Kapitelplatz & Kapitelgasse

The Kapitelplatz is a sizable plaza in Salzburg’s old town, situated south of the cathedral.The large plaza faces the Kapitelschwemme and the fortification to the south, and the cathedral provost and Archbishop’s Palace to the east.The Cardinal Schwarzenberg House, the Cathedral Chapter, and St. Peter’s Abbey’s Mühlenhof are located behind it.To the west of the plaza is the monastery’s novitiate wing.The names Kapitelplatz and Kapitelgasse come from Kapitelgasse, which is home to the Salzburg cathedral chapter’s headquarters (Kapitelgasse 4 and surrounding homes).

The elite clergy lived on Chapter Square and in the mansions along the surrounding streets until the archbishopric was abolished in 1803, when the Cathedral Abbey was located. Lined up along Kapitelgasse, Kaigasse, and Chiemseegasse were austere, regal homes that made up the Cathedral neighborhood.

Chapter Fountain, which is a little off the large square, is a reminder of the past: back in the Middle Ages, Chapter Square was home to a horse pond. Under Archbishop Leopold Firmian, the new fountain was constructed in 1732 using designs by Franz Anton Danreiter, which were unmistakably based on Roman fountains. The group of figures is just in front of the ramp the horses used to enter the water: Neptune, the sea deity, riding a seahorse and spitting water while carrying a crown and trident. Josef Anton Pfaffinger created the sculpture of the baroque figure. Above the niche is a chronogram with the coat of arms of Archbishop Firmian.

In Salzburg’s Old City, Chapter area is a hub of activity. There are many of colorful shop booths, people playing chess with enormous chess pieces, and Stephan Balkenhol’s artwork “Sphaera” that animates the area.