Let the city tell the history

Salzburg: Let the city tell the history. Salzburg, the oldest historical city within Austria, is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. A day in Salzburg made me feel that the city is history itself; Salzburg strives to show its complete past to visitors, with stories still preserved in its ancient buildings. The fortress castle standing atop the mountain is a prime example, its geographical location already indicating its oppositional stance to the commoners below. The dark cannons aimed at the residential areas of the commoners, the towering walls blocking out the cries of the angry populace. Within the strict barriers, there is the impeccable life of religious leaders and local lords, elegant and untouchable. This medieval city, which started with salt mines and trade, created a theocratic and autocratic leader, clutching the interests tightly in hand. In the initial confrontation between divine and royal power in the Middle Ages, Salzburg chose Rome. 700 years later, when the Thirty Years' War began, the weathered Salzburg chose neutrality, which is why we can still see the ancient city's former appearance today. If I were to represent the Salzburg I saw with one color, it would be a city of white hues. The distant white clouds and snow-capped mountains, the nearby rivers, and the city itself seem like a string of pearls nestled in a green valley, harmoniously integrated, elegant yet not monotonous, simple yet not mediocre. Ending with Baroque, yet everywhere revealing the flavors of the Renaissance and even the Middle Ages, this may well be the most nostalgic ancient city in all of Austria.