Along with going to the Panorama Restaurant outside the Fortress, we were able to tour the inside of the massive building as well. Entrance to the fortress is included in the price of the tram, and we were able to wander around on our own. Along with a funny cutout of the characters of “Sound of Music” (with which we had to have our picture taken!), there was also a view below of the dungeon complete with faux skeletons and chains. It was an odd combination of light-hearted lore and the acknowledgement of the seriousness of what occurred within those walls. There was a room devoted to fallen soldiers of WWI, and it was a good reminder to us that soldiers fought and died on both sides - that on both sides, families mourned the loss of their children. Guns and uniforms lined the walls, and there were many plaques with information on such people as General Rommel. From here we entered a room displaying old suits of armor and weapons. These were suspended from the ceiling and positioned as though they were on a person, arm pulled back, ready to hurl a javelin at the enemy.
After we looked around, we discovered an audio tour was also included in the ticket. In one room were the portraits of the Archbishops who influenced the building of the fortress the most, including models showing the additions each Archbishop made. At the end of the tour, we were able to climb one of the towers, and from here we saw the most amazing view of the city. Untersberg Mountain, part of the Alps, rose up between Salzburg and Berchtesgaden, Germany. Who can resist climbing the Alps when in Austria? We made a plan for the next weekend to climb to the top of Untersberg, and what a different view of the city we’ll have from there!
Some of us on top of the tower after our tour
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