announcer: american public television presents the splendors of the world and the life-like reality of high-definition tevisio the splendors of the world and the life-like reality like a fine melody, salzburg stays with you. nothing is quite so memorable as that first glimpse t cy's time-wrought splendor and wondrous natural surroundings. next up, it's salzburg and the lake district, on smart travels. narrator: smart travels is made possible in part by... a travel website that offers travelers a variety of waytoin thtr ty' lki f, including flights, hotels, and vacation packages. captioning made possible by u.s. department of education

smart travels is a grand tr of the old world, the people, places, sights, and distinctly european flavors. our host is travel writer and columnist rudy maxa, public radio's original savvy traveler. no ts,ri, and secret places on...

salzburg is alive with the sound of music. it's also alive with romance, history, and a rich culture. so much so that thousands of visitors each year crowd its cobbled streets and rolling hillsides, collecting memories that linger for years. this little corner of upper austria has the ideal mix of urban charm and alpineoveliness. the fine baroque streets echo with strains of mozart and the sound of music's von trapp family. medieval turrets, wrought-iron signs, and splendid palaces are the perfect counterpnt to the breathtaking scenery that surrounds the city. until 1816, salzburg was an independent city-state ruled by powerful prince-archbishops with a passion for construction.

over the centuries, they orchestrated a series of architectural delights. the area fell on hard times in the 1700s, but that was a blessing for today's tourist industry, since many historic buildings were repaired rather than replaced. after relishing salzburg's urban elegance, we're off on a scenic treasure hunt in the nearby salzkammergut, or lakes district. we'll peek in on the resort towns of st. wolfgang, bad ischl, and hallstatt. for a city that has such a concentration of old world charm and interesting sites, salzburg is surprisingly manageable and hassle-free. but keep in mind that during high season, accommodations are sometimes hard to find, so reservations are always a good idea. also, parking is very expensive in the town center, but you can reach most sites on foot or via public transportation.

the altstad, or "old town", is a mosaic of grand public buildings built around spacious squares and sculptured fountains. in the main square, or "residenzplatz", you'll find the world's largest baroque fountain. it dates to 1656. salzburg is all about music. every corner seems to resonate with street musicians and spontaneous performances. we're visiting too late to catch the famous salzburg music festival, which begins in late july, but we happened across a gathering of austrian brass bands. [playing a march] there's nothing like a brass band to get your heart pumping. the traditional costumes and rousing songs

speak to the grandness of modern austria. but this city's role as power broker extends to an earlier time-- back to the middle ages, when the bishops of salzburg were given an unusual title: princes of the holy roman empire. towering over salzburg is the town's signature site: the 900-year-old hohensalzburg fortress. this commanding citadel, the largest fully preserved fortress in central europe, once served as a haven for the prince-archbishops. construction on the fortress began in 1077 by archbishop gebhard.

gebhard had become embroiled in the great investiture disagreement between the holy roman emperor and the pope. the central conflict was: who had the right to appoint bishops, the emperor or the pope? archbishop gebhard came down firmly on the side of the pope. he needed a safe retreat from the threats of the south german princes, who were supporting the emperor, and hohensalzburg became his stronghold. during wars of the 15th and 16th centuries, other prince-archbishops took refuge in the fortress, adding their own touches. the princes' apartments were richly decorated with intricate woodcarvings. during its long history, the hohensalzburg fortress has served well. it's never been conquered by enemy troops.

when the prince-archbishops weren't holed up in the fortress, they lived here in the residenz. wolf dietrich, who became archbishop near the end of the 16th century, had actually been raised in italy. he had lofty ambitions for the city and embarked on an extensive building plan. dietrich aspired to make salzburg the "rome of the north." the sumptuous style of the residenz reflects the prince-archbishop's religious as well as political power. with a taste for building and lots of money coming in from the nearby salt mines-- salzburg literally means "salt fortress"-- he helped transform modest salzburg into the most italianate city north of the alps. two centuries later, a young mozart would regularly perform concerts in the conference hall for the enjoyment of the reigning prince-archbishop and guests.

if you're planning to see lots of sites in a short period of time, you may want to consider getting a salzburg card. it gives you entrance to all major tourist sites and free travel on public transportation. now, cards are available for one, two, or 3-day periods. check with the tourist information office for more details. salzburg's cathedral occupies a site that's held some sort of church for 1,300 years. st. rupert's, built in the mid-17th century, is a huge baroque construction flanked by towers made of local marble. when an earlier church was conveniently damaged by fire, archbishop dietrich commissioned the construction of a new cathedral. he wanted it to rival st. peter's in rome. dietrich was overthrown before the project was completed, and his successor hired an italian architect to finish the job.

