Moosstraße, Salzburg

The Moosstraße is primarily a street in Salzburg, but not an ordinary one. It is straight as the proverbial arrow, supposedly the longest straight road in all of Salzburg (state, that is). The area is generally very green and on both sides of the street, there are houses. Thus, "Moosstraße" is also a synonym for a neighbourhood in Salzburg.

It is a middle-class area with a suburban touch, surrounded on both sides by extensive swamp land and former swamps that are now used agriculturally. The most peculiar thing about the Moosstraße beyond its straightness is the fact that the "layer" of settlement is so thin. It links the districts Riedenburg and Leopoldskroner Moos.

The term "Moos" is an old German word for a swamp and refers to the area through which it was built. The swamp was drained in the 18th century, mainly under the rule of Prince Archbishop Firmian. His family was an impoverished dynasty from South Tyrol and as a Prince Archbishop, he did his best to emphasise the resurgence of his family to power. Firmian built the nearby palace of Schloss Leopoldskron and endowed his nephew with the swamps south of it. In order to make them arable, drains and streets were built.

The current Moosstraße was built only in 1806; its name dates back to 1873. The Moosstraße is almost six kilometres long and ends shortly before Glanegg. The settlements that frame the street are at the most only 80 metres wide.

Further Reading

http://www.salzburg.com/wiki/index.php/Moosstra%C3%9Fe
Moosstraße Salzburg on the SalzburgWiki (German, but with pics)


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