Kapuzinerberg Hill

Kapuzinerberg Hill Review

Directly opposite the Mönchsberg on the other side of the river, Kapuzinerberg Hill is crowned by several interesting sights. By ascending a stone staircase near Steingasse 9 you can start your climb up the peak. At the top of the first flight of steps is a tiny chapel, St. Johann am Imberg, built in 1681. Farther on are a signpost and gate to the Hettwer Bastion, part of the old city walls. Hettwer Bastion is one of the most spectacular viewpoints in Salzburg. At the summit is the gold-beige Kapuzinerkloster (Capuchin Monastery), originally a fortification built to protect the one bridge crossing the river. It is still an active monastery and thus cannot be visited, except for the church. The road downward—note the Stations of the Cross along the path—is called Stefan Zweig Weg, after the great Austrian writer who rented the Paschingerschlössl house (on the Kapuzinerberg to the left of the monastery) until 1934, when he left Austria after the Nazis had murdered chancellor Dollfuss. As he was one of Austria's leading critics and esthetes, his residence became one of the cultural centers of Europe.