Salzburg Residence

This guide to the Salzburg Residence follows Wolf Dietrich von Raitenau, the prince-archbishop who broke his vow of celibacy for a merchant's daughter named Salome Alt and, by some accounts, had fifteen children with her while ruling from these halls starting in 1587. It traces his decision to tear down dozens of townhouses and hire the Venetian architect Vincenzo Scamozzi to build a palace fit for a European power, and the dispute over salt with the Duke of Bavaria that his own cousin Marcus Sitticus turned into an opportunity. Stand in the arcaded courtyard and consider whose ambition actually finished this building.