Schwarzstraße is a short street on the right bank, running along the Salzach between Mirabellplatz and the Staatsbrücke. What it lacks in length it compensates with density: the Salzburger Landestheater, the Mozarteum concert hall, the Salzburger Marionettentheater, Cafe Bazar, and Hotel Sacher Salzburg are all within a few hundred metres of each other along this one street.
The Story
Schwarzstraße is the right bank's answer to the Altstadt's institutional weight. While the major historic buildings are across the river, this short stretch accumulated the city's performing arts infrastructure over the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. The Mozarteum was established here as a conservatory and concert venue; the Salzburger Landestheater stages opera, drama, and dance year-round; the Salzburger Marionettentheater has been performing since 1913 and is one of the most respected puppet theatres in the world.
During the Salzburg Festival, which runs through July and August, Schwarzstraße changes register entirely. Performers, conductors, and directors mix with audiences on the pavement; the hotel bars and café terraces fill up. The street functions as an informal gathering place between performances. Cafe Bazar, which has been here for over a century, is the most traditional stopping point: its river terrace faces the Altstadt across the water and offers one of the better views in the city.
The Stefan Zweig Centre Salzburg on this street holds the archive of the Austrian writer Stefan Zweig, who left Salzburg permanently in 1934. The Christuskirche provides the one ecclesiastical note in an otherwise secular cultural cluster.
Visiting
The street is always open and free as a public space. Individual venues have their own hours and ticket requirements: the Mozarteum and Salzburger Landestheater have seasonal programmes; the Salzburger Marionettentheater runs performances with advance booking recommended. Cafe Bazar is open daily; the river terrace is worth it in good weather. During Salzburg Festival season (late July to August) the street is at its most lively, but also busiest.