2023-06-23 15:03:50
Regarding the article “Retailers are moving out of the old town” in the SN of June 21, 2021: Yes, there is always something moving in the old town. Yes, large corporations and many small sole traders are constantly changing their strategy. Trade is change! No, this does not make the old town uninteresting.
From my point of view, I have been an entrepreneur in the old town for 13 years, and there is always a change in the old town. Once more, once less. But does the old town really only consist of Getreidegasse? Why do tourists and Salzburgers come to the old town? Because it is beautiful and because most of the companies in the right and left old town are family-run. This is exactly what makes our old town special, that we have small, fine shops and we maintain personal contact with customers. I can no longer read/hear the negative media coverage of the city’s extinction and the difficulties with traffic.
Let’s take a closer look at the old town on the left.
The left old town does not only consist of the Getreidegasse! If I start at Kajetanerplatz, I’m only greeted by shops that have existed for many years and the owners who are in their shops every day. From the handbag shop to fashion, decoration, shoes, chocolates and much more. The Mozart cinema and the gastronomy round off the atmosphere. The Pfeifergasse with its small guest gardens at cafés and restaurants invites you to linger.
Mozartplatz is getting a breath of fresh air, but hopefully not the same surface as Residenzplatz, with a restaurant and a bakery. The fashion shop, the Salzburg information office, the tobacconist, the shirt shop and the small gallery have been an integral part of the Imhofstöckl for years.
The Waagplatz is struggling with the parked cars and is still a wonderful mix of branches with restaurants, table linen, children’s and sports shops, which will also flourish with the redesign from 2024.
The Residenzplatz with its ever-recurring desert of dust isn’t really a success, but the shops all around bravely hold their ground all the way to Goldgasse.
The Judengasse is full of life once more because a Salzburg family of entrepreneurs had the courage to rent the empty shops during the pandemic and thus fill an otherwise dead street with life.
The Alter Markt is a luxury mile, and it is precisely the mix with the traditions of the Alte Hofapotheke and the café that give the square its real Salzburg roots.
The area around the Kranzlmarkt was difficult to rent for years, but now a sports shop has moved in and more new shops will follow.
The Sigmund-Haffner-Gasse with its small, elegant shops, restaurants and the university has become indispensable.
The Universitätsplatz with the Grünmarkt should be rethought as a market area, and yet this parallel world to Getreidegasse is always worth a visit: from jewelery shops to traditional costumes, a health food store, bakery, drugstore, gastronomy to the diverse stalls. Above all, the passageways to Getreidegasse with the hidden cafés invite you to stroll.
The Getreidegasse is of course the main artery for tourists because of the beautiful guild signs, but here too we still find shops that are long-established and everything else is a change that takes place once more and once more in every city.
Many customers tell me that you don’t actually have to drive anywhere anymore, since all cities have the same brands in the streets and therefore the same appearance, but that it’s completely different in Salzburg and that’s exactly why they like to come to us!
For me it is also always interesting to note that the press always pounces on the changes in the old town, but the immigration and emigration in the Europark are actually not really an issue and are not worth reporting.
Years ago, every new brand was immediately reported in the newspapers, now I don’t really hear anything regarding it anymore. The fact that Mia Shoes, Geox and many others have withdrawn is certainly related to many very different factors. Here, too, the owners will and must weigh up the facts and figures. After years, does it make sense to rebuild the store once more, or is it easier to close the store?
Why does a McDonalds decide to move out of Getreidegasse following 40 years? Changes in ownership, investments, administrative difficulties, etc. play a role. In all companies, the benefit must be weighed once morest the expense. Simply saying that the companies are moving out is not correct. As with everything in life, you should look at all sides and only then form an opinion. But even then, as an outsider, you will never be able to understand the full implications of a decision.
For me, the old town is a place worth living in, and I can only appeal to all customers, tourists, employees, authorities and entrepreneurs to do everything, yes, really everything to ensure that this city remains lively and that we can pass on our positive energy.
Michaela Schirlbauer, 5020 Salzburg
1687534048
#Plea #town #Salzburg
