MIRABELL GARDEN Traditional Geocache

Prince Archbishop Johann Ernst Graf von Thun (1687 - 1709) had the famous Mirabell Gardens remodelled in 1690 according to plans by Johann Bernhard Fischer von Erlach. They were redesigned around 1730 by Franz Anton Danreiter.

The Pegasus, designed by Kaspar Gras from Innsbruck (1661), was placed here in 1913 after having stood on Chapter Square, Mirabell Square, Makart Square and even in a museum (under a staircase). The 4 groups of figures around the fountain were sculpted by Ottavio Mosto (1690) and symbolize the 4 elements: Fire (Aeneas' flight from Troy), Air (Hercules' battle with Antaeus), Earth (Pluto, lord of the Underworld abducting Zeus' daughter Persephone) and Water (Paris carrying off Helen, precipitating the Trojan War).

The mythical figures on the balustrade are the work of Bartholomäus van Opstal and Johann Fröhlich. The copies of the famous "Borghese Fencer" are attributed to Andreas Götzinger (the inner pair) and Michael Bernhard Mandl (the outer, artistically more valuable pair). The pedestals bear the coat of arms of Salzburg's Archbishop Johann Ernst Graf Thun (1687 - 1709). The elaborately decorated vases on the balustrade were built after plans by Fischer von Erlach.

The Heckentheater (Hedge Theater) is located on the west side of the Gardens. Built between 1704 and 1718, it is one of the oldest hedge theaters north of the Alps.