in Bad Ischl, and each of the small towns and villages by the lakes offer their own charm. Some are surrounded by rolling hills, others by tall mountains, and many still remind us of the glory of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, with their historical buildings boasting ornate façades. One of my favourites is Gmunden at the Traunsee, home to the popular Gmundner Keramik, the 300-year-old manufacturer of the hand-painted earthenware found in the home of most Austrians, and St. Gilgen, the picturesque village on the northwest shore of the Wolfgangsee, known for its beautiful villas of notable Viennese who started coming here for the summers at the end of the 19th century. The area is still popular with Europe’s aristocrats and wealthy, many of them owning hideaways that are far off the tourists’ paths. Whether basking in the sun by the lakes, or hiking secluded trails, the Salzkammergut always captivates. www.salzkammergut.at Best Kept Secret Gemütlichkeit The modus operandi when visiting Austria is to embrace Gemütlichkeit, a mood that originates from the Biedermeier period and which describes an environment or state of mind that provides a sense of comfort, relaxation and cheer, an unhurried peace of mind, and a sense of belonging. So remember while in Salzburg, slow down, linger and enjoy its charms. Claudia Juestel, is the founder and principal of the San Francisco based interior design firm Adeeni Design Group whose work includes projects around the United States and in London, India and on Guam. The firm is known for a cosmopolitan and eclectic approach to bespoke interiors that range from traditional to modern styles and are infused with a sense of comfort, warmth and timelessness. Claudia also serves as the Design & Architecture Editor of SFLuxe where she has had the pleasure of interviewing some of the country’s most preeminent interior designers and architects for her series “Tea With Claudia”. Her expertise ranges from design and art to hospitality, entertaining and cooking, and many of her passions are expressed on her relevant blog www.adeenidesigngroup.com/ blog/articles/ www.theaddressmagazine.com 267