Salzburg

I am hiding between tall, green mountains, like I'm playing a game of peek-a-boo. A sparkly river flows right through my middle, tickling my stone bridges. High on a big hill, a strong fortress with thick walls watches over me all day and all night. It’s like my very own guard. If you listen closely, you can almost always hear music. Happy songs float out of windows and dance in my streets. I am a city made of music. I am the city of Salzburg.

A very, very long time ago, people found something special in my ground. It was salt. It looked like sparkly white treasure. That is how I got my name, Salzburg, which means ‘Salt Fortress’. I love my name. Much later, a little boy was born here. On January 27th, 1756, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart came into the world. He was a musical boy. He filled my rooms and my streets with beautiful music from his piano and his violin. His songs made everyone so happy. He became one of the most famous music-makers in the whole wide world.

Today, you can come and visit me. You can climb up to my big fortress and see the house where Mozart grew up. People come from everywhere to listen to music at big parties. These festivals started a long time ago, in 1920. A famous movie with lots of singing, called ‘The Sound of Music,’ was even filmed right here in my streets. I love sharing my songs and my stories with everyone. I am here to remind you that music can fill the world with happiness and bring all of us closer together.