Salzburg in Mozart's Time

Salzburg has been a rich city since time immemorial: the prince archbishops of Salzburg, the ecclesiastical regents of Mozart's home town, owed their untold wealth to the salt in the surrounding mountains. Residing in this city were townsfolk, nobility, clerics, workers and servants, all living side by side. Whilst they went their separate ways during the day, their lifestyles became significantly less formal after dark.

During Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart's lifetime, numerous inns and taverns established themselves in Salzburg City, serving as importing gathering spots for the local population.

The strict laws of that time did not manage to discourage people of all classes from meeting in these watering holes.

Friends and travellers would meet in the "Wirtshaus zur Stiege", today's Stieglbräu brewery, so as to discuss, share news, drink and gamble.