Mirabel Palace is located on the other side of the Salzach River, i.e. about a kilometre north of the Hohensalzburg fortress and the cathedral. It was built in 1606, but was constantly rebuilt in accordance with the traditions of later architectural styles.
At first it belonged to the unofficial wife of Archbishop von Reitenau, Salome Alt, who bore him 15 children. However, 6 years later the Prince-Archbishop was deposed and his place was taken by Markus Zittikus, who took over the newly built mansion at the same time. It was under Zittikus that the castle was given the modern name "Mirabel", which translates from Italian as "beautiful".
In 1727 the palace was rebuilt in a lavish Baroque style, but in 1818 the building had to be almost completely rebuilt after a fire. This time it was done in a more austere neoclassical style. The castle has three floors and is decorated with a small triangular pediment on the façade. In 1815, Otto of Bavaria, the future King Otto I of Greece, was born here.
In the 19th century, some Salzburg archbishops still lived here, before the building was handed over to the city authorities. The palace is now home to the Salzburg Magistrate and the Mayor of Salzburg.
As for the interior of the mansion, of particular interest are the marble staircase decorated with figures of angels and the gold-trimmed Marble Hall, where Mozart gave concerts. Nowadays concerts and wedding ceremonies are held in this magnificent hall. Interestingly, in 1944 it was here that the sister of Eva Braun, Adolf Hitler's civilian wife, was married.
The palace is surrounded by a stunning park, designed in 1690 as a "French" regular park characterised by the dominance of symmetry. The park is decorated with sculptures of mythological characters, and a separate part of it is reserved for the amusing Dwarf Garden, famous for its stone grotesque dwarf figures. The Baroque Museum is now housed in a greenhouse built in 1725. Nowadays these gardens are very popular with tourists, as they offer a fantastic view of the Hohensalzburg Fortress and the Old Town. It is also where the famous musical The Sound of Music, starring Julie Andrews, was filmed.
