In which we go on a tour of the Salzburg Castle

We went up the stairs and found where we were supposed to meet to go on a tour.

The tour didn't start for another fifteen minutes or so, so we took some time to wander around.

My students helped me with the camera again so there's some evidence of me actually visiting these places.

One of my students getting in touch with her inner cannonball.

So, we started the tour.  Because they get so many visitors from all over the world, the tour uses audio guide devices that are held to the ear.  You hit the play button when you see the green arrow sign somewhere, then you'll get an explanation of the room in whatever language you select.  The group enters together, so our various guides played at about the same speed as we shuffled from room to room.  The first room was previously used for storing salt and now houses portraits of the various Prince-Archbishops, along with models of the fortress at various stages of its construction beneath the portrait of the person who commissioned each building phase.  The person responsible for a great deal of the construction had a turnip on his coat of arms, which means there are turnips all over the place.

Here you can see the entire room.

We continued along a hallway to the next guide post.

Here's a view out the window.

The next stop was the so-called "torture room", which really wasn't used for torturing because it was a place of imprisonment, not a court facility.  In order for a conviction to be valid, a confession was required, one way or another.  Torture wheels were used to smash people's limbs and then cause death by exposure if you tied someone to them.

The real purpose of this room was to hold valuable prisoners, who would be held in a room accessible through this grate.  

Mountain visible from window.

The next stop on the tour was an observation platform built on one of the towers, from which we could see other parts of the fortress and the city.

Here's a view of the bell tower.

As you can see, the fortress is huge and has multiple levels.  Here we're looking back at the inner keep, where the noble would live.

The mountain across the way, if I recall correctly, is the Kapuzinerberg, named after the Capuchin monastery, which I believe is the yellow building on the hill in the center of the picture.

The big rectangular building right in the middle with trees behind and to the left is Schloss Mirabell, previously mentioned palace built for the mistress of an Archbishop, which is surrounded by pretty gardens.

This building is a retirement home for seniors.

On the hill in the middle of this picture is Schloss Hellbrun, which we didn't get to see due to crappy weather on Monday.

Me on top of a castle.

One last view from the top before we headed back downstairs.

To be continued.