The chapter square and the chapter glut
Kapitelplatz is a large square south of the Salzburg Cathedral
The chapter glut
This horse pond dates in the plant from the 17th century
Somewhat off to the side on the large square, the chapter pond refers to times gone by: Already in the Middle Ages there was a “Rosstümpel” on the Kapitelplatz, at that time still in the middle of the square. Under Archbishop Leopold Freiherr von Firmian, the new complex was built in 1732 according to a design by Franz Anton Danreiter: the influence of Roman fountain systems is unmistakable. The access for the horses to the water basin leads directly to the sculpture groups. It depicts the sea god Neptune with trident and crown on a water-spouting sea steed.
Chapter Square and Chapter Flood
Kapitelplatz is a large square south of the Salzburg Cathedral
If you take the way to the High Fortress, to the Fortress Railway or to the St. Peter’s Cemetery, you will cross the Chapter Square. The spacious square is bordered by the cathedral to the south, the cathedral provost’s office and the archbishop’s palace to the east, the novitiate wing of St. Peter’s Abbey to the west and the mill of the cathedral chapter.
In the past, the cathedral monastery was located on the Kapitelplatz: here and in the palaces of the adjoining alleys resided the high clergy until the dissolution of the archdiocese in 1803. The quarter of the canons consisted of austere and sovereign city residences, which were lined up along Kapitelgasse, Kaigasse and Chiemseegasse.
The chapter square today
A lively center in the heart of Salzburg’s old town
Kapitelplatz is a lively center in the middle of Salzburg’s old town: chess is played here with oversized figures, numerous sales booths and the artwork “Sphaera” by Stephan Balkenhol enliven the square.
Above the display bellows there is a chronogram with the magnificent coat of arms of Archbishop Firmian.
