Hohensalzburg Fortress

Archaeological excavations have shown that a Roman fort existed at the highest point of the site. This should not be confused with the more significant Roman castrum superius on the Nonnberg terrace. Construction of the current fortress began in 1077 under Archbishop Gebhard von Helfenstein. The original design was a basic bailey with a wooden wall. In the Holy Roman Empire, the archbishops of Salzburg were already powerful political figures and they expanded the fortress to protect their interests.

Hohensalzburg Fortress was refurbished from the late 19th century onwards and became a major tourist attraction with the Festungsbahn funicular railway, opened in 1892, leading up from the town to the Hasengrabenbastei; It stands today as one of the best preserved castles in Europe. During the early 20th century it was used as a prison, holding Italian prisoners of war during World War I and Nazi activists before Germany's annexation of Austria in March 1938. German ceramicist, sculptor and painter Arno Lehmann lived and worked in Hohensalzburg Fortress from 1949 until his death in 1973.