Kapuzinerberg

What makes it special

At the top stands the Capuchin monastery, converted from a medieval fortress as a stronghold against the Reformation. Today it trains the novices of all the German-speaking Capuchin provinces together, the first novitiate they have shared.

Baroque chapels showing the Stations of the Cross line the main path, the Stefan-Zweig-Weg, named for the writer who lived on the hill. His house was the Paschinger Schlössl, and a bust of Zweig stands above it.

Around the monastery runs a defensive wall about 400 years old. At its northern end stands the Franziskischlössl, a small fort built for the sole purpose of securing the hill.

Nowhere else in the world does a colony of wild chamois live inside a city. The herd is small and shy, so many walks on the Kapuzinerberg pass without a sighting.

Visiting

Two routes climb the hill from the streets of the right bank, across the river from the old town, and the walk works best up one and down the other. Go up the Imbergstiege, the stone stairway about halfway along Steingasse, past the Imbergkirche. The first viewpoints over the Salzach come within 10 to 15 minutes, and the stairs then join the Stefan-Zweig-Weg for the rest of the climb.

Stop at the Hettwerbastei terraces just below the monastery, then go up to the Capuchin church. Back at the Hettwerbastei, follow the Basteiweg along the fortifications to the Franziskischlössl at the end of the wall.

Walk back to the Hettwerbastei, then go down the Stefan-Zweig-Weg and out through the Franziskuspforte into Linzer Gasse.

Tips

Wear shoes with a good grip. Roots and stone steps turn slick in wet weather, and snow can lie on the paths in winter.

There are no cafés or kiosks near the main viewpoints, so carry water and anything you want to eat at the top.