Listen to the Sound of Salzburg!

Preface by Wilfried Haslauer, Governor of Salzburg

Top Photo: Dr. Wilfried Haslauer at the opening ceremony of the 2019 Salzburg Festival. Land Salzburg/ Neumayr Leo

The distinctive year of 1492 evokes specific associations with almost everyone: who does not think of Christopher Columbus’ discovery of the New World? Strolling through present-day Salzburg with eyes wide open, you often find yourself stumbling into “1492,” for example, each time you enjoy one of the delicious products that are made at Austria’s largest private brewery, founded in Salzburg in that landmark year.

As a matter of fact, the discovery and economic development of the American continent over time had an enormous impact on the autonomous prince-archbishopric of Salzburg: the European trade routes shifted from the Mediterranean region to Western Europe. Huge amounts of precious metals from mines in South America dramatically reduced the importance of the once-profitable gold and silver deposits in Salzburg.

The wealth of the state of Salzburg – derived from trade with Venice and Italy, and from mineral resources in the mountains, among them the eponymous salt (Salzburg literally means “salt fortress”) – was not invested in military ventures. The archbishops of Salzburg rather spent it on splendid architecture, visual art, and music. That made Salzburg a city of culture and above all, a center of classical music with a global reputation.

An early connection between Salzburg and Colonial America brings us back to 1732, when the last remaining Salzburg Protestants – a religious minority in the Catholic archbishopric of Salzburg – were expelled from their homeland. A few of them settled in Georgia, where they arrived in 1734 and founded the town of Ebenezer. I visited this town and saw for myself the close ties between these descendants and the state of Salzburg.

The independence of the thirteen North American colonies from the Kingdom of Great Britain in 1776 had a decisive influence on the establishment of democracies all over Europe. This process, however, was preceded by a long, eventful past including military conflicts. During the Napoleonic Wars, the state of Salzburg lost its independence. In 1816, it was annexed by the Austrian empire. In 2016, the city and state of Salzburg celebrated the 200th anniversary of the annexation with a series of festivals, cultural events and a brilliant state exhibition.

It’s a great honor for Salzburg that this inaugural issue of New Austrian Information further investigates the ties between Salzburg and the New World. The close relationship between the United States and Salzburg was redefined in the post-WWII years, starting with the liberation from the Nazi regime, and continued through the reconstruction and reestablishment of the Austrian republic. During the Allied occupation of Austria from 1945 to 1955, the state of Salzburg was part of the American occupation zone, with its headquarters in the city of Salzburg.

No other federal state in post-war Austria benefited more from the European Recovery Program (later known as the “Marshall Plan”) than Salzburg. The people of Salzburg remember generous support by the Americans during these difficult years with sincere gratitude. The American GIs did not only bring care packages, Coca-Cola, chewing gum, and nylon stockings, they also made jazz and later rock and roll music popular. Salzburg’s youth eagerly adopted this kind of music and adapted their lifestyles accordingly.

Music has always been a matter of the heart for Salzburg and its people, ranging from the great tradition of folk music to jazz, rock, pop, musical and classical music. The latter is, for Salzburg and music lovers all around the world, inextricably linked with the composer Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. Salzburg’s greatest son was born in 1756 and until today, his distinctive and brilliant sound has brought the city and state of Salzburg to life. Following in the footsteps of Salzburg’s princearchbishops and their way of keeping culture alive, and given the great legacy Mozart left behind, the Salzburg Festival was founded in 1920. It has become one of the largest and most sumptuous classical music gatherings in the world.

However, in the perception of millions of enthusiastic visitors – especially from the United States – the musical branding of Salzburg is divided into two parts: In addition to the “sound” of Mozart, Joseph Haydn, Anton Bruckner, Richard Strauss, and others, many also enjoy listening to songs that are connected to The Sound of Music, first a Broadway musical and later an Oscar-winning film. And to many, Salzburg, the setting of the actual story, really does look like a movie set, as much of the film was shot on location.

The modern “Sound of Salzburg“ not only comes from masterfully played musical instruments, it is also shaped by globally active Salzburg companies, who successfully sell their premium products in the United States. From high-tech cranes to the most modern access systems, the world’s best copy protection for electronic media, advanced components for the automotive industry, a high-performing manufacturing industry for winter sports equipment, medical technology, to non-alcoholic energy drinks, which have established an exceptionally “strong as a bull” market and media presence around the world – just to name a few great products made in Salzburg.

Salzburg is also a renowned site for higher education and is proud of its excellent student exchange programs with the United States. American institutions like the Salzburg College, Ohio’s Bowling Green State University, and the American Institute for Foreign Studies have successfully established a university branch here. Castle Leopoldskron is home to the Salzburg Global Seminar, which was founded in 1947 as the Salzburg Seminar in American Studies. S

Salzburg’s rich past and present point out a number of direct or indirect references to the United States in the fields of culture, tourism, education, and foreign relations. This is all the more gratifying as these countless individual, business or institutional relationships are characterized by liveliness, the spirit of friendship, and most importantly, by mutual appreciation for each other, evident in the two-way flow of business travelers, tourists and students across the Atlantic.

I would like to thank the representatives of the Austrian Embassy in Washington, DC, especially the team of the Austrian Press & Information Service, for this outstanding opportunity to dedicate this first edition of the New Austrian Information to Salzburg. May this be another chapter in further strengthening the Salzburg-U.S. relationship.

Dr. Wilfried Haslauer

Governor of Salzburg

Translated by Julia Aßl