The story of this place
Begun in 1077 by Archbishop Gebhard during the Investiture Controversy, Hohensalzburg grew over the centuries into one of the largest fully preserved medieval castles in Europe, crowning the Festungsberg above Salzburg. The prince-archbishops expanded it as both a residence and a stronghold; it was never taken by force in nearly a thousand years, though it surrendered once without a fight during the 1525 German Peasants' War. Its lavish Golden Hall, the great Salzburg Bull barrel organ, and sweeping views over the Alps and the Baroque city below make it Salzburg's most iconic landmark.