Goldgasse, Salzburg

The small and narrow Goldgasse is a curved street that runs from Old Market Square to Residence Square. It is flanked by burgher houses and shops selling jewelry antiques and souvenirs.

The houses in Goldgasse were the favorite lodgings of workmen and artisans who came to Salzburg in search of work. Its proximity to the cathedral and markets made it easy for them to search for customers and employers. They had to pay a tax called the collata to stay in the street that was at first called Collatagasse or Tax Street. Its present name comes from the goldsmiths who opened their shops here.

Notable buildings in Goldgrasse are the Reitsamerhaus where the French merchant Jean Fontaine established the first coffee house that later relocated and became the renowned Café Tomaselli. Many of the houses have religious ornamentation on their facades. At Goldgasse No: 6 is the Fragnerhaus with a head of an angel on a baroque corbel dating back to the 17th century, the house at No: 9 has a framed painting of the coronation of the Holy Virgin, and the house at No: 16 has a painting depicting the Holy Trinity with St. Florian and St. Sebastian.