What Getreidegasse is to Salzburg’s old town, Linzer Gasse is to Salzburg’s new town on the east bank of the Salzach. The ancient alley begins at the Platzl, right next to the wide Staatsbrücke bridge, and runs along the left side of the Kapuzinerberg hill in a straight line out of town towards the former Linzer Tor gate or today’s Franz-Josef-Straße.

The ancient alleyway lies in the shelter of the Kapuzinerberg, one of Salzburg’s popular city mountains, on the right bank of the river in the so-called Salzburg Neustadt.

The historic alley begins at Platzl, right by the Staatsbrücke bridge. Until 1894, it ended at Linzer Tor on the outskirts of the city. Linzer Gasse has always been a lively street.

Even in Roman times, it was considered the main traffic artery for the districts on the right-hand side of the Salzach. It also served as the most important road out of the capital and residential city of Salzburg in an easterly direction. Its name comes from its geographical course in the direction of Linz.

Town houses from the 14th and 15th centuries rise up on both sides of Linzergasse. Somewhat affected by the town fire of 1818, Linzer Gasse was subsequently restored to its former glory. Stores, craft businesses and traditional inns and hotels have always lined this beautiful lane, which is seen as a counterpart to the world-famous Getreidegasse.

Linzer Gasse has developed into an extremely popular shopping street over the last few years. Today, Linzergasse is home to numerous stores and coffee houses. Particularly worth seeing are St Sebastian’s Church with its cemetery and the beautiful but steep path up the Kapuzinerberg, which is lined with Passion chapels.

Paracelsus House

A stroll through Linzergasse reveals numerous other exciting sights. The house at number 3, for example, was the home of the great physician Theophrastus Bombastus von Hohenheim – known to most as Paracelsus – around 1540.

Angel Pharmacy

The Engel pharmacy in house no. 7 has existed on this site since 1809 and is best known for its most famous pharmacy assistant: the Salzburg poet Georg Trakl, whose house is located on the left side of the river on Waagplatz.

Gablerbräu

Commemorative plaques on the façade of the traditional Gablerbräu brewery, in house no. 9, commemorate other famous residents of Linzergasse, including the singer Richard Mayr, who played “Ochs von Lerchenau” in Richard Strauss’ “Rosenkavalier”.

An imposing archway with a staircase leads from Linzer Gasse up to the Kapuzinerberg, which can also be accessed from Steingasse and Schallmooser Hauptstraße. Following a small and steep Way of the Cross, you first reach the former house of the European writer Stefan Zweig, opposite which is the Capuchin monastery.

If you continue walking along the remaining parts of the city walls from the time of the Thirty Years’ War, you will find yourself at the top on a panoramic viewing platform. The view of Salzburg and the Festungsberg with Hohensalzburg Fortress, as well as the surrounding natural landscapes of Salzburger Land and Berchtesgadener Land, rewards the effort of the climb.