A Trip to the Hohenfestung

From the University we had looked at the Fortress from afar, and finally we got to go it and have a guided tour.

Because of the rain, we took the "Funicular" cable car up to the top of the mountain.There our guide and docent told us about the origins of the fortress and entertained us with a story about Charlemagne who had conquered the region in the 800s.

 

Charlemagne is supposed to be sleeping in those hills and will return someday to reclaim his place.

 

 The original structure ws a wooden bailey built by the Archbishop of Salzburg. It has long since been replaced with the round towers you see below sometime in the 15th century.

 

It is one of the largest fortresses of Europe (820 by 490 feet).  Below you can see the wine cellar.

Here the guide tells us about the peasant revolution and seige against the Archbishop and how it was put down in 1525.

We also got to see the kitchen.
 

 

and some of the fancier rooms.

 

The bed room had its own toilet and was beautifully decorated, but the bed disappeared soem time around the time of Napoleon.

 

We enjoyed the exhibits that all kinds of artifacts and presentations on the music, the armor, the art, the daily life of people in the fortress.

This tile oven is an example of very early passive heating.  It would be heated up during the day and then at night it would released the heat stored up, so that people would stay warm all night long.

 

 And then all too soon it was time to go back to the dorms! ;-)

A Visit to Hellbrunn

One of our early excursions was to Schloss (Castle) Hellbrunn  a daytime pleasure palace built by Prince Archbishop Markus Sittikus in 1613.

The castle is walking distance from the students' dorm, and it was a nice walk even though the weather was a little grey.

Markus Sittikus was fascinated with the mechanical possibilities of water power and built an estate with many fountains and mechanical figures run by waterworks that he called Wasserspiele.  

 

 He had grottos and ruins and all kinds of atmospheric water features.

Of course Markus Sittikus was also a great practical joker as can be seen by this banquet table which guaranteed everyone would be good and wet by the end the meal.

Even entering and leaving buildings could be dangerous! Here students narrowly escape the water that comes from a door jamb when one tries to leave.

First Outing

One of our first outings was to climb one of the gentler mountains to ger a nice view of the city.

The view of the city was fantastic and we had a beautiful day to enjoy it!!

Each person went at his or her own speed and everyone enjoyed the outing.

 We have had a variety of activities, climbing the nearby mountains, a scavenger hunt for unusual and historical objects and a pizza party at the directors' apartment.

Even though it is a small apartment, we all seemed to fit in somehow!

 

 A good time was had by all.

Luckily classes seem to be fun too!

 

That's because we have some great teachers. Here is the assistant director with the advanced German teacher.

 

And here she is with the philosophy professor.

Arrival of Students in Salzburg

The exciting day of arrival had finally arrived and students began to show up at their new homes for  the next four months.

 

Despite jet-lag they looked pretty fresh and ready for all that is to come!

Move in to the dorm went smoothly as did the introduction to the Salzburg University.

 

The University is a short bus ride from the dorms and is a lovely contemporary building with classrooms that give a great view of the surrounding mountains.

 The classrooms on the fourth floor open up right onto the roof.

Here is our first group photo: