Christmas Season Tour of Music Mecca | Following Mozart's Footsteps, Embark on a Two-City Journey to Salzburg and Vienna

Today's journey starts with a musical:

Nun Maria comes to a colonel's home to be a governess for seven motherless children. She wins the children's hearts with her approachable manner and touching music. As Maria and the colonel interact further, a romance develops. Later, because the colonel refuses to serve the Nazis, the family crosses the Alps and flees Austria.

(Poster of The Sound of Music)

By now, I'm sure you've guessed: this musical is adapted from the Broadway show The Sound of Music, and the story's setting is one of today's destinations: Salzburg.

In many restaurants in Salzburg, you can see performances from The Sound of Music while dining.

There's an interactive giveaway at the end!

Fairy-tale Salzburg

The legendary Alps have nurtured the charming mountain town of Salzburg. Located on the Austrian-German border in northwestern Austria, the beautiful Salzach River quietly flows by. The stunning scenery and rhythmic notes adorn the city like a dreamy maiden.

It was originally a settlement of the ancient Celts, later becoming a Roman trade center. In the 7th century, a man named Rupert came to Salzburg to preach, gradually developing it into a bishopric and eventually an archbishopric.

View of Hohensalzburg Fortress from the foot of the mountain.

The so-called archbishopric meant many archbishops resided here. From then on, numerous monasteries and churches rose. Adorned with Baroque churches and pointed-roof buildings of various sizes, Salzburg became a city with a fairy-tale atmosphere.

Standing on the observation deck of Hohensalzburg Fortress, you can take in the entire cityscape. The distant Alps, the nearby Baroque architecture, and one of the largest medieval castles in Europe beneath my feet all intertwine to form a dreamlike Salzburg.

While touring the fortress museum, consider stopping at a café in the corner for a cup of Austrian coffee. Through windows decorated with Christmas ornaments, you can enjoy picturesque views from near to far.

I was especially lucky to encounter Salzburg on a fine day after a heavy snowfall. A white "frosting" covered the entire city, contrasting with the blue sky and making it feel unreal in its beauty!

Salzburg gave birth to "God's favorite"

As a bishop's city, Salzburg was not particularly different from other European cities until 1737, when a 17-year-old arrived. His parents wanted him to pursue a religious career, but his true dream was to become a musician. After graduating, thanks to his excellent violin skills, he joined the count's household band, beginning his musical career. This musician was Mozart's father, Leopold.

Leopold, who settled in Salzburg, had seven children with his wife, but only a brother and sister survived: the musical prodigy Mozart and his sister Anna. Mozart was born at No. 9 Getreidegasse, the main street in Salzburg's old town, in a yellow Italian-style house.

In 1917, this "birth house" was turned into the most important Mozart memorial. The interior is restored as closely as possible to the family's original living conditions. It also preserves two violins Mozart used during his lifetime, one a child's violin, which seems to still retain the warmth of this self-taught musical genius.

When 7-year-old Anna played the piano, little Mozart quietly listened and could play almost two-thirds of the piece after his sister finished. Truly astonishing! At that time Mozart was barely 3 years old!

(Portrait of Mozart)

Seeing Mozart's talent, Leopold decided to cultivate him. By age 4, Mozart could compose; by age 6, his playing skills surpassed many adult performers. So Leopold took the siblings on a European tour.

Every year, thousands of Mozart fans and classical music enthusiasts visit, admiring the period instruments, paintings, family letters, and experiencing the environment where the child prodigy grew up. Mozart's middle name Amadeus means "God's beloved" in Latin, and indeed he was like God's favorite, endowed with musical miracles.

Salzburg is artistic everywhere

The spark between the fairy-tale city and musicians

Getreidegasse, where Mozart's birthplace is located, is the busiest street in Salzburg's old town and has been a famous trading street since ancient times.

On the facade of each building, the construction date is clearly marked. A special feature: the shop signs are all finely crafted wrought iron. These signs retain symbols like wheels, hats, umbrellas, shoes, vividly telling what each shop sells.

Today, Getreidegasse remains a bustling commercial street, lined with brand stores, exquisite handicraft shops, and cafés. Each side street leads to a hidden world. The entire street is richly decorated for Christmas.

Walking along Getreidegasse leads to Salzburg Cathedral (Salzburger Dom). Located in the center of the old town, its magnificent exterior and huge dome make it an early example of Baroque architecture north of the Alps.

This cathedral also has many connections with Mozart: he was baptized here at birth, and at 16 he served as court organist here. If you're interested in the organ, you can attend an organ concert inside the cathedral.

The organ's sound ranges from quiet to glorious, from gentle to vibrations that shake the entire cathedral—no one could remain unmoved.

During my visit in the Christmas season, the area around Salzburg Cathedral was filled with Christmas markets. People sold various foods and fine handicrafts. Families enjoyed mulled wine at the market, stuffing large chocolate balls and rich cheese into their mouths—how delightful!

