Trompeterschlössl

The Trompeterschlössl was a fortified structure on Salzburg’s Kapuzinerberg. Built late in the 13th century, it guarded the eastern bridgehead of the city’s only Salzach crossing. Archbishop Friedrich II. of Walchen or his successor likely ordered its construction after an imperial decree required every prince to fortify his town. Traces suggest the central tower may have existed even earlier, around 1160. By 1406 Archbishop Eberhard III. of Neuhaus expanded the defences, linking the tower to the city’s inner gates with high walls. The fortress had a large main tower with crenellated corner turrets and a smaller western tower. Between them stood the main gate, while another gate appeared near the western tower. Vincentz Tynncylinger served as Pfleger here in the early 16th century and was recorded as the ‘trumpeter’ of the archbishop. After the Kapuziner monks arrived in 1594, Archbishop Wolf Dietrich von Raitenau built their monastery on the site, completing the church in 1602. Today the monastery church incorporates parts of the old fortress. The east side of the church follows the outline of the main tower, and the altar space may occupy the site of the smaller western tower. Original masonry, including filled window openings and crenellations, remains visible beneath the plaster. A stretch of the old defensive wall survives in the north-east wall of Linzergasse 12. These remains form part of the UNESCO-listed ensemble that includes the Kapuzinerkloster and its historic walls.