Small museums in Salzburg: Definitely!
Going to museums is not usually a favorite activity for travelers. It is not mine either. Although I often read about exhibitions that sound interesting, actually going to them is a different matter.
I visit Salzburg, one of my favorite cities, regularly and have also lived there. Over time, I have accumulated quite a few museum visits. I have been to the Museum der Moderne on Mönchsberg, the Domquartier, the Haus der Natur, the Stiegl Brauwelt, and the Salzburg Museum in the Neue Residenz. These are the classics that culturally interested tourists have on their must-see list.
There are even more museums in Salzburg!
Since I was in Salzburg again this weekend, I decided to take a look around to see what else there was to discover. The detailed tourism website drew my attention to something I hadn't considered before: small museums in Salzburg.
So I planned my Friday afternoon so that I could visit a few of them: four were on the agenda, but unfortunately only three were open.
The Salzburg Christmas Museum
Who goes to a Christmas museum? Me, that's who! I LOVE Christmas and the run-up to Christmas. The location is ideal: at Domplatz 2, on the first floor above Café Glockenspiel.
Apart from me, there were three elderly female tourists upstairs on Friday afternoon, otherwise I had the museum to myself. The first room displays old Advent calendars and nativity scenes, with information boards on the walls in between. Everything is very nicely arranged, and the old picture Advent calendars evoke a real sense of nostalgia.
We continue directly to the St. Nicholas and Krampus figures in all their forms. I found it very amusing that Krampus figures were also depicted as chestnut sellers. Low-carb enthusiasts will certainly find a close connection here.
The tour continued with cookie and cake molds, dolls of all kinds, a Christmas room from times gone by, several Christmas trees, and tree decorations. After that, you leave the museum again after a kind of tour.
Conclusion: Perhaps I should have visited the Christmas museum during Advent after all. Even on a reasonably nice September day, I couldn't quite get into the right mood. The presentation is well done, and everything looks very well maintained. Nevertheless, next time I would rather invest the rather steep admission price of 9 euros in a cappuccino and a slice of cake at the Glockenspiel.
The Panorama Museum
Just around the corner from the Christmas Museum, behind the cathedral, is the Panorama Museum at Residenzplatz 9. On display is a 360° circular painting with a circumference of 26 m by J.M. Sattler from the 19th century. Freshly restored, it can be seen in an astonishingly casual presentation.
On Friday afternoon, I had the museum all to myself. It consists of a large room with all kinds of interesting facts about Salzburg's squares and streets then and now. In the middle is a large cylinder, accessible via a few steps. Inside, separated by a glass balustrade, you can view the painting depicting Salzburg and its surroundings in Sattler's time.
As unexciting as it sounds, I was really impressed! Looking into the curve, the panorama appears flat, but when you look directly at the part in front of you, it becomes three-dimensional and lively. The details are incredible! If you want, you can also view them through the telescopes. The old town still looks very similar to today, but if you look beyond it, it's almost unimaginable how small Salzburg was back then. Where today everything is densely built up, agriculture and livestock farming still prevailed.
Once you can tear yourself away from this wonderful panorama, you walk down a few steps toward the exit. Here, too, there are interesting exhibits to see on both sides. These focus largely on the topics of geology and archaeology.
Conclusion: The €4 admission fee and the 45 minutes invested are definitely worth it. This certainly won't be my last visit.
Current information August 2025: The Panorama Museum has been closed since 2023 and the valuable panorama has been stored in a special climate-controlled box. However, it will be exhibited again in 2026 on the occasion of its 200th anniversary in the Orangery in Salzburg.
The Cathedral Archaeological Museum (Domgrabungsmuseum)
Located beneath Domplatz and Residenzplatz, the Domgrabungsmuseum offers insights into Roman times. Unfortunately, I was unable to visit, as it is only open in July and August. Regrettably, perhaps next year!
Current information August 2025: The Cathedral Excavation Museum is closed until 2028 due to modernization work. However, guided tours are available on request during this closure period.
The Museum Wasser.Spiegel
The Wasser.Spiegel perfectly located for a pleasant afternoon—in the middle of Mönchsberg, which is always inviting for a stroll. Here, Salzburg AG offers visitors the opportunity to learn about Salzburg's water supply in detail. The €5 admission fee includes an audio guide, which takes visitors to 16 stations where they can discover everything from the historical to the modern water supply.
Due to time constraints (I arrived just half an hour before the museum closed), I skipped most of the audio guide information points and just wandered through the exhibition. From the sources around Salzburg to transport pipes, their materials and weaknesses, to today's megalomaniacal facilities, the topic is presented in a very interesting way, and even children will certainly not be bored for a moment.
Conclusion: For me, the exhibition has two highlights: firstly, the insight into the gigantic elevated tanks that store Salzburg's drinking water, and secondly, the tap with drinking facilities and the very amusing observations on the quality of tap water in other cities. The topic is presented to visitors in an entertaining and varied way and is well worth the €7.90 admission fee. Also ideal in summer: the museum (in the mountain) has a constant temperature of 12 degrees Celsius.
Small museums in Salzburg: Don't forget them!
If you have some free time during your trip, consider visiting some of the lesser-known museums. For most of them, a 30- to 45-minute visit is sufficient, and you can make some truly remarkable discoveries that not everyone is familiar with.