though the cathedral ended up considerably more modest than what dietrich had conceived, some critics have acclaimed it as the "most perfect" baroque building in the germanic countries. a trip through nearby st. peter's cemetery is especially evocative of early salzburg. generations of the city's nobility, some dating back to the 1700s, are buried beneath the wrought-iron arcades. the burial ground has a quiet, peaceful air. hollywood's von trapp children hid from nazis on a set modeled after this cemetery. at the far end of the cemetery are catacombs dating back to 250 a.d.

when, it's said, early christians gathered here to worship. after a few hours of sightseeing, a stop at one of salzburg's inviting cafes is an absolute necessity. and cafe tomaselli, poised on one of the prettiest cobblestone squares in the old town, is my favorite. the high-ceilinged cafe, crowded with tables, dates back to 1705. and of course it doesn't hurt that waiters roam the room with seductive trays filled with 40 different kinds of cakes, pastries, and ice cream, all homemade, of course. maxa: so this is plum? waitress: plum, yes, that's right. apple. and, uh... [speaking german] [speaking german] woman: have to get the mozart. ok, so we need one mozart. waitress: ok. ok.

maxa, voice-over: this is the perfect spot to just relax and chat... and take in salzburg's ambience. my favorite hotel, the alstadt radisson, rests comfortably in the middle of the city's best sites. located in a building that dates to 1377, the hotel has a great combination of historic pedigree and modern convenience. and a bountiful breakfast buffet gears us up for more sights. salzburg was birthplace of wolfgang amadeus mozart, a fact you can't possibly miss while visiting here. everything from music halls to city squares

to chocolate candies are named for the musical genius. visitors flock to mozart's birthplace to see where the young wolfgang lived for the first 17 years of his life. mozart's father recognized his son's extraordinary talent even at a very early age. the boy had a highly attuned ear and an incredible musical memory. mozart began composing at age 5 and was a keyboard virtuoso by the age of 6. here in the house, you can see a violin that he played as a toddler. though this was his family home, he spent much of his childhood touring such cities as prague and vienna. in 1773, the family moved here to the mozart residence. they left their cramped quarters near the center of town in favor of these more spacious lodgings a few blocks away.

after a disagreement with the archbishop, who disapproved of mozart's constant traveling, the prodigy finally left salzburg for good and headed to vienna, where he composed some of his most celebrated works. sadly, his life ended in poverty and destitution. it was many years after his death before mozart's native city finally came to recognize his great genius and his contribution to music history. to hear the famed composer's music in his hometown, head to the baroque hall in st. peter's stiftskeller. st. peter's, one of europe's oldest restaurants, has been serving up hearty fare for a thousand years. here, by the light of candles, local artists decked out in historic costumes perform morzart's most famous works.

you'll find mozart memorabilia and lots more on getreidegasse, salzburg's most popular shopping street. high, narrow houses tightly huddled together give the road a certain architectural elegance. iron guild signs announce enticing storefronts, and every passageway holds shops selling jewelry, traditional clothing, and antiques. the street developed downstream from a former merchant settlement on the waagplatz, or "weighing square." the houses appear to be quite narrow, but actually they extend far back in depth. because of the terrain, the builders could expand only upwards. across the river from getreidegasse, you'll find the loveliest gardens in salzburg. an extravaganza of flowerbeds, fountains, and statues

make a glorious pedestal for mirabell palace. remember wolf dietrich, the archbishop who built the residenz? well, in the early 17th century, he built mirabell palace as a luxurious private home for his mistress. she lived there along with at least 10 of their children. today this is the official residence of the mayor of salzburg. it was in mirabell gardens that hollywood's von trapp children sang do-re-mi, so it's an appropriate place to hook up with salzburg's obligatory tourist experience: the sound of music tour. man: yeah, welcome in salzburg and welcome at salzburg sightseeing tours for another wonderful sound of mustour. i'd say let's start at the very beginning, a very good place to start. maxa: the guide sweeps us along with a load of other giddy tourists to many of the places where the 1965 rodgers and hammerstein film was shot. guide: so this is the abbey of nonnberg, a convent founded for benedictine nuns.

and this is also the abbey where they filmed part of the beginning. remember when the nuns were singing in the courtyard, complaining about maria? "how can you solve a problem like..." and so on. and also when maria, she rushed back from the hills to the abbey. maxa: the film was the greatest promotional device any tourist office could have imagined. the hollywood version romanticized the essentially true story of the von trapp family, who did live in salzburg. during the 4-hour tour, you'll see the church for the wedding scene... and of course the unforgettable 16-going-on-17 summerhouse. huber: this is the original gazebo, and it was built just for the movie by the film company, 20th century fox. but it's not the original location. maxa: the summerhouse has been relocated to the grounds of hellbrunn palace, which dates to the early 17th century.

it was designed as a hunting lodge for marcus sittikus, who was--what else-- the reigning prince-archbishop. the palace is surrounded by one of the oldest formal baroque gardens in all europe. you might say these gardens have a "dampening" effect on many visitors, thanks to the famous trick fountains. it seems the archbishop thought it was the height of hilarity to douse his guests when they least expected it. be careful or you may be showered from a surprise source! this is a veritable wonderland of water-driven figures and amusements intended to entertain the archbishop's guests. clever engineers of the past were able to take advantage of nearby mountain springs to create this hydraulic masterwork. the highlight is a mechanical theater with some 265 moving figures accompanied by organ music.

