Getreidegasse

Shopping & sightseeing in Salzburg Old Town

The most beautiful place to go shopping in Austria, with atmospheric side-streets and romantic arcades and courtyards. The many shops are distinguished by their elegantly crafted signs.

The Getreidegasse is Salzburg's most famous shopping street. It has a unique atmosphere and is instantly recognisable from the tall houses bunched closely together on both sides and the traditional wrought-iron signs that hang over the doors of the many shops. The many passages and courtyards adjoining the main thoroughfare of the Getreidegasse are particularly atmospheric. Although the German name of the street means 'Corn Alley', the Getreidegasse had nothing to do with crops when it first came into being. On old maps, the Getreidegasse is marked as the Trabe-, Trab-, or Travgasse, which is derived from the verb traben, here referring to the noise of trotting horses' hooves. The original name was subsequently transformed into Tragasse, Traidgasse, Getreidgasse, and finally Getreidegasse. The first houses were built on the Getreidegasse when there was no space left for new buildings on the Waagplatz and the Judengasse, the oldest centres of mercantile activity in the city. Inscriptions marking the year in which they were built or representations of the eye of God or the names of previous inhabitants can often be found on these first houses. The beams that can still be seen on the gables of many houses were originally used for lifting goods from the street. Substantial structural alterations are prohibited by the strict rules on the preservation of the old town; even today, only a small number of the tall buildings have electric lifts inside. Windows that grow smaller from the first floor upwards are also typical of the Getreidegasse, as are the elegant entrances to many of the buildings, such as number 9, Mozart's birthplace. The rooms where the Mozart family once lived are now home to the Mozart Museum.

At first sight, the buildings on the Getreidegasse look very small and narrow, but they are by no means cramped inside and are often surprisingly spacious. The houses extend back for some distance on both sides of the street. Originally, large gardens occupied the space behind the houses, but they were later levelled to make way for more and more buildings. The space was needed for storehouses, factories, workshops, stalls, and servants' quarters. So, slowly but surely, new buildings began to appear behind those facing the Getreidegasse. The courtyards characteristic of the Getreidegasse as we know it today were formed when the front and rear buildings were joined. Picturesque arcades decorated with many flowers make many of these courtyards the hidden jewels of Salzburg's old town. Just as on the Getreidegasse itself, shops and cafés line the side-streets and passageways, and the covered shopping arcades are popular with locals as well as visitors. If by chance there is nothing to admire in the shop windows, the beauty of the courtyards more than makes up for any disappointment. Cornices, arcades, columns, capitals, passageways, archways, narrow steps, and marble panelling all bear witness to Salzburg's proud architectural tradition.

The Getreidegasse itself is home to a wide range of shops waiting to be explored. As it is a particularly prestigious location, it is no surprise that many of the most exclusive shops of Salzburg are to be found in the Getreidegasse and its adjoining streets. Exclusive goods from big names like Louis Vuitton, Boss, Hermčs, Bally, Mango, H&M, Sisley, and many more are on sale here. Jewellery, traditional clothing, fashion, gourmet food, hats, toys, perfume, leather goods, lingerie, shoes, fine drinks, and stationery are all available in the many specialist shops on the Getreidegasse. Neon advertising and garish signs are prohibited, and even today, the distinctive guild signs of the different businesses can be seen above the heads of shoppers and tourists.