My Salzburg: more modern art than a Mozart mix
Thankfully, there’s more to Salzburg than “The Sound of Music”.#
Salzburg is a well-known historical city in north-central Austria next to the border with Germany. For a different way of examining the city that goes beyond the history of the Habsburgs and the music of Mozart, the Walk of Modern Art allows visitors and residents to walk through parts of the city for a mix of historical and contemporary perspectives at street-level and from the cliffs above. The art pieces are placed throughout the city’s Old Town to coincide with key landmarks and sights. The city of Salzburg also provides information about the walk. UNESCO inscribed Salzburg’s Old Town as World Heritage Site in 1996.
Modernity through Salzburg
Access to all of the art work below is free of admission charge, though the pieces by Boltanski and Kiefer are subject to limited opening hours.
- Marina Abramovic: Spirit of Mozart (2004)
- Stephan Balkenhol: Frau im Fels (2007), Sphaera (2007)
- Christian Boltanski: Vanitas (2009)
- Anthony Cragg: Caldera (2008)
- Anselm Kiefer: A.E.I.O.U. (2002)
- Brigitte Kowanz: Beyond Recall (2011)
- Markus Lüpertz: Mozart – Eine Hommage (2005)
- Mario Merz: Ziffern im Wald (2003)
- Jaume Plensa: Awilda (2010)
- James Turrell: Sky-Space (2006)
- Manfred Wakolbinger: Connection (2011)
- Erwin Wurm: Gurken (2011)
Marina Abramovic: Spirit of Mozart (2004)

Marina Abramovic’s “Spirit of Mozart,” at northwest corner of the Staatsbrücke.

Seats to contemplate the spirit of Mozart.

That one last seat in the sky, to end the day.
Stephan Balkenhol: Frau im Fels (2007)

At Toscaninihof, an entrance into the cliffs leads to underground parking. Above the entrance is a sculpture by …

Stephan Balkenhol: “Frau im Fels” (Woman in the Rock).
Stephan Balkenhol: Sphaera (2007)

Stephan Balkenhol’s “Sphaera”, at Kapitelplatz facing south to the fortress.

Stephan Balkenhol’s “Sphaera”, at Kapitelplatz, facing north to the cathedral.
Christian Boltanski: Vanitas (2009)

Christian Boltanski’s “Vanitas”, in the choir crypt of Salzburg Cathedral (Salzburger Dom).
Anthony Cragg: Caldera (2008)

Anthony Cragg’s “Caldera”, at Makartplatz.

Anthony Cragg’s “Caldera”, at Makartplatz.
Anselm Kiefer: A.E.I.O.U. (2002)

Building which houses Anselm Kiefer’s “A.E.I.O.U.”, in Furtwänglerpark.

Anselm Kiefer’s “A.E.I.O.U.”.
Brigitte Kowanz: Beyond Recall (2011)

beyond recall, by Brigitte Kowanz, at the southwest corner of Staatsbrücke.

dedicated secret: Brigitte Kowanz’s “Beyond Recall”, at the southeast corner of Staatsbrücke.

envision: Brigitte Kowanz’s “Beyond Recall”, at the northeast corner of Staatsbrücke.
Markus Lüpertz: Mozart – Eine Hommage (2005)

Markus Lüpertz’s “Mozart – Eine Hommage”, at Ursulinenplatz.
Mario Merz: Ziffern im Wald (2003)

Mario Merz’s “Ziffern im Wald”, Museum der Moderne.

Numbers in the Fibonacci sequence included in Mario Merz’s “Ziffern im Wald”, Museum der Moderne.
Jaume Plensa: Awilda (2010)

Jaume Plensa’s “Awilda”, in Hof Dietrichsruh (Universität Salzburg).
James Turrell: Sky-Space (2006)

Outside the Museum der Moderne is James Turrell’s “Sky-Space” (right).

Interior space to James Turrell’s “Sky-Space”.
Manfred Wakolbinger: Connection (2011)

Manfred Wakolbinger’s “Connection”, near Michaelstor.

Manfred Wakolbinger’s “Connection”, near Michaelstor.
Erwin Wurm: Gurken (2011)

Erwin Wurm’s “Gurken”, at Furtwänglerpark.

Friedrich Schiller appears a little bemused by the Gurken.
# As long as someone’s making money off the movie, “The Sound of Music” is an external cultural imposition about which many Austrians themselves know little or care little. I find that fascinating, especially in Salzburg. Over a period of a few weeks in Tirol, Vienna, and Salzburg, I asked Austrians along the way if they’d ever seen “Sound of Music” when they were children. Not surprisingly, most said “no”; they were more likely to have seen “Dinner for One“, a British classic broadcast annually over the Christmas holidays in Austria, Germany, and Switzerland.
I made all photos above on 21, 22, and 23 May 2018 with a Fujifilm X70 fixed-lens prime. This post appears on Fotoeins Fotografie at fotoeins DOT com as https://wp.me/p1BIdT-bYB.
7 Responses to “My Salzburg: more modern art than a Mozart mix”
[…] “Sphaera”, by Stephan Balkenhol: next to the city cathedral – 23 May 2018 (X70). […]
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I absolutely love your take on Salzburg. Fantastic photos. Thanks so much for creating a map guide to see all this great art!
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Hi and thanks, Cynthia! Salzburg was fun to explore “outside” of the usual suspects and stereotypes. I like creating guide maps, because I ask myself the question: “this newfound landmark/museum/sight about which I’m reading is very interesting, but where do I find it?” Thanks again for your kind comment and for stopping by!
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Amazing pictures. We were in Munich last year and did a day trip to Salzburg. We mostly did the Sound of Music sites, but wished we had more time to really explore the city. Hopefully we can go back soon and do some more exploring. Thanks for sharing these wonderful pictures.
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Hi and thanks, Samantha. I suspected the following, and I did an informal poll during my month in northern Austria, but did you realize most Austrians don’t know about or have never watched “The Sound of Music”? Fascinating! Thanks again for your comment and for stopping by!
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[…] • a search for Erwin Schrödinger’s grave, • a century of Vienna Modernism, • a day-trip from Vienna to Bratislava with a boat on the Danube, and • looking for modern Salzburg beyond Mozart and The Sound of Music, […]
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[…] “Sky-space” by James Turrell – next to Museum der Moderne Salzburg, 23 May 2018 (X70). […]
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