In the city of Salzburg, capital of Salzburg (a federal state), west-central Austria

 Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart's birthplace, Salzburg's story-book Altstadt (Old Town), burrowed below steep hills, looks much as it did when Mozart lived here some 250 years ago.

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(in west-central Austria) The city of Salzburg, capital of Salzburg (a federal state) is found in a level basin on both sides of the Salzach River near the northern foothills of the Alps and the Bavarian (German) border. The historic center of the city was added to the UNESCO World Heritage List in 1996.

+ Salzburg is close to Germany's southwest border and is well connected via train or bus to nearby cities like Prague in the Czech Republic and Munich in Germany. It also has many claims to fame, from centuries-old monuments to film and music. Gazing over the city is the Fortress Hohensalzburg castle, dating back to the 11th century. Archbishops of the era wanted to show off their power and protect themselves from rivals. (Tours run every day in the summer and offer expansive mountain views and views of the city below, but Christmas tours on Advent weekends in December make for an even more fairytale-like experience.)

+ A unique combination of scenic Alpine landscape and architectural beauty has led to Salzburg’s reputation as one of the world’s most beautiful cities. Its chief glories are the episcopal buildings and the burghers’ houses, displaying an Italian Renaissance and Baroque influence that earned Salzburg the designation of the “German Rome.” In the center of the “older town,” on the left bank of the Salzach, is the Residenzplatz with the archbishop’s residence, a gallery of 16th–19th century European paintings, and a large Baroque fountain. Opposite is the Residenz Neugebäude (Residence New Building. The cathedral, or Dom, was constructed on the site of a previous Romanesque cathedral and an earlier, 8th-century basilica.

+ Near the Mönchsberg (Monks’ Hill), a ridge overlooking the Old Town, is the Benedictine Abbey of St. Peter; most of its buildings date from the 17th and 18th centuries, and its church was remodeled in the Rococo style. North of the abbey is the Franciscan Church, with a Romanesque nave), a 15th-century Gothic choir, and Baroque chapels. Crowning Monks’ Hill is the great fortress of Hohensalzburg (completed in 1681), which served as the archbishops’ residence during the wars of the 15th and 16th centuries. Also on the hill are St. George’s Churchand the Nonnberg Nunnery.

+ Among landmarks in the “newer town” (on the right bank of the Salzach) are St. Sebastian’s Church, the Holy Trinity Church, and the Mozarteum (comprising a music academy, concert halls, and Mozart archives). On the city outskirts are the Capuchin Friar and the castles of Leopoldskron and Hellbrunn. The university was reestablished in 1962. The Kollegien, or University Church is a Baroque masterpiece by Fischer von Erlach.

+ Salzburg suffered relatively little damage during World War II and was the headquarters of the U.S. military forces in Austria from 1945 to 1956.