Hellbrunn Palace & Trick Fountains in Salzburg, Austria

Most people visit Hellbrunn Palace because of the 'Sound of Music' connection. The gazebo from the movie is on the grounds at Hellbrunn. But for us, the main draw in visiting Hellbrunn Palace was its trick fountains. And what a treat it was!

Hellbrunn Palace is located outside of central Salzburg. You can drive down to the place like we did (lots of parking spaces available - Euro 2 for the first two hours, Euro 3.60 maximum daily fees) or take Line 25 from the main train station in Salzburg to Hellbrunn. If you have the Salzburg Card, you can make use of the public transport which is quite fast and easy. The palace stands in a large park which it shares with the neighboring Salzburg zoo. So, if you are visiting with kids you can plan a day out combining the palace and the zoo.

Prince Archbishop Markus Sittikus von Hohenems commissioned this palace to be built at the foot of the Hellbrunn mountain. He enlisted the help of the famous Cathedral architect, Santino Solari to design a summer residence which would match the style of other popular Italian aristocratic estates. And Santino Solari delivered just that - a beautiful Renaissance structure of palatial size where Markus Sittikus hosted his extravagant parties.

One interesting point to note is that the Hellbrunn does not have any bedroom. The reason being that it only used as a Summer day residence and the Archbishop usually returned to Salzburg in the evening. Today, the palace is more like a museum, an insight into the life of Markus Sittikus. The audioguide available at the reception offers detailed information about each room as you explore the palace. Everything is nicely presented in the rooms and when we visited the palace was without the usual crowds which meant that we could walk leisurely through all the rooms.

The palace park is a lovely place for relaxation or enjoying a stroll. It makes excellent use of the natural landscape and adding to the scenic setting are well-landscaped areas, ponds, and even a children's play space.

The trick fountain tours at Hellbrunn are guided tours conducted at certain times of the day. And true to their name, the fountains are definitely tricky and lots of fun. It starts off slow but builds up as you progress from one fountain to the other. The guide during our visit was a lovely lady who made sure that all of us had a wonderful time - lots of laughter as people got unexpectedly squirted with water during the tour. I will not divulge full details about the fountains as it will take away the fun and surprise element when you do visit Hellbrunn. All I can say is Archbishop Markus Sittikus was certainly a man with a 'wicked' sense of humour. I am sure these trick fountains would have entertained his unsuspecting guests.

Looking at the palace and the fountains it is difficult not to marvel at the ingenuity and ideas that Santino Solari had then. What looks like a fun world of water and fountains would have been considered an engineering marvel in those days. Especially the 'Mechanical Theatre' display which has around 160 wooden figures that either bend, move or rotate and all of this activity is powered by water, which moves numerous small wooden wheels and levers under the stage and behind the scenes. Very impressive!

So that was our visit to Hellbrunn Palace and Gardens. I am sure those of you who have travelled a lot would have visited many opulent palaces and gardens but Hellbrunn definitely is an intriguing palace because of its fun and unique trick fountains. The palace with its enchanting gardens and entertaining trick fountains surely would have been the perfect venue for lavish parties and celebrations. Let me know what your thoughts are about Hellbrunn?

Useful information

Hellbrunn Palace | Fuerstenweg 37, Hellbrun, Salzburg 5020, Austria
Phone | +43 662 820372

The palace is around 25 minutes from the city center and can be reached easily by local transport or by car. The opening times for 2017 are from April 1st until November 1st. The ticket prices are 12,50 € for adults and 5,50 € for children. Family ticket (2 adults + 1 child) cost 26,50 €. The ticket includes a guided tour of the trick fountains, entry to the palace with an audio guide and a visit to the Folk Museum.

If you have a Salzburg card, you get a one-time free admission to the palace. You can even use your Salzburg card to travel to Hellbrunn from the city center. I would highly recommend visitors to the city to opt for a Salzburg Card. In addition to free admission to many popular attractions and museums, the card also offers free use of public transportation and additional discounts at many excursion destinations. For more information on the Salzburg card, visit www.salzburg.info.

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Thank you to Salzburg Tourism for providing us with Salzburg Cards to explore the city. As always, all opinions expressed in the post remain my own.