Salzburg Things to Do

The powers that be generally designate national recreation areas or areas of significance for good reasons, and this certainly holds true in Austria. The country’s parks are great places to enjoy the outdoors and revel in the splendors of the natural world. The following should help the uninitiated begin to familiarize themselves with some of the better scenic areas in the country.

Imagine my surprise: I got on a train in Bratislava,Slovakia, bound for Vienna, Austria — the land of mountains and snow, high lakes and skiing skiing skiing! But out the window all I saw was flat land. As far as the eye could see, it was flat. And covered in wind turbines generating electricity. What was going on?

Since 1979, Ars Electronica has been cultivating and celebrating art, technology, and science with its evolving, four-faceted approach based in Austria‘s town of Linz. Founders Hannes Leopoldseder, Hubert Bognermayr, Herbert W. Franke, and Ulrich Rützel began their efforts with a biannual event in collaboration with the International Bruckner Festival. Over time, the umbrella of their ingenuity has broadened to encompass an annual event of international significance, as well as an international competition, a Museum of the Future, and a Laboratory for Future Innovation.

Austria is well known for its architectural innovations and peculiar tourist destinations. The following stand out as particularly interesting and memorably strange.

Long overlooked for a combination of reasons, the recently refurbished summer palace Schloss Hof is not only one of Austria‘s largest, it is also one of the grandest. Owned by the state and sustained by the proceeds of a now bustling tourist trade, the palace is currently in fine fettle. The main building is one of the finest examples of Baroque architecture anywhere in the world, and the extraordinary period furnishings and art contained within (many of which were only recently returned to the palace) are a convincing reminder of the power and wealth enjoyed by the Hapsburg royals. Suffice it to say that the surrounding gardens, orangerie, manor farm, fountains and sculptures are a collective treasure as well.

Rather like Buda and Pest, the towns of Klosterneuburg and Korneuburg have been separated by the Danube since the river changed course in the Middle Ages. The former is a very attractive town with a number of sites that are worth making the short trip north from Vienna.