But in contrast to this warmth and comfort, after the European tour ended in great success, Mozart fell into a low period after returning to Salzburg. Although the Mozart family had moved into a more spacious house—the Tanzmeisterhaus (Dancing Master's House) in front of the Church of the Holy Trinity on the new town side of the Salzach River—it was his second residence in Salzburg.

The Tanzmeisterhaus had many rooms on the second floor and a large rectangular hall that could accommodate several pianos, even a small symphony orchestra. Mozart's family and friends often held concerts there. To this day, it remains the most important venue for "Mozart concerts" in Salzburg.

At that time, Mozart was renowned not only in neighboring countries and England but also recognized by the Roman Catholic Church. However, back in Salzburg, he could only work as a church organist, far from satisfying his musical ambitions. So he chose to move to the music capital, Vienna.

In Salzburg, you must not miss:

Delicious Mozartkugel (Mozart balls) chocolate

Vienna fulfills the musician's dream

Vienna, located in central Austria, straddles the Danube River. As Austria's capital, it was the capital of the Holy Roman Empire, the Archduchy of Austria, the Austrian Empire, and Austria-Hungary before WWI. It is also famously known as the "World's Music Capital."

Speaking of Vienna's musical heritage, we must mention Empress Maria Theresa, known as the "mother-in-law of Europe." In 1740 she acquired the crowns of Austria, Hungary, and Bohemia. She reformed politics, economy, and military, expanding Austria's territory. She also generously sponsored the arts, especially music, often holding concerts at Schönbrunn Palace to encourage musical development.

Against this backdrop, Vienna gave birth to famous musicians like Haydn, Johann Strauss II, and Beethoven—and of course, Mozart, our protagonist.

When Mozart was still a child prodigy, he had already gained royal recognition in Vienna, performing successfully at Schönbrunn Palace. Schönbrunn is the second largest palace in Europe after Versailles. For centuries it was the Austrian imperial palace, serving as a summer residence and hunting lodge.

Of Schönbrunn's 1441 rooms, only 45 are open to the public. The elegant, grand rooms display the opulence of the Habsburg dynasty. Because the imperial family loved Eastern treasures, the palace holds the largest collection of Chinese porcelain in any foreign palace.

The square in front of Schönbrunn is transformed for the Christmas season. Visitors tired from touring the palace can wander the Schönbrunn Christmas market, sip hot chocolate to recharge, or admire the palace's exterior at night.

When Mozart came to Vienna again, he successfully transitioned from a musician subordinate to church and nobility to a freelance musician, and from a child prodigy performer to a composer. During his years in Vienna, he completed several major works: Don Giovanni, The Marriage of Figaro, and others. This was undoubtedly linked to his happy marriage with Constanze.

Before Mozart, music was entertainment for the nobility and a servant of religion. Mozart coincided with the period when music left its pedestal and moved toward common people and society. This provided him with great opportunities. His cheerful melodies quickly won people's appreciation. It can be said that this city achieved the most brilliant chapter of his life.

Enjoy authentic classical art in the music city

If you want to experience an authentic Mozart concert, Vienna is probably the best choice. Vienna has over 600 concert halls of various sizes, with nostalgic, vintage performances every night.

(Vienna Concert Hall)

In those historic concert halls, crystal chandeliers hang low, casting shimmering light. The backdrops, in red or blue, are adorned with Baroque decorations.

Dress in formal wear, enjoy a glass of champagne at the pre-concert reception, and let your thoughts transform into aristocratic elegance.

When the music begins, the virtuoso performance of the lead violinist takes me back to Mozart's era over 200 years ago.

Speaking of Vienna's musical status, one cannot ignore the Vienna State Opera (Wiener Staatsoper). The first time I came, the opera was performing La Traviata. Outside, viewers could watch the live broadcast on a big screen. When the singing reached emotional peaks, the beautiful, resonant voices moved people to tears.

Many people craned their necks in the square, soaking in the art, and I felt the ubiquitous artistic atmosphere of Vienna, the music capital. Compared to the opera houses in Paris and Sydney, the Vienna State Opera is more ancient and seems closer to the public. Its inaugural performance in 1869 was Mozart's opera Don Giovanni.

Another famous venue, the "Golden Hall" (Musikverein), is the permanent home of the Vienna Philharmonic. Herbert von Karajan, also a Salzburg native, once conducted the Vienna Philharmonic.

Every year on January 1st morning, the world-famous Vienna New Year's Concert takes place in the Golden Hall. The hall's golden decorations and unparalleled acoustics are broadcast to audiences worldwide. Booking tickets for the New Year's Concert requires reservations a year in advance.

Besides fixed concert venues, musical artists can be found everywhere in Austria, from cities to villages, from cafés to bars.

While strolling in parks, you often encounter statues of musicians. The classic melodies they composed, like sunlight, are inseparable from everyone in the city, hidden in every corner.

Bronze statue of Johann Strauss II