From 798, as an archbishopric, or ecclesiastical state of the Holy Roman Empire, Salzburg maintained its independence for nearly a millennium. In 1213, to better represent their secular power and influence, successive monarchs assumed the title of prince-archbishop. The most powerful of these rulers included Wolf Dietrich von Raitenau, who ordered the construction of much of Salzburg's breath-taking landmarks, and Leopold Anton von Firmian, whose 1731 Edict of Expulsion forced 21,000 Protestants out of the province.

The city was initially divided into the Festival, Archbishop's, St. Peter's, and Old Market Quarters. Today, nestled between Mönchsberg and the Salzach (Salt River), the quarters comprise the Altstadt (Old Town). Increases in population expanded the city's borders across the Salzach to Kapuzinerberg (Capuchin Mountain), where Dietrich's marvelous Hellbrunn and Mirabel Palaces are located. Beyond the city, administrative districts called Pflegen provided wealth through rich salt, silver and copper mines.

In December of 1800, Napoleon Bonaparte's troops marched on Salzburg and overwhelmed its modest defenses in four days. Three months later, Bonaparte agreed to the Peace of Lunéville and withdrew, but his aggression provoked vast political and social changes. Although the French army never seized Festung Hohensalzburg (High Fortress of Salzburg), Hieronymus von Colloredo, the last and vastly unpopular prince archbishop, fled anyway. He held a lavish mock-court in Vienna until February of 1803, when he renounced claims to power.

The accords of Lunéville secularized Salzburg and designated it a Fürstentum, or principality, for Grand Duke Ferdinand III, a younger brother of Holy Roman Emperor Franz II. Salzburghers celebrated the withdrawal of Napoleonic forces and the permanent ouster of Colloredo and his clergy. Ferdinand and a semi-democratic federal system called the Council of State decentralized the authority that had been the domain of ecclesiastical princes. Aspirants, entrepreneurs, and intellectuals filled political vacancies.

Salzburg's historic independence ended on October 5, 1805, when French troops reoccupied the city. The Peace of Pressburg, signed in December, awarded the Fürstentum to Austria. Duke Ferdinand and his three children fled to Vienna, then back to Florence. The 1809, Peace of Schönbrunn ceded Salzburg to Bavaria. The territory finally became part of Austria in 1815 at the Congress of Vienna.

German troops occupied Salzburg in 1938, at which time Nazi officials ordered the arrest of political dissenters and Jews, as well as the establishment of POW camps in the outlying countryside. Allied bombers destroyed over 7,000 houses and part of the Dom (the central cathedral), but most of the historic architecture survived the conflict. American troops entered the city on May 5, 1945. Post-war treaties returned Salzburg to Austria, where it remains a popular tourist destination.

Although Salzburg has been synonymous with Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart for more than 150 years, music aficionados during the Age of Napoleon--except for those who had known and worked with Mozart personally--would not have been familiar with his work. Only years later, through the efforts of Mozart's widow, Constanze, did his genius receive the recognition we associate with his name and his birthplace. The 1965 Rogers & Hammerstein film The Sound of Music, starring Julie Andrews as governess to the singing Von Trapp family, increased Salzburg's renown in the 20th century.

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