The Capuchin monastery on the Kapuzinerberg, founded 1599-1602 by Wolf Dietrich von Raitenau as part of his Counter-Reformation programme. The building that gives the hill its name, and the best place in Salzburg to see the Altstadt as it looked in the 17th century.
The Story
Wolf Dietrich von Raitenau invited the Capuchins to Salzburg in 1594 and commissioned the monastery on the Kapuzinerberg between 1599 and 1602. The hill had been occupied for centuries before that: a medieval watchtower called the Trompeterschlössl once guarded the city's northern flank, and a fragment of its wall still stands against the north side of the church.
The Capuchin rule forbids the ornamental ambition that drove Wolf Dietrich's other projects. The archbishop was simultaneously raising grand Baroque churches in the Altstadt below. The monastery church on the hill above has whitewashed walls, no gold, no theatrical altarpieces. The austerity was not a concession but a point of doctrine.
The path up from Linzer Gasse passes through the Felix Gate, built in 1632 under Archbishop Paris Lodron, and climbs past six small Baroque chapels housing Passion scenes, built between 1736 and 1744. The walk takes about 20 minutes and gains roughly 60 metres.
At the summit, the view down into the Altstadt is one of the most clarifying in the city. The Salzach curves below, the spires and domes sit exactly where Wolf Dietrich placed them, and Hohensalzburg Fortress anchors the far side. The city has not changed much from this angle since the 17th century.
The portal incorporates a late-Gothic oak door salvaged from the old Salzburg Cathedral when that building was demolished in the early 1600s. Stefan Zweig lived in a house on the hill below the monastery for many years and wrote about the city visible from its paths.
The monastery remains active. The church is open to visitors; the monastic buildings are not.
Visiting
- Hours: Mon-Sat 6am-6pm (summer until 8pm), Sun 8am-6pm (summer until 8pm). No interior tours during Mass.
- Cost: Free
- Duration: 30-45 minutes including the climb
- Getting there: Stairway from Linzer Gasse or Steingasse, right bank
- Tips: Wear comfortable shoes. The view from the summit is the point. Look for the late-Gothic oak portal door inside.
- Combine with: Steingasse, Linzer Gasse, Kapuzinerberg