DIE FESTUNG HOHENSALZBURGA brief history of

The Hohensalzburg Castle

Die groβte Burg in ganz Ӧsterrich

The largest castle in all Austria

Some things to get straight before we begin…

• The Austrian (or should I say German) name for this translates as “the high Salzburg Fortress”.

• The Hohensalzburg castle is in believe it or not…. Salzburg.

• Salzburg is here.

Le map.

• Salzburg, has been a very important city, in history, being close to the German border.

• Germany, or the Holy Roman Empire as they called it back then, may I remind you, is here.

Le map, again.

• In the year of 1075, a large fight broke out.

• A REALLY BIG ONE.

• It was called the Investiture Controversy, and it was basically like this-

Side 1: The State- or in other words, the Holy Roman Emperor

Henry IV.

I think I’ll kick you bishops out because I don’t like you. Ill take you new ones instead. Ha ha ha!

Side 2: The Church, or in other words, Pope Gregory VII.

Hang on! You’re not allowed to do that!!!! MY CHURCH, MY RULES! Ha ha ha!

• And so the fight began. The bishops here, in the little religious town of Salzburg, were worried.

• Especially this guy.

Gebhard, the Archbishop of Salzburg.

Ok chaps, I think sometime or other, the Holy Roman emperor will attack us. I think we should be prepared. A castle, maybe?

Yes sir!

• So the castle construction began, in 1077.

• It was chosen to be built on a hill, next to the picturesque river Danube, the traditional border between Austria and Germany.

• May I remind you again, the Danube is here.

Le map, again.

And so the castle was built. But the original castle was only a small wooden motteand bailey.

Until…

1103 CE.

SAME TWO INSTITUTIONS.

SAME TWO OPINIONS.

SAME TWO ARGUMENTS.

YES, ITS ANOTHER DISPUTE BETWEEN THE CHURCH AND STATE!!!

Only this time, it’s between these two guys.

• Henry I of England… And Pope Paschal II.

And once again, the bishops down in Salzburg are getting worried, AGAIN.

So slowly, fearing imminent attack, they start expanding.

• And so, in the course of the next centuries, more wars break out.

• The Peasant’s War in the 1500’s!

• The Thirty years war in the 1600’s!

• The Napoleonic Wars in the 1800’s!

• And, once again, the bishops in Salzburg are getting pretty worried.

• So the castle gets bigger, and bigger. So big that it now looks like this-

• Yes, that is a very large castle.

• In fact, the largest in the whole of Austria!

• HOWEVER...

• It’s soon becoming clear that this castle isn’t really going to work in the 19th century, this being the age of industrial revolution, and such, but namely, with these-

• And these.

• So, eventually, it’s traditional use of a garrison, barracks, prison, etc. Is now abandoned, and the castle is no longer “operational”.

• But then this guy shows up.

• Otto von Bismarck,

... And makes World War 1 and whole lot worse than it already was.

• So in World War 1, the Germans and Austrians make good use of the castle, as a prison for the Italians.

• But since, then, it hasn’t really been used.

• It’s now one of Austria’s leading tourist attractions.

• And that, was the history of the Hohensalzburg castle.