View of Schloss Mirabell, Salzburg, and its extensive garden Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Schloss_mirabell.jpg Author: Steveurkel
Schloss Mirabell is a beautiful Baroque palace in Salzburg, Austria. It is located in Mirabellplatz, on the right bank of the Salzach River, across from the Old Town, but is also within the World Heritage Site.
Schloss Mirabell was originally known as Schloß Altenau. It was built by Archbishop Wolf Dietrich von Raitenau in 1606 for his mistress Salome Alt. The daughter of a Jewish merchant, she is said to have borne the archbishop 15 children. He referred to her as his wife. The palace got its name from his successor, Prince Archbishop Markus Sittikus, who called it Mirabell, meaning "beautiful view".
Schloss Mirabell with its manicured garden. Salzburg Cathedral and Festung Hohensalzburg are in the distance Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:1806_-_Salzburg_-_Schloss_Mirabell.JPG Author: Andrew Bossi
Some of the scenes in the movie The Sound of Music was shot at Schloss Mirabell, including the one where the children and Maria sang Do-Re-Mi.
Schloss Mirabell is also famous for its well laid-out garden. There are mythology-themed statues that were placed here in 1730, and four groups of sculptures, of Eneas, Hercules, Paris and Pluton. They were created by Italian sculptor Ottavio Mosto, around 1690.
The palace was rebuilt in 1727 by Johann Lukas von Hildebrandt for Archbishop Franz Anton Harrach, as a luxurious Baroque residence. The west wing of Schloss Mirabell has the most ornate façade. A fire in 1816 destroyed part of the building, but fortunately the Angels Staircase, which is based on the original staircase at Schloß Altenau, was saved.
Today Schloss Mirabell serves as a civic administrative building. Its beautiful garden by Johann Bernhard Fischer von Erlach makes it one of the most visited attraction in Salzburg.
Hello and thanks for reading this page. My name is Timothy and my hobby is in describing places so that I can share the information with the general public. My website has become the go to site for a lot of people including students, teachers, journalists, etc. whenever they seek information on places, particularly those in Malaysia and Singapore. I have been doing this since 5 January 2003, for over twenty years already. You can read about me at Discover Timothy. By now I have compiled information on thousands of places, mostly in Peninsular Malaysia and Singapore, and I continue to add more almost every day. My goal is to describe every street in every town in Malaysia and Singapore.