Makartplatz in Salzburg houses a range of sights in the Mozart City. Mozart’s residence with the Mozart museum, the Salzburg State Theatre, the Holy Trinity Church and the main gate to Mirabell Gardens are just some of the many sights of Salzburg, whose address is Makart Square in the Old Town on the east bank of the river Salzach.

In 1603, Prince Archbishop Wolf Dietrich von Raitenau built a palace for his brother Jakob Hannibal von Raitenau at the site of today’s Makart Square. The area was named “Hannibal Gardens” and the palace later demolished. Prince Archbishop Paris Lodron re-modelled the garden into the present form of the square. At the behest of Prince Archbishop Ernst Graf von Thun und Hohenstein the Holy Trinity Church was built between 1694 and 1702 and the Hannibal Gardens re-named Hannibal Square. It kept its name until 5 May 1879, when the square received the name it still bears today: “Makartplatz”.

Between 1934 and 1938, Makart Square was renamed again “Dr.-Dollfuß-Platz”. After the annexation of Austria by the Third Reich, the square was called “Adolf-Hitler-Platz” for a short period of time. Since then, “Makartpatz” (Makart Square) has been the official name again.

Makart Square is named for the Salzburg painter Hans Makart (1840-1884). He was born in Salzburg and studied in Vienna and Munich. In 1878, he became a professor for historical painting at the Academy of Fine Arts in Vienna. He arranged the parade in celebration of the emperor and empress’s silver wedding anniversary, worked on the décor of staircase in the Museum of Fine Arts in Vienna and the décor of Empress Elisabeth’s bedroom. Makart’s style is representative of the Ringstraße era.

Another part of the Old Town that used to bear the name Makart is the pedestrian bridge Marko-Feingold-Steg which was called Makartsteg until 2021. After a public campaign asking for a bridge at the former city museum (today a part of the Museum of Natural History and Technology) succeeded, its opening was celebrated in 1905. Similarly to the Mozartsteg, the Marko-Feingold-Steg was designed in the art nouveau style. Until 1922, those wanting to cross a bridge in Salzburg had to pay a toll.

The new, slightly curved Marko-Feingold-Steg was built in 2001.

Many sights of Salzburg are located in this area. For example,

• Mozart’s residence and the Mozart museum: Between 1773 and 1787 the Mozart family lived in the so called “Dance Master’s House” at Makart Square No. 8. Today, the composer’s former flat houses the Mozart museum.
• Salzburg State Theatre: Since the 18^th century, plays, operas and concerts have been performed here.
• Holy Trinity Church: The most important sacral structure of the eastern Old Town is an architectural creation of the baroque master builder Johann Bernhard Fischer von Erlach.
• Hotel Bristol: the 5-star hotel was built in 1893. Back then, it was the first hotel on the eastern side of the river with electrical lighting. This is why it was called the “Electricitaets Hotel” in the beginning.
• Birth place of Christian Doppler: The famous physicist and mathematician was born in Salzburg in 1803. Today, a memorial plaque commemorates his live and work in Salzburg.

In 2008, the bronze sculpture „Caldera” by the British sculptor Anthony Cragg was erected at Makart Square. The sculpture has a height of approximately five meters and is made from patinated bronze. It depicts a volcanic crater cauldron in reference to the cauldron-like site of Salzburg.

In full bloom, the magnolia trees at Makart Square provide a phenomenal instagrammable photo spot. Locals and visitors from all around the world make the most of the few days of bloom to take photos with a unique backdrop.