{"id":545565,"date":"2021-10-06T15:10:57","date_gmt":"2021-10-06T13:10:57","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.salzburgerland.com\/en\/?p=545565"},"modified":"2022-03-21T10:55:13","modified_gmt":"2022-03-21T09:55:13","slug":"city-of-salzburg-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.salzburgerland.com\/en\/city-of-salzburg-2\/","title":{"rendered":"City of Salzburg"},"content":{"rendered":"

Salzburg in the spirit of the Catholic Enlightenment<\/h2>\n

Under the reign of Prince-Bishop Hieronymus von Colloredo, who ruled Salzburg beginning in 1771, the Enlightenment spirit had finally reached Salzburg city: Salzburg\u2019s last prince-bishop prohibited anything that provided any kind of sensual pleasure. He stood for extensive reforms in the structure of the church, as well as in culture and social life. Luscious and glamorous ceremonies, such as the banging of firecrackers, solstice fires, chiming the bells to prevent bad weather and even nativity plays were abolished during his reign. At the same time, the spirit of progress was attracting leading scientists, writers and musicians from across the German-speaking world to Salzburg: Michael Haydn, for example, was highly valued as a church musician by Colloredo. Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, on the other hand, left Salzburg in 1781 following disagreements with its ruler and then moved to Vienna. In 1800, the Prince-Bishop fled Salzburg; that same year, the city was occupied by French troops. In the following years, the former residential city, following changing rulers, slowly degenerated into a barren, godforsaken provincial city.<\/p>\n

Joseph Mohr\u2019s childhood and adolescent years in Salzburg<\/h2>\n

Despite the unfavourable family conditions and the difficult events unfolding around him, Joseph Mohr had both luck and talent. In the cathedral vicar Johann Nepomuk Hiernle, Mohr had found a patron who supported the young boy wherever possible. Mohr was always among the best pupils in his preparation classes as well as later in the academic gymnasium. His musical abilities earned him a spot in the choir of St Peter\u2019s Abbey in Salzburg. This provided the 15-year-old Mohr with access to an excellent, very practice-oriented education: 600 engagements were performed per year.<\/p>\n

His theological education at what was the Royal Bavarian Lyceum in Salzburg at the time was concluded with the priestly ordination in the Cathedral on 21 August 1815. On 16 March 1819, he received the great honour of being allowed to perform the Lenten sermon. A clear sign of his extraordinary rhetorical abilities, his eloquence and his theological expertise.<\/p>\n

On the traces of \u201cSilent Night\u201d in the city of Salzburg:<\/h2>\n