The beautiful city of Salzburg lies on the banks of the Salzach river, at the northern boundary of the Alps. The closest alpine peak – the 1972 m Untersberg – is only a few kilometers from the city center. Salzburg’s ‘Old Town’ is dominated by its baroque towers and churches and the massive Festung Hohensalzburg, one of the largest castles in Europe. Offering one of the best-preserved city centres north of the Alps, the whole Old Town of Salzburg was nominated as a World Heritage Site in 1996.It is also the birthplace of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and the setting for parts of the musical and film The Sound of Music, which features famous landmarks in Austria, but focuses mainly on Salzburg. Salzburg is also a student city, with three universities.