Visit to Salzburg

Angela Merkel’s secret festival mission

Angela Merkel was spotted at the Salzburg Festival.(Bild: Franz Neumayr)

A visit to the Salzburg Festival is simply a must for former German Chancellor Angela Merkel in the summer. Preferably in secret, but the 70-year-old does not always succeed. Despite her armored limousine, she did not remain hidden from the many onlookers. 

Angela Merkel is one of THE regular guests at the Salzburg Festival. The former German Chancellor has been coming to the largest festival for classical music and performing arts in the city of Mozart for many years. But not to be in the spotlight. Quite the opposite. The 70-year-old tries to avoid the flurry of flashbulbs as much as possible. This was also the case on Monday, when she was chauffeured into the courtyard of the Grosses Festspielhaus in an armored limousine. 

Fried chicken for dinner
Onlookers, who never miss an opportunity to catch a glimpse of a prominent face or two in the world-famous Hofstallgasse, had to look very closely to see "Mutti Merkel". The former most powerful woman in the world also held her hand to her face. The former top politician was accompanied by businesswoman Ilse Bartenstein and her husband, former minister Martin Bartenstein. Merkel's husband Joachim Sauer was absent for health reasons. The 75-year-old is seriously ill. Which is why the culture enthusiast has already skipped the Bayreuth Festival.  

The artistic program on Monday evening included a soloist concert by Grigory Sokolov, who played Johann Sebastian Bach, Frederic Chopin and Robert Schumann. As befits a visit by Merkel to Salzburg, she then dined on fried chicken at the Sternbräu. The former chancellor, who is staying at the Gersbergalm on the Gaisberg, will also be present on Tuesday (Mozart opera "Don Giovanni") and on Wednesday at another concert at the festival. Before she quickly seeks the exit, unrecognized, to begin her journey home.