There are a few things that you should know about Salzburg.
First, the rich heritage of the medieval Salzburg is still alive in this
modern city, beloved by its citizens. Behind the magnificent church facades,
year-long pageantry and Austrian charm is a deep and abiding faith and
a willingness to share. Did you know that Salzburg was for many centuries
an independent city-state ruled by an Archbishop? Did you further know
that St. Ruperti is credited for beginning the salt industry in Salzburg
and is now the city’s patron saint?
Second, Salzburg is a tourist town in every sense of the word. As birthplace
of Mozart and the home of the "Sound of Music's" Van Trapp family, Salzburg
attracts hordes of tourists to her streets during the spring and summer.
The Altstadt is continually abuzz with swarms of sightseeing groups, all
led by an umbrella-armed tour guide. But never fear; these crowds have
not pervaded everywhere. You can still escape to a secluded park or a bench
along the Salzach river or a trail on the Mönchsberg for a quiet moment
to yourself, in addition to an active and diverse student life.
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The
University of Salzburg is both a major university with a long academic
tradition and an important crossroads in the European academic landscape.
Expect to be attending classes with German speakers from Norway and Portugual,
from Honduras and Yugoslavia in addition to the Austrian students. Your
classes will be taught by Oxford educated Iranians and Berliners educated
in Paris, the university is truly a global place. The University of Salzburg
is comprised of four "Fakultäten" or schools: Theology,
Law,
Humanities,
and Natural & Physical
Sciences. These schools are in turn comprised of "Institute" (departments).
For example, the "Geistewissenschaftliche Fakultät" (School of Humanities)
includes the "Institut für" Germanistik (German Studies) and the "Institut für" Romanistik
(Romance Language Studies) and so on. The various departments are scattered
throughout the city and there is no "campus“ as such. The addresses of
the schools are all listed in the "Vorlesungsverzeichnis“ the university
course catalogue. The most convenient way to access the course listings
for any given faculty is to look in its World Wide Web page. To locate
a particular Institut or "Hörsaal“ (lecture hall or classroom), look
up the address in your "Vorlesungsverzeichnis" and then consult your city
map. Most institutes are located on or near Akademiestraße or in
the "Altstadt" near the Residenz. The Residenz was formerly the palace
of the Archbishop but now serves as the main administrative building of
the university. The Biology and Psychology departments and a student cafe
are in the magnificent new buildings on Hellbrunner Straße in the
"Naturwissenschaftliches Gebäude", or NaWi for short.
For more information on Salzburg and Austria click on one of the
items below.