after 400 years, the water gardens are still intact, still in working order. the salzkammergut, or lakes district, is an easy drive from salzburg. now is our chance to see what some of austria's best resort towns have to offer. franz joseph i, the next-to-last austro-hungarian emperor, described salzkammergut as an "earthly paradise." once prized for its lucrative salt mines, the area eventually became just as famous for its many lakes... and breathtaking scenery. franz joseph was the first to promote the beauty of the region. he built his summer home here, and from then on,

this became the warm-weather playground for the empire's nobility. the resort town of st. wolfgang is perched on one of the most romantic lakes in the area. on summer days, the town streets swell with visitors. if you drive here, it's best to park your car and explore the town on foot. since the 12th century, long before it became a vacation resort, the town was a place of pilgrimage. it was built on the same land that st. wolfgang built an early monastery. the parish church sits above the lake in the center of town. modern pilgrims flock here to admire the famous 15th-century altar by tyrolean master michael pacher. this carved and painted masterpiece is considered a high point of gothic art for its unity of composition. the salzkammergut has long been famous for its health spas,

and nearby bad ischl is one of austria's most fashionable spa towns. we're stopping in to indulge in treatments offered by kaisertherme spa. thanks to the rich salt deposits in the nearby mountains, austria's 19th-century elite flocked here to soak in brine baths and breathe in the mountain air. woman: because of the emperor, who was here and stayed here every summer, the nobility, the artists, the rich and beautiful people of vienna and of all the world came here to see the emperor and to have a cure by themselves. [speaking inaudibly] maxa: today the spa still offers a wide range of health treatments. thurn: ...it makes it easier to breathe. maxa: here, you can forget your travel cares as you sink into a warm brine-sulfur mud bath. and the treatment is supposed to help a variety of physical ailments, everything from hypertension to muscle aches.

thurn: is it ok for you? it's hot. it's great. feels wonderful. [band playing a polka] maxa: festivals are very popular in smaller european towns, especially during the summer. we visited bad ischl in the midst of a celebration of traditional costumes. while this was a special occasion, it's not unusual to see locals wearing traditional clothing, especially lederhosen, all year long. kaiservilla is bad ischl's most famous attraction. the emperor franz joseph used this villa as a vacation resort for 60 summers. positioned amidst beautiful gardens, kaiservilla was given to the royal couple as a wedding present. the home's simple character reflects the fact

that franz joseph used it mainly as a hunting lodge. the emperor's beautiful wife, elizabeth, also known as sisi, was much beloved by the austrian people. her salon has been preserved just as it was in 1898 when she left for a trip to geneva and tragically was assassinated by an italian anarchist. and in 1914, after franz joseph's nephew and heir to the throne was assassinated in sarajevo, it was here in kaiservilla that the emperor signed the declaration of war on serbia that precipitated world war i. we're staying in the friendly, family-run hotel schenner. a favorite with locals, it's comfortable and reasonably priced. and it makes a good home base for exploring the salzkammergut.

hallstatt, a small market town south of bad ischl, is straight out of a landscape painting. squeezed on a narrow strip of land between steep mountains and a shimmering lake, this is the stereotypical image of romantic austria. salt mining has always been important to hallstatt. mining began in 3,000 b.c., and salt was carried by trade routes as far as the baltic in the north and mediterranean in the south. today, the tourists mine the town's beauty as each day tour buses roll in for a few urs. but if you stick around till the tourists leave, the village returns to its delightfully placid pace. just outside of hallstatt, you can catch a gondola up the side of dachstein mountain. besides offering spectacular views,

the ride is the beginning of a frozen odyssey as we head toward the dachstein ice caves. the caves were formed over many millions of years as water hollowed out this maze-like underground system. the most dramatic section, called the rieseneishohle, extends through a half-mile series of tunnels. the caves are lit with lamps that are placed behind hanging icicles and icy draperies, creating some incredible effects.

the natural beauty, the architecture, and the cherished traditions of salzburg and the lakes district live in exquisite harmony. and underlying it all are the sonorous strains of a wonderful musical heritage. i promise that once you visit this area, you'll want to climb every mountain and ford every stream. and if you suddenly feel the urge to start singing about a few of your favorite things, salzburg will top the list. i'm rudy maxa, auf wiedersehen, good-bye! announcer: all videos and dvds of smart travels are 24.95 each plus shipping. call 800-866-7425 for the two-episode dvd or video on vienna, salzburg, and the lakes district. details of all of our travel videos, dvds, and best guide books are on the web at smarttravels.tv. please have a credit card ready and call 800-866-7425 or visit us on the web.

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