Salzburg Photos: Mount untersberg

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Mount Untersberg



Mount Untersberg is the first proper, Alpine mountain that you will see looking southwards from Salzburg. It is accessible via a cable car, which in turn is linked to Salzburg with a city bus. All that makes the Untersberg a rewarding destination for a day-trip. Traditionally, the Untersberg has been seen as a mystical place. This could be explained by its sheer size, especially if you compare it to other mountains in the area. According to legend, Emperor Charlemagne (in some versions Emperor Friedrich Barbarossa) sleeps inside of the Untersberg. Only once a year he wakes up and sends out dwarves that serve him to check if there are still crows flying around the summit. If this is the case, he continues to sleep. As soon as the crows will leave, the Emperor will guide his armies and dwarves to the Walserfeld in modern Wals-Siezenheim to fight a final battle in a doomsday-like fashion. As if all that wasn't enough, there are local traditional culture groups in the area of the Untersberg that keep traditional Perchtenlauf customs alive - the ones from the Untersberg area include certain archetypes that you will not find anywhere else, such as the Habergoas, a demonic goat. 

photo (c) visit-salzburg.net


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