Mozart and Salzburg

with Peter Medhurst

Day 1 – Depart London for Munich

Munich, the capital of Bavaria, is the most ‘gentlich’ city in Germany: an elegant cultural centre less than an hour from the foothills of the Alps. It boasts art and architectural treasures that rival those of Berlin, and is home to the National Theatre which Sir Peter Jonas has elevated into Germany’s most highly regarded opera house.

Transfer: On arrival in Munich, you will be met by your local guide and will be transferred to your hotel in Salzburg.

The city of Salzburg was the seat of a series of prince-archbishops, whose court was the centre of the city’s musical life. Many distinguished musicians and composers came and went over the years, but it was Mozart’s musical performances which became the most famous and interesting of them all. Today the cobbled old town still remains much of its 17th century character and the music still remains a prominent highlight.  

Accommodation: 5 nights in an hotel located in the centre of the city, near to Mozart’s former residence and a few minutes walk from the historic pedestrian area.

Afternoon at leisure

17:00 Welcome drink and dinner

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Day 2 – Salzburg

09:00 Lecture from Peter Medhurst

Excursion: Morning walking tour of the old and new towns, including a visit to Mozarts birthplace. Depart from your hotel for a half-day walking tour of Salzburg. The first visit is to the Mozart Geburtshaus.  This is the birthplace of Mozart and is now a museum. He lived here for the first 17 years of his life and displays include the mini-violin Wolfgang played as a youngster.

Lunch will be under your own arrangements

Afternoon at leisure

Excursion: Evening visit to the Mirabell Palace for a musical performance.

The palace in Mirabellgarten was built originally by the prince-archbishop Wolf Dietrich for his mistress, Salome Alt, in 1606. Johann Lukas von Hildebrandt gave the building a more Baroque appearance in 1727.  Its attractive gardens featured in The Sound of Music.  Once inside take a look at the Marble staircase, adorned with Baroque sculptures by George Raphael Donner.

Sample Programme:

W. A. Mozart / L. v. Beethoven: variations “Ein Madchen oder Weibchen”

F. Schubert: Sonate fur Arpeggione and piano, D. 821 S.

Rachmaninow: Vokalise, op. 34/14 S.

Rachmaninow: Violoncello-Sonate in g-moll, op. 19

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Day 3 – Salzburg

09:00 Lecture from Peter Medhurst

Excursion: Morning walking tour, including the 12th century Fortress of Hohensalzburg.   Today, there will be a city walk of Salzburg. Firstly, the tour will start taking the elevator to the Fortress of Salzburg (Hohensalzburg), giving extensive views over the city.  The Archbishops extended the fortress over the centuries.  By far the greatest influence on its present structure was Leonard von Keutschach, the Archbishop of Salzburg from 1495 to 1519. His symbol was a turnip, and this peculiar motif appears 58 times around the castle. The castle has torture chambers, staterooms and two museums covering history, arms, WWII photos and tools of the torture trade. Excursion: Continue to St Peters Church and Glockenspielplatz to listen to Mozart Carillion.

Visit St Peter’s Church.

This abbey church was founded in 745. The present building is remarkable for its Baroque ornaments. The walls are crammed with paintings, swirling stucco and 15 side altars. There’s also a fine organ with a clock and statues.  The graveyard contains catacombs and arcades of family tombs.

This visit will be under your own arrangements as entry is free to the church, but guided visits are not allowed.

Lunch will be under your own arrangements

Afternoon at leisure

Excursion: Evening visit to the Marionetten Theatre for a performance of Mozarts Magic Flute.

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Day 4 – Salzburg

09:00 Lecture from Peter Medhurst

Lunch will be under your own arrangements.

Excursion: Afternoon city tour  

The tour will last approximately 3 hours and will include a visit to Mozarts Wohnhaus, where he and his family lived from 1773 to 1787.  Now a Mozart museum and the place where Mozart’s family lived from 1773 to 1787, the building has been restored to its original structure (it was damaged in WWII).  You will also visit the Salzburg Cathedral.

Excursion: Optional evening opera or concert.

Possible concerts for this evening could include:

Concert at Festung Hohen Salzburg (8.30 pm)

Mozart Dinner Concert – St. Peter’s Stiftskeller (8.00 pm)

Sound of Salzburg show, (7.30 pm)

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Day 5 – Salzburg  – Salzkammergut – St Wolfgang – Traunkirchen – Bad Ischl

09:00 Lecture from Peter Medhurst

Excursion: Full day tour to the Salzkammergut

Today, full day sightseeing tour to the Salzkammergut.  This area of mountain and lakes is a holiday destination to the north of Salzburg. This morning, you will be driven via Hof to Lake Fuschl and skirt the shores of the lake.   Continue on to visit St Wolfgang to see the parish church and Michael Pacher’s winged altarpiece. St Wolfgang was founded in 976 by the Bishop of Regensburg, Germany and has achieved renown as a place of pilgrimage.

The major sight is the pilgrimage church built in the 14^th and 15^thcenturies.  It is a gallery of religious art, with several altars (Gothic to Baroque).  The best piece is the winged altar, which has astonishing detail on the carved figures and Gothic designs.

Lunch will be at a typical Austrian restaurant called Annerlhof in Traunkirchen.  Traunkirchen is an attractive hamlet on a spit of land about halfway along the western shore of the Traunsee.

This afternoon you will visit Bad Ischl, a spa town that became famous after Princess Sophie took a treatment here for fertility and subsequently gave birth to Franz Josef I followed by two more sons.

Franz Josef made this his summer home.  The town has some Biedermeier-style buildings and Franz Josef’s summer residence was the Kaiservilla.

There will be a coffee break at the famous coffee house Zauner. Return to Salzburg.

Farewell drink at your hotel and dinner in a local restaurant

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Day 6 – Salzburg and the return to London

Morning at leisure

Road Journey: Afternoon transfer to Munich airport for the return flight to London.

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Peter Medhurst is well-known in the world of the arts as a singer, pianist, scholar and lecturer, who in addition to his appearances on the concert platform and in the lecture hall, sets aside time to devise and lead tours abroad for small groups of art and music connoisseurs.  His particular interests are centred on the music, art and history of Vienna, Salzburg (with its strong Mozart link), Berlin, Halle (Handel’s birthplace), Dresden, Venice, and Delft (with its Vermeer and 17th century Dutch School connections) and over the years Peter has worked for a number of companies including Travel Editions, Cox and Kings, Heritage Travel and Tailored Travel.