☰Salzburg Residenz

The Residenz was the official state palace of Salzburg's prince-archbishops from the late 16th century until the secularisation of the archbishopric in 1803. The building stands directly on the cathedral square and contains some of the finest baroque interiors in central Europe — the Staterooms are still open to visitors, with murals and ceiling frescoes by Johann Michael Rottmayr and Martino Altomonte, commissioned in the early 18th century by the flamboyant Prince-Archbishop Franz Anton von Harrach. The upper floor houses the Residenzgalerie, a small but excellent picture collection with works by Rembrandt, Rubens, and the Brueghels.