Editorial

Travelling off-season means seeing places up close, unadorned. And I experience this feeling particularly strongly in places where crowds of seasonal tourists obscure the essence of the city. That's why I think Salzburg is at its loveliest when the Festival is over. And because the city's Baroque beauty never fails to take my breath away, I love the fact that contemporary art has begun to establish itself in recent decades – in part through the efforts of gallery owner Thaddäus Ropac, whose Villa Kast at Mirabellgarten park exhibits masterpieces of today. And Salzburg's zest for the here and now can be seen for miles in the Museum der Moderne on Mönchsberg hill, designed by Munich architects' office Friedrich Hoff Zwink.

'Sky Space', a work by US artist James Turrell, really comes into its own in autumn, when it takes on a grandiose personality of its own. A walk-in cylinder open at the top, it is located next to the museum. Sit there as twilight falls and watch the sky framed in the cylinder opening – the experience transforms the end of the day into a poignant drama.

As a grand finale, dine in 'M32', the museum restaurant, with an interior designed by Matteo Thun. It offers a view ranging over the castle, the city's domes, turrets and roofs, which blends perfectly with the restaurant's superb light Austrian cuisine and the country's finest regional wines.

www.museumdermoderne.at
M32 FON 0043 662 84 1000

Gabriele Strehle