Hello friends. My exploration of Austria and Salzburg began with reading books about Mozart. My parents introduced Mozart to me as a lesson on how hard work is an indispensable companion and helper for any talent. That’s where I first encountered the mysterious word Mirabell in those books. It became one of the places I most wanted to visit during our trip to Salzburg. Located on the northern bank of the Salzach River, surrounded by beautiful gardens, I was curious about this romantic palace.
The palace was built in 1606 at the request of Archbishop Wolf Dietrich von Raitenau. It was a gift for the woman he loved. At the time, the palace was built outside the city gates, but today, it’s right in the heart of Salzburg. This romantic story would have been perfect if it weren't for one unsettling BUT. According to church rules, archbishops were forbidden to fall in love, marry and have children. But love, as always, defied calculations and yielded to no rules; the passions of a heart in love were strong enough to break down all barriers on the path to happiness.
The palace was built, surrounded by an incredibly beautiful garden and given to the archbishop's beloved. Initially, the palace was named Altenau. Was it true love, or was it a fleeting emotion? Who knows? But from this sinful union, 15 children were born, 10 of whom survived. Of course, there was also a beautiful palace and a luxurious garden.
Thanks to love, Salzburg transformed from an ordinary medieval town into a masterpiece of Baroque architecture. At the end of his life, the archbishop was imprisoned and died there. His ghost likely still roams Hohensalzburg Fortress. His beloved was expelled from the palace and her fate remained unclear.
The archbishop's princely successor later renamed the palace Mirabell. Translated from Spanish, it means beautiful view. One theory is that it was named after the Mirabelle plum variety that grew abundantly in the garden, but that doesn't sound very romantic. What's obvious is that the view, with its glimpse of the Alps, is impressive. I couldn't see the Alps while in Salzburg because dense, wet clouds covered the mountains. On our way to the palace, we stopped to visit a church. We entered every place we saw on the way to understand what was happening. This church, called St. Andrew's Church, was quite humble. It had a simple Austrian-style structure.
After a brief church visit, we arrived at our main destination, Mirabell Palace. There was a wedding in the courtyard, I think it was a Saturday when we visited. This place also houses the famous Marble Hall, where Mozart himself performed music. Today, this hall is considered one of the best wedding venues in the world and wedding ceremonies are organized with prior bookings.
Exploring the area, everything was beautiful. Mirabell had experienced a fire in the past and many art pieces in the palace at the time were destroyed. After this fire, Mirabell acquired the modern look it has today.
There was a fountain with a horse and it looked truly magnificent. This horse was none other than Pegasus. The sculpture, located in the center of the Small Parterre, was made of copper and placed in the garden during the castle's construction. So it was as old as the historic palace. It opened up to a view towards the distant Hohensalzburg Fortress.
Mirabell is also famous for its gardens. These gardens are protected by UNESCO. They are often compared to Versailles and Peterhof in terms of beauty. Because of its compactness, simplicity and uniqueness, the garden is considered the best park in Austria.
Look at what we found here: little unicorns. My mom loves unicorns. They look fantastic.
There was a traditional wedding here, likely because it was the weekend. There were many more tourists than we expected. We also saw people wearing traditional attire elsewhere around the city.
The architecture of Mirabell Palace is quite impressive. The fountain with the horse, the lions and everything else had a unique and interesting vibe. We continued and passed through the west gate, arriving at a dwarf garden. We walked around and discovered the dwarves in the park. This is considered Europe's oldest dwarf garden. Each dwarf was supposed to represent a sin or virtue, but I'm not sure if that's true.
In the garden, there were 28 dwarf statues that once entertained the noble residents of the palace. Some statues were reportedly removed by the subsequent owners of Mirabell because they were considered too ugly.
I spent a long time wandering among the dwarves, observing their wet, cold and strange faces showing traces of sadness and passions. Some were hunchbacked, some had aggressive expressions, some were acting comically and some seemed to be concealing infinite spiritual agony.
There's a legend that the dwarves can grant wishes, you have to choose a statue, touch it and clearly visualize what you desire. Legends say that the dwarves won't disappoint and your wish will come true.
This was the beginning of our day and our main goal was the distant castle. So we headed in that direction. We went downhill, thinking there would be more beauty there, as these gardens and everything else are extraordinarily beautiful.
There were lovely roses too; I could call it a rose gallery. It's quite beautiful and it would be better to visit in the summer when the roses are in full bloom and smell wonderful.
We continued walking, looking at the statues and fountains, I really love them. It was a delightful environment for me.
In the oldest part of the garden, called the Grand Parterre, there was a fountain adorned with four marble statues. It was written that these statues represented the four elements. Paris kidnapping the beautiful Helen symbolized water, Proserpina being taken to the underworld by Pluto represented earth, Aeneas rescuing his father from the burning Troy represented fire and Hercules fighting Anteus represented air.
As I walked through the center of this beautiful garden, I could see the distant castle ahead. Here's the palace, such an interesting and beautiful place. Many concerts are held here. It's like a small cultural center.
There were many statues in the garden. This place is like an open-air museum, with statues of great gods and beautiful goddesses decorating the garden paths. It's as if the gods and goddesses, enchanted by Mirabell's beauty, moved here from Olympus.
Currently, the palace houses the office of the mayor of Salzburg and the City Council and is home to Austria's most popular wedding hall. There's a belief that a marriage held at Mirabell Palace will last forever.
Entrance to Mirabell Gardens is free and you can adjust your visit hours as you like. I can say it's a place where you might never want to leave. Even on a rainy spring day, it can be difficult to leave the garden.
If you're in Salzburg, I highly recommend visiting Mirabell Gardens. Here, the legendary love still lives, the love that caused so much controversy. The union of the red-haired beauty Salome and the stern archbishop brought this magnificent garden and palace to life, warming your heart. Because you'll realize that there's eternal love here.
