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The size
It is one of the largest medieval castles in Europe
Hohensalzburg Fortress sits atop the Festungsberg mountain at an altitude of 506 m. It is 250 m long and 150 m wide, making it one of the largest medieval castles in Europe.
250 mlong, and 150 m wide
1077
Work began in 1077 as a basic bailey with a wooden wall
Construction of the current fortress began in 1077 under Archbishop Gebhard von Helfenstein. The original design was a basic bailey with a wooden wall. The ring walls and towers were built in 1462.
The railway
The Reisszug of 1515 is probably the oldest operational railway in the world
In 1515 Matthäus Lang von Wellenburg wrote a description of the Reisszug, a very early and primitive funicular railway that gave freight access to the upper courtyard. The line still exists, albeit in updated form.
The siege
The fortress came under siege only once, in 1525
The only time the fortress came under siege was in the German Peasants' War of 1525, when miners, farmers and townspeople tried to oust Prince-Archbishop Matthäus Lang but failed to take it. In 1800 it was surrendered without a fight to French troops.
The Bull
The Salzburg Bull, an organ of more than 200 pipes, was built in 1502
The Krautturm houses a large aerophone of more than 200 pipes called the Salzburg Bull. This huge mechanical organ was built in 1502 by Archbishop Leonhard von Keutschach and renewed in 1735.
200pipes or more in the Salzburg Bull
Day 2, morning
Next is Nonnberg Abbey.
More stories from this trip idea
The words are a retelling of the Wikipedia article Hohensalzburg Fortress, and are shared under CC BY-SA 4.0. They are checked against those articles, and a fact that is not in them is left out.