For centuries the Archbishops of Salzburg resided at the Salzburg Residenz and used the palace to present and represent their political status. Today the Salzburg Residenz palace is a museum and one of the most impressive attractions in the city.
The earliest recorded reference to the bishop's palace was in a document dated 1232. Construction began under Archbishop Konrad I. In the 16th century, several changes and additions to the structure were made. The bishop's palace took on its present appearance under the auspices of Wolf Dietrich von Raitenau (1587–1612). In the early 17th century, work began on the south wing, which included the addition of the large staircase and the Carabinieri-Saal, a section that connected the palace to the Franziskanerkirche and a large courtyard.
The successors of Wolf Dietrich continued to expand and refine the palace through to the end of the 18th century. Throughout the centuries, the palace served as the archbishops' residence, as well as a place of public gatherings and state affairs, all taking place in a setting that reflected power and grandeur.
Today, the Salzburg Residenz houses the Residenzgalerie, which presents paintings from the 16th to the 18th century, and Austrian paintings from the 19th century.
References:The Château du Haut-Koenigsbourg is situated in a strategic area on a rocky spur overlooking the Upper Rhine Plain, it was used by successive powers from the Middle Ages until the Thirty Years' War when it was abandoned. From 1900 to 1908 it was rebuilt at the behest of the German kaiser Wilhelm II. Today it is a major tourist site, attracting more than 500,000 visitors a year.
The first records of a castle built by the Hohenstaufens date back to 1147. The fortress changed its name to Koenigsburg (royal castle) around 1157. The castle was handed over to the Tiersteins by the Habsburgs following its destruction in 1462. They rebuilt and enlarged it, installing a defensive system designed to withstand artillery fire.
The fortification work accomplished over the 15th century did not suffice to keep the Swedish artillery at bay during the Thirty Years War, and the defences were overrun.