Salzburg, more so than anywhere else that we visited, can be perceived as a city with something of an identity crisis. As a small city in a small country, often over shadowed by big-brother Vienna, Salzburg seems to grasp for pieces of its past to help justify its contemporary relevance. Historically Salzburg was an independent Archbishopric that did not become fully Austrian until after the Napoleonic Wars. Connected with this independence is a long tradition of unilateral political power, hierarchical social organization, and the predominance of the Catholic church. The Salzburger Dom (the Salzburg Cathedral) stands at the center of the Altstadt and is indicative of the catholic past. A giant of baroque architecture the cathedral features white marble facades, intricate black on white plaster friezes, and high arching domes. Today as a result of its central role in the counterreformation, more than 75% of the city’s 150,000 residents are Catholic.
It is against this background that one can perceive an inherent tension when considering the first of Salzburg’s self-selected points of emphasis: Mozart. Mozart was born in Salzburg and grew up and performed in the city before eventually moving to Vienna in his twenties. Today the composer is elevated to a God-like status in Salzburg. The house he was born in as well as the house he lived in as a youth are primary attractions, heavily emphasized by the Salzburg tourist industry, and feature everything from his first instruments to surviving pieces of his hair. The composers omnipresence extends far beyond the places he lived—his face is plastered on souvenir coffee mugs, t-shirts, cafe menus, and more. Mozartkugeln, small marzipan chocolates wrapped in foil with a portrait of young Mozart, have become famous to Salzburg and can be found for purchase on every street corner.
A similar effect can be observed in the way the city embraces its role in the film The Sound of Music. Despite being largely unknown to German-speaking audiences, a myriad of tours and sightseeing points use the Julie Andrews film to attract American travelers and monetize recognizable aspects of the surrounding landscape.
In a city that has so long defined and understood itself as an independent entity with a strong Catholic traditionalism, the dependence on a modern capitalistic tourism complex presents a somewhat awkward conundrum for Salzburg. Thus, for me, Salzburg was the first real lesson critically considering a place. To try to move past the initial and often superficial feeling of impression or awe—which Salzburgs’s beauty absolutely stirs—and to read a city in a more skeptical way is vital to achieving a deeper level of understanding and connection with a place while traveling. My experience in Salzburg laid the groundwork for a process I would continue to use throughout the rest of the Buildungsreise.