Untersberg

According to one of the oldest legends in the German-speaking world, Charlemagne sleeps inside the Untersberg at a marble table. When his beard grows three times around the table, a final battle will be fought at the plain below Salzburg. In an alternate version, it is Frederick Barbarossa who sleeps there.

The Untersberg rises to 1,853 meters directly south of Salzburg, straddles the Austrian-German border, and has been the visual anchor of the city for centuries. The mountain’s marble was quarried for Salzburg Cathedral and the Residenzplatz fountains. The cable car from St. Leonhard reaches 1,776 meters in 8 minutes; a karst plateau with ice caves and hiking trails extends from the arrival station. Return ticket approximately EUR 24-28; cable car runs approximately April to October. Bus 25 from Salzburg Hauptbahnhof to the valley station, about 45 minutes.