My Salzburg: Walk of Modern Art (2018)
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 – 21 May 2018.
Seats to contemplate the spirit of Mozart – 21 May 2018.
That one last seat in the sky, to end the day – 21 May 2018.
Stephan Balkenhol: Frau im Fels (2007)
At Toscaninihof, an entrance into the cliffs leads to underground parking. Above the entrance is a sculpture by … (22 May 2018).
… by Stephan Balkenhol: “Frau im Fels” (Woman in the Rock). Photo on 22 May 2018.
Stephan Balkenhol: Sphaera (2007)
Stephan Balkenhol’s “Sphaera”, at Kapitelplatz facing south to the fortress – 22 May 2018.
Stephan Balkenhol’s “Sphaera”, at Kapitelplatz, facing north to the cathedral – 23 May 2018.
Christian Boltanski: Vanitas (2009)
Christian Boltanski’s “Vanitas”, in the choir crypt of Salzburg Cathedral (Salzburger Dom) – 22 May 2018.
Anthony Cragg: Caldera (2008)
Anthony Cragg’s “Caldera”, at Makartplatz – 22 May 2018.
Anthony Cragg’s “Caldera”, at Makartplatz – 22 May 2018.
Anselm Kiefer: A.E.I.O.U. (2002)
Building which houses Anselm Kiefer’s “A.E.I.O.U.”, in Furtwänglerpark – 22 May 2018.
Anselm Kiefer’s “A.E.I.O.U.” – 22 May 2018.
Brigitte Kowanz: Beyond Recall (2011)
beyond recall, by Brigitte Kowanz, at the southwest corner of Staatsbrücke – 21 May 2018.
dedicated secret: Brigitte Kowanz’s “Beyond Recall”, at the southeast corner of Staatsbrücke – 21 May 2018.
envision: Brigitte Kowanz’s “Beyond Recall”, at the northeast corner of Staatsbrücke – 21 May 2018.
Markus Lüpertz: Mozart – Eine Hommage (2005)
Markus Lüpertz’s “Mozart – Eine Hommage”, at Ursulinenplatz – 23 May 2018.
Mario Merz: Ziffern im Wald (2003)
Mario Merz’s “Ziffern im Wald”, Museum der Moderne – 23 May 2018.
Numbers in the Fibonacci sequence included in Mario Merz’s “Ziffern im Wald”, Museum der Moderne – 23 May 2018.
Jaume Plensa: Awilda (2010)
Jaume Plensa’s “Awilda”, in Hof Dietrichsruh (Universität Salzburg) – 22 May 2018.
James Turrell: Sky-Space (2006)
Outside the Museum der Moderne is James Turrell’s “Sky-Space” (right) – 23 May 2018.
Interior space to James Turrell’s “Sky-Space” – 23 May 2018.
Manfred Wakolbinger: Connection (2011)
Manfred Wakolbinger’s “Connection”, near Michaelstor – 21 May 2018.
Manfred Wakolbinger’s “Connection”, near Michaelstor – 21 May 2018.
Erwin Wurm: Gurken (2011)
Erwin Wurm’s “Gurken”, at Furtwänglerpark – 22 May 2018.
Friedrich Schiller appears a little bemused by the Gurken – 22 May 2018.
# 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 from 21 to 23 May 2018 inclusive with a Fujifilm X70 fixed-lens prime. This post appears on Fotoeins Fotografie at fotoeins DOT com as https://wp.me/p1BIdT-bYB.
Fotoeins Fotografie 
8 Responses to “My Salzburg: Walk of Modern Art (2018)”
[…] “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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[…] by a search for Mozart and for signs of modernity. I’ve already examined part of the city through its art: what more can Salzburg […]
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