Getreidegasse

This narrow lane has been one of the most important routes through Salzburg since the Roman Age, and its name has nothing to do with grain. "Getreidegasse" evolved from the old German "Trabgasse" — from traben, to trot — because this was where people and horses moved through the city. The first written mention dates to 1150, though the street was already ancient by then. For centuries it served as the commercial heart of the city, lined with trading houses, apothecaries, breweries, and the homes of councilmen, judges, and minters.

What makes Getreidegasse visually unforgettable are the wrought-iron guild signs that hang above nearly every shopfront. These Zunftzeichen originated in the Middle Ages, when most people couldn't read. A locksmith hung a key, a baker hung a pretzel, a shoemaker hung a boot. The tradition survived the centuries, and today even McDonald's and Zara display ornate wrought-iron signs to fit in. A metalworking shop called Wieber still manufactures these signs by hand, using techniques that haven't fundamentally changed in four hundred years.

The tall, narrow townhouses lining the street hide a secret: walk through many of their archway passages and you'll discover hidden courtyards that open into a parallel world of quiet cafes, artisan shops, and small gardens. These Durchhäuser — literally "through-houses" — are one of Salzburg's most charming architectural features, and most tourists walk right past them.

Mozart was born at Number 9, and his birthplace museum draws enormous crowds. But Getreidegasse deserves attention beyond its most famous resident. This is a street that has functioned as a marketplace for nearly a thousand years, and the wrought-iron signs swinging in the breeze are a living link to a time when your shopfront was your brand.