We’ve been to Salzburg once many
years ago when we were still toddler-level travelers. We arrived on Christmas
evening and when we ambled into Old Town early the next morning, everything was
closed. We pranced around Altstadt’s empty street, peering into gorgeously
decorated shop windows. We visited
Mozart’s birthplace at no. 9 Getreidegasse and of course, bought lots of
Mozart’s chocolates when the shops opened. Those were our hazy memories of Salzburg.
For our recent Balkans travel, we had to fly off from Zurich, so we took the
opportunity to revisit Salzburg by staying in a couchsurf home. We were unable
to find any host in Salzburg itself and thus, we ended up in Oberndorf bei Salzburg
which was really a godsend blessing. We would never ever have discovered this obscure
town if not for our generous hosts who decided to accept our couchsurf request.
Oberndorf bei Salzburg is 17km
from Salzburg city and is famous worldwide as the birthplace of the carol ‘Silent
Night’. The carol was first performed at the former St. Nikola parish church by schoolmaster Franz Xaver Gruber and young priest Joseph Mohr on
Christmas Eve 1818. Each Christmas Eve, a memorial service in honor of the
creators of the ‘Silent Night’ carol would be held in front of the chapel. People
from around the world attend the ceremony and sing "Silent Night" in
many languages at the conclusion of the ceremony. Going by our hosts’ sheepish
confession, this is the only attraction in town and thus, the town only sees
busloads of visitors on Christmas Eve. Kudos to our hosts, Oliver and Barbara, for
doing their bit to host visitors. If not, this town would really be off the
radar for most travellers. Come with us, as we show you what Oberndorf has to
offer.
Oberndorf can be
reached from Salzburg by S-Bahn rapid transit railway
Long
flight of stairs that leads to the bridge which connects to Laufen, Germany
just across the river. Like Singapore and Johor Bahru, Malaysia but this is so
much shorter in distance.
Pedestrian traffic only.
There is another bridge for vehicle.
Salzach River is tranquil and
beautiful now. Don’t be fooled though. The high river bank bears testament to dangerous floods that threatens the town every year. Our host’s parents abandoned
their house by this river and moved elsewhere after the last flood.
Demarcation of Austrian and German
border on the bridge.
We arrived in Laufen, looking back at
Oberndorf!
Colourful cheerful
buildings in Laufen but this area seemed to be on decline. Lots of empty shop lots. However, Oberndorf's residents come over to German side often to do their shopping as things are
cheaper.
Bridge
for vehicle. The original link between the 2 countries with immigration
checkpoint.
Checkpoint now converted to ice-cream
parlour
Bridge with the demarcation of
the border. Our hosts were sharing with us about the Syrian refugees situation in Austria. If only the refugees knew about this border, they could easily cross over with no hassle. When the exodus first started, border guards were sent here to prevent unauthorized entry. When no refugees appeared, it's now free for all. C'mon! How could the refugees know about this small town's connection to Germany?
Back in Oberndorf and walking along the river. Look at this scenic path! Autumn is
beautiful!
Leopold Kohr grew up in this
small town. He was an economist, jurist and political scientist but was best
known for his small is beautiful movement.
Turning to the right, away from
the river, we walked down a short flight of stairs. Where’s the chapel?
This is the one! Looks like a
pavilion from far.
The original church was damaged
by flood, and thus demolished and replaced with this chapel. Our hosts already warned us in
advance not to expect much. We were still taken aback by this miniscule chapel
that is visited by thousands yearly on Christmas Eve. Who gets to sit inside?
Schoolmaster Franz Xaver Gruber
and priest Joseph Mohr being remembered on 2 walls
Oberndorf is really a gem for off
the beaten track travelers. We appreciate our hosts who showered us with their warm
Austrian hospitality. Without them, we would have missed this gem.
