As you enter the gardens from a raised hill, the scene leads you down the length of the garden area, with views across to the fortress standing above the Old Town area. It takes quite some time to fully explore all the garden rooms, and if you're lucky, you'll happen upon a free orchestral performance in the building housing the historical art exhibition. It’s a true experience to delight all the senses!

Schloss Mirabelle was erected in the early 17th century by Archbishop Wolf Dietrich von Ratenau for Salome Alt. Salome Alt had beauty, and according to legend, she introduced nokerl to Salzburg. She was also the archbishop mistress and famously bore him 10 children. Although he succeeded in having her elevated to nobility, she was evicted from the palace soon after Wolf Dietrich’s fall from grace and imprisonment in the fortress. The original Baroque palace was severely damaged by fire in the early 19th century and replaced by the more sober classical building that survived to the present. The palace is currently being used by the city authorities, but it is possible to peak inside during office hours to see the marvelous stairways.

More accessible are the Baroque gardens, which offer a fine view across Salzburg’s Baroque skyline towards the elevated fortress. The large fountain with figures from Greek mythology is early 18th century, while the smaller Susanna fountain closer to the Heckentheater is an original from Wolf Dietrich’s time. According to legend, Susanna is a true representation of the beautiful Salome Alt.

From the Pegasus Fountain, a small set of stairs away from the palace leads to the Zwerglgarten (Dwarf Garden). Here, a number of marble dwarf figures are on display. The original 28 "court dwarfs" were sculpted during the
early 18th century and illustrated several professions common at the time, such as gardeners, manual laborers, and traders. Interestingly, entertainers are also present, including a ropewalker and a ball player. During Salzburg’s brief
Bavarian period in the Napoleonic era, King Ludwig I had the dwarfs removed, as he found them repulsive. Only about half of the original statues have since been recovered. The statues are between 1.2 and 1.4m (3.9 and 4.6 feet) tall. Originally, the dwarfs stood where the present children’s play area is – visitors saw the statues only from above, and they therefore looked even smaller.

Admission to the Mirabelle Gardens is free. The gardens serve as a handy shortcut from the station area to the old town and seem to be open from dawn to dusk.