The Crystal Palace

The Crystal Palace

Attraction Introduction

A palace garden in Salzburg, Austria’s musical ancient city, commonly known as the Crystal Palace, is now one of Austria’s scenic highlights and is famed for its fountains and water displays.

This was originally a private palace garden of the Salzburg Archbishop. The landscape architecture is uniquely designed, blending traditional European garden styles with features akin to Chinese gardens that offer views of broader scenes through small elements. The grounds are shaded by lush trees, with gently flowing streams. Along the building walls, under eaves, and beside pathways, hidden water conduits periodically shoot out jets of water, creating splashes, rain-like curtains, and misty barriers, immersing visitors in an air of mystery. Within the garden, inside a quaint rockery cave, you can hear the calls of 26 different bird species. The Crystal Courtyard lies in its backyard—a small but central part of Hellbrunn.

It houses long stone tables and benches along with ingeniously designed fountains. Visitors are often both amused and baffled by the cleverly concealed and suddenly appearing water jets, yet thoroughly entertained. Built in the 17th century, the garden's owner, the Archbishop, once hosted banquets for friends from Venice and Rome at these very stone tables and benches. When the wine was flowing, the Archbishop quietly triggered a mechanism, causing water to gush forth from all directions—even erupting beneath the guests’ seats. As everyone scrambled to dodge the jets and got drenched, only the Archbishop remained dry, untouched by a single drop, seated firmly at the head of the feast.

Within the garden stands a quaint little stone house, with miniature stages built into the surrounding stone walls. The scenes and characters are based on world-famous fairy tales. The figures are made of wax and move with the flow of air. In the center of the stone house lies a peculiar rock on which rests a sparkling crown. If you reach out to touch the crown, a sudden burst of water will shoot it up more than a meter high.

Not far away, there is an electrically powered stage where the principles of water flow are used to animate over a hundred puppets enacting scenes of life in a small town from over 300 years ago. The puppets are powered by water and, accompanied by music, each performs their own tasks in vivid and lifelike poses. Classical music plays in front of the stage, allowing visitors to experience the flavor of the Middle Ages.

Salzburg, Austria