Salzburg can put on a great pre-Xmas show

By Horst Heinz GrimmDuring the day masses of visitors have made their way through the alleys. But in the evening, when they are again back in their buses, Salzburg’s old centre empties out. That’s the moment when a stroll through the Christmas markets is really fun. During the Advent period every year, with the baroque cathedral as the backdrop, Salzburg stages a Christmas market, one which many people regard as the prettiest in all of Austria.Going back to the Middle Ages merchants began selling their wares. In the 17th century there is mention of the St Nicholas Market. The market was dissolved in 1932 and it was only revived in its present form in 1972 through a private initiative. With its narrow alleyways and squares lined with palaces, the historic medieval centre of Salzburg has a special atmosphere in the pre-Christmas period. “The Advent period is high-season time for tourism,” notes Maria Altendorfer of the Salzburg Tourism Office, and adds the pragmatic advice that people should book a hotel well in advance if they are planning to stay longer than a day. But there is more to see than just the market in front of the Cathedral. Altogether there are seven Christmas markets in Salzburg. One tip is the market up in the Hohensalzburg fortress atop a hill overlooking the city.The medieval fortress, which was never conquered by invaders, is the city’s most imposing trademark - it, together with Salzburg’s old city centre, is a Unesco World Heritage Site. It’s reachable either by walking up a winding cobblestone path, or more comfortably, by a cableway which takes visitors up the hill in ski-style cars. The Christmas market in the fortress court is open only on Advent weekends, Friday to Sunday, from 10am to 7 pm.The decorated stalls offer original gift items and locally-made handicrafts. And a must is to take in the view of the city below from one of the fortress terraces. The cathedral and the many churches are evidence of the Catholic population’s faith. And as a result, the churches during the Advent period are the place for finding some moments of peaceful contemplation. In the cathedral, the Archbishop celebrates Mass to the musical accompaniment of Johann Michael Haydn and of course, the city’s greatest son, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. In fact, the city of Mozart offers up an immense music programme during Advent. Outside the cathedral doors, trumpeters perform in the evening, while choirs are singing Christmas carols throughout the city.The most important event is the Salzburg Advent programme of folk Christmas music and dramatic stagings in the Grosses Festspielhaus concert hall. Salzburg’s prime shopping street is the Getreidegasse with its monument-protected buildings and their medieval facades. Almost all the buildings have romantic back courtyards and passageways leading to streets running parallel to the Getreidegasse.In these courtyards, where in past times artisans had their workshops, today you find exclusive boutiques, jewellery shops, antique dealers and souvenir stores. Sprinkled among them are small coffee houses. The solemn atmosphere does get loudly interrupted on December 5 by rowdies. These are the fearsome-looking “Krampus” figures who run through the streets and alleys trying to scare people. In the Alpine custom of Advent, the figure of the Krampus is the evil counterpart to Saint Nicholas, wearing ugly masks, horns and scraggly furs. Many a frightened tourist will seek safety inside the cathedral, where soothing Christmas music can be heard. – DPA