Those strolling out of town from Mozart Square or Chapter Square through Kapitelgasse towards the Kai District will find themselves in Kaigasse. Life is slower and more leisurely "back here" away from the hustle and bustle found on the squares or in the Getreidegasse. Although only a stone's throw away from the pulsating city center, life is quite different here. Salzburg University's administration center, several university departments and the offices of the Salzburg State Government are located on Kaigasse. Less tourists but many students and busy politicians hurry by.
Roman temple in the Kaigasse
The many corners in the Kaigasse date back to a Roman temple designed as a peripteros consecrated to the gods Asklepios, Hygieia and Kybele. It was once located between today's Kaigasse and Krotachgasse. Its foundation walls were unearthed from 1945 to 1955 and in 1987. The temple was approx. 45.5 meters long and 29.6 meters wide. The temple's strong foundation slab was partly cast.
The buildings and their history
The Kaigasse owes its name to the G'hai, the name for the ancient wattle walls built along the banks of the Salzach.
Several buildings deserve a closer inspection:
The protruding building at Kaigasse 4 emerged from the former St. Salvador's Church. It was first documented in 1421 and was presumably part of the Cathedral chapter's hospital.
The sacristan's house of the Red Brotherhood at Kaigasse 6, originally Late Gothic but later converted to the baroque style, was originally owned by the Cathedral chapter. Once thought to be the former apse of St. Salvador's Church, the large niche behind the building at Kaigasse 6 was more likely one of Wolf Dietrich's smaller gardens.
The Högelwörther Hof at Kaigasse 17 was first documented in 1434. It served as a city palace for the abbots and prelates from the Högelwörth Abbey. At the behest of Wolf Dietrich von Raitenau, Salzburg's Cathedral chapter took over the building for the canons in 1604. It was also called "Forst Schwarzenbergischer Kanonikalhof" at this time. An arm of the Alm Channel flows under the building at its northern boundary.
The Kasererbräuhaus at Kaigasse 33 houses the Mozartkino, Salzburg's oldest movie theater. Its forerunners date back to 1905, when "Frieds Original-Elektro- Biograph" showed moving pictures on the first floor of the building. The side of the building away from the street was badly damaged by bombs during World War II. A Roman temple was discovered under the subsequent cinema hall when the house was reconstructed.
